The Taste starts this weekend, much to the dismay of city dwellers.  I’ll admit that I have attended the taste for the past 3 years, all under circumstances that were not in my control:

2003 – Friends in from out-of-town
2002 – Family (via suburbs) came down for a day of food and Sox
2001 – Boyfriend who moved back here with me wanted to eat a crapload of food in a short amount of time.

So if you have friends in from out of town, or would like to eat a crapload of food, head on down to Grant Park.  If you get suckered in, try to go on the 4th not for the fireworks, but for They Might Be Giants.  That might take some of the sting out of being there in the first place. 

The smart bet would be to stay as far away from the Loop until this passes.