Went to the Museum of Ice Cream, which was actually pretty dope

August 30, 2022 9:15 PM

My Weekend as a 28-year-old in Chicago Illinois (SLvideo)
posted by vverse23 (15 comments total)

I'm friends with a former coworker on Facebook. He lives in Chicago and every weekend is basically like this for him, it seems. I often wish I had his apparently endless supply of money, time and energy.

I go to the grocery store on Saturday and need a two hour nap to recover. I'm lucky if I have the energy to take in a movie.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 12:52 AM on August 31, 2022 [11 favorites]

This just got funnier and funnier and more unbelievable, but always remained a pitch-perfect parody of the videos supposedly depicting the "best life" someone claims to be living in some place. I like the way he subtly makes it clear there's not that much cool about Chicago so he has to keep recycling the same few "that sounds cool" images. But hey, congratulations on his whirlwind romance and marriage; I hear you can rent out the Museum of Ice Cream for receptions.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 1:41 AM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]

Although I should add that the hectic mood of this video is based on some truth. The winter is so long and unpleasant that Chicago people go a little bit bonkers overboard in the summer, especially on weekends. There are always neighborhood street parties somewhere, events at city parks, eating outside restaurants, socializing till all hours. The bit in Ferris Bueller where they just randomly come across a parade is only a slight exaggeration. Los Angelenos with their constantly nice weather can never match Chicagoans' frenzied drive to have big exciting stuff going on while they can.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 1:50 AM on August 31, 2022 [9 favorites]

levitating dog
posted by lokta at 4:45 AM on August 31, 2022 [12 favorites]

He nailed the TikTok narration tone so well. It took until Bill Maher for me to sense the satire.
posted by little onion at 7:29 AM on August 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

No Weiner Circle?
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:33 AM on August 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

I keep coming across TikToks like this and it always boggles my mind - especially the ones that for some reason include the costs? Like, spending $250 just on food and entertainment in one day? How???? I've lived here for 20 years and while maybe I've had a weekend or two like that it seems like these TT creators do it every weekend and I just don't understand.

He nails the voiceover cadence.
posted by misskaz at 7:49 AM on August 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

"Yet another Marg Tower..."
posted by Windopaene at 8:04 AM on August 31, 2022 [3 favorites]

This just made me feel bitter because when I was 28 in Chicago there was none of this fun shit to do.
posted by bleep at 8:07 AM on August 31, 2022

I've lived here for 20 years and while maybe I've had a weekend or two like that it seems like these TT creators do it every weekend and I just don't understand.

One of the tricks is that a lot of these people are taking on debt to pretend to live a extravagant lifestyle with the plan that doing so will be lucrative enough to pay off the debt eventually. And hey, occasionally it even works!
posted by wesleyac at 8:42 AM on August 31, 2022

I know this is satire but ah yes, the "Chicago-as-theme-park" lifestyle. Chicago was my first home and my first whirlwind love affair (with the city, not with a person), and this kind of thing just never appealed to me, to such an extent that I didn't really know it even existed til after I left. But then again, I lived and biked all over the southside and never dipped a toe in Wrigleyville, so maybe that explains why.
posted by cnidaria at 10:06 AM on August 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

For the sake of completeness, while there's a whole genre of these kinds of "Day in the Life" videos, this particular parody contains specific elements referencing this apparently non-ironic TikTok video (found in the replies to the original tweet).
posted by mhum at 10:15 AM on August 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

Wasn't this all a riff on the LinkedIn Chicago video? Or just a next video in the series?

because I've got a real problem with that laptop sticker
posted by JoeZydeco at 11:35 AM on August 31, 2022

I mean for what it's worth the amount of eating is just about accurate. But there are too many marg towers, not enough Old Styles and malort shots.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 3:29 PM on August 31, 2022 [2 favorites]

I'm from Chicago and my (25ish-year-old) godson now lives in Pilsen and, yep. Let's get another marg tower.
posted by cyndigo at 6:21 PM on August 31, 2022