Lost in Chicago but found the Wild Hare
Lost in Chicago, but found the Wild Hare.
Things happen in this world for reason and the more connections and faint circumstance I encounter the less I understand what that reason is.
I was leaving for St Lucia the next morning from O’Hare airport and decided to drive stay with a friend downtown, at the Park Hilton. After work, I packed, went to the gym, showered and drove to downtown. Since my friend was at a work party my midnight arrival would not be a problem.
Without directions, as usual, I used my blackberry’s web-browser to guide my way, another good reason for forgetful people like me to have good technology. Once off the freeway and driving east on Monroe, I watched the numbers get lower and lower. Soon I ended up at a T in the road. Turning left with no clue, I found myself on lake drive heading north, the opposite way that I had just came from. DAMN. I called my friend in frustration, who suggested I stop somewhere to ask. Having just pasted a gas station, I did a u turn and stopped at the gas station.
Two suburban looking guys were standing at the counter with a man in dreads and the guy behind the counter discussing how to get to their final destination. I walked to the side of them and browsed a map, trying to find out where I needed to go. As the 2 guys walked out, clearly not satisfied with their information, I asked the man in dreads, “Hey, care to help another person find there way?” He looked at me and said, “Another tourist, what’s going on here?” I answered, “Come on Rasta, I just took a wrong turn, I’m not a tourist”. “Oh, she called me Rasta, I suppose I can help”. He told me in 2 left hand turns how to get back to where I passed the hotel in the first place. He asked where I was going and I explained my hotel stay and trip to the Caribbean in the morning. He stated, “That’s not the Caribbean girl, not like Jamaica.” I told him I usually do go to Jamaica, but had a different purpose this time. We walked outside of the gas station and continued to talk about our knowledge of Jamaica, my work and the similar people we knew.
At that point, he told me he had just had a fight with his girlfriend, one of the top 15 philanthropists in the country and asked if I wanted to go around the corner to his bar, the Wild Hare. He owned this bar, but started as a band member playing there. I was floored, because this was the only Reggae bar in Chicago and I heard about it from a friend of mine, who was dying to go there. How did I end up stopping at this gas station and asking this man for directions…………..
I couldn’t go to the bar since it was getting closer to 1:00 am now and my friend was expecting me, but we exchanged cards and he continued the story about his girlfriend and his philosophies on giving. He opened up 15 schools in Africa in rural areas and helped over 200 HIV affected women get on birth control pills. He had a strong spiritual component that he was obviously passionate for as he pontificated on about how people would give and appreciate others acts of kindness. His girlfriend memorialized a portion of the Northwestern Cancer Center to Chris Blackwell’s now deceased wife, not because she knew her or him, but because the Rasta wanted to do something that showed his sorrow and appreciation for all that Mr. Blackwell has done for music and others.
He also told me that he helped raise Ziggy Marley. Although a special circumstance, I wasn’t entirely impressed, I am still not sure if Ziggy Marley was a child in need of assistance in being raised and didn’t want to seem star struck. If giving is really about helping others, I was truly impressed when he told me about the recent offerings toward less fortunate communities.
We then discussed my job and how he wanted to assist in any opportunities that the Wild Hare could participate in.
I am anxious to visit the Wild Hare and this man’s website, http://www.wildharereggae.com/ soon. I sincerely hope that he and his girlfriend work out their situation, it seems a good match for someone with great means to be with someone with great ideals. They met a charity event in Chicago.
I eventually made it to my friend’s hotel room, where I told this story and again proclaimed how the strangest things in life seem to happen to me for a reason and I still am unsure what that reason is…….
Things happen in this world for reason and the more connections and faint circumstance I encounter the less I understand what that reason is.
I was leaving for St Lucia the next morning from O’Hare airport and decided to drive stay with a friend downtown, at the Park Hilton. After work, I packed, went to the gym, showered and drove to downtown. Since my friend was at a work party my midnight arrival would not be a problem.
Without directions, as usual, I used my blackberry’s web-browser to guide my way, another good reason for forgetful people like me to have good technology. Once off the freeway and driving east on Monroe, I watched the numbers get lower and lower. Soon I ended up at a T in the road. Turning left with no clue, I found myself on lake drive heading north, the opposite way that I had just came from. DAMN. I called my friend in frustration, who suggested I stop somewhere to ask. Having just pasted a gas station, I did a u turn and stopped at the gas station.
Two suburban looking guys were standing at the counter with a man in dreads and the guy behind the counter discussing how to get to their final destination. I walked to the side of them and browsed a map, trying to find out where I needed to go. As the 2 guys walked out, clearly not satisfied with their information, I asked the man in dreads, “Hey, care to help another person find there way?” He looked at me and said, “Another tourist, what’s going on here?” I answered, “Come on Rasta, I just took a wrong turn, I’m not a tourist”. “Oh, she called me Rasta, I suppose I can help”. He told me in 2 left hand turns how to get back to where I passed the hotel in the first place. He asked where I was going and I explained my hotel stay and trip to the Caribbean in the morning. He stated, “That’s not the Caribbean girl, not like Jamaica.” I told him I usually do go to Jamaica, but had a different purpose this time. We walked outside of the gas station and continued to talk about our knowledge of Jamaica, my work and the similar people we knew.
At that point, he told me he had just had a fight with his girlfriend, one of the top 15 philanthropists in the country and asked if I wanted to go around the corner to his bar, the Wild Hare. He owned this bar, but started as a band member playing there. I was floored, because this was the only Reggae bar in Chicago and I heard about it from a friend of mine, who was dying to go there. How did I end up stopping at this gas station and asking this man for directions…………..
I couldn’t go to the bar since it was getting closer to 1:00 am now and my friend was expecting me, but we exchanged cards and he continued the story about his girlfriend and his philosophies on giving. He opened up 15 schools in Africa in rural areas and helped over 200 HIV affected women get on birth control pills. He had a strong spiritual component that he was obviously passionate for as he pontificated on about how people would give and appreciate others acts of kindness. His girlfriend memorialized a portion of the Northwestern Cancer Center to Chris Blackwell’s now deceased wife, not because she knew her or him, but because the Rasta wanted to do something that showed his sorrow and appreciation for all that Mr. Blackwell has done for music and others.
He also told me that he helped raise Ziggy Marley. Although a special circumstance, I wasn’t entirely impressed, I am still not sure if Ziggy Marley was a child in need of assistance in being raised and didn’t want to seem star struck. If giving is really about helping others, I was truly impressed when he told me about the recent offerings toward less fortunate communities.
We then discussed my job and how he wanted to assist in any opportunities that the Wild Hare could participate in.
I am anxious to visit the Wild Hare and this man’s website, http://www.wildharereggae.com/ soon. I sincerely hope that he and his girlfriend work out their situation, it seems a good match for someone with great means to be with someone with great ideals. They met a charity event in Chicago.
I eventually made it to my friend’s hotel room, where I told this story and again proclaimed how the strangest things in life seem to happen to me for a reason and I still am unsure what that reason is…….
posted by my girl at 11:54 AM
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