Chicago in the Spring...

A few years back, I heard a radio segment about the sure-fire signs of spring in Chicago, one that still makes me smile. Listeners were urged to call in and complete the sentence, "You know it's springtime in Chicago when..." Answers ranged from the generic, such as the slew of new road construction projects and the return of street cleaning, to the uniquely Chicago, such as the increased speed limit on Lake Shore Drive and the sailboats' return to the marinas, to the downright creative, such as the new rat extermination signs posted in the neighborhood alleys.

I only caught a small sampling of the call-in answers, but I'm sure some others included the explosion of tulips on North Michigan Avenue and the explosion of color in the huge planters just a few blocks south, the baseball fans that pack themselves onto the red line el on both the north and south sides of the city, and the city sticker renewal forms that arrive in the mail.

What signals springtime in Chicago to you? I didn't call in, but for me, my sure-fire sign of spring is when the mariachi music, blaring from the open windows of the cars passing by, wafts up and into my apartment through my just opened window. Although the noise quickly becomes a nuisance, on the first few warm days after a seemingly interminable winter, it's a welcome sign of spring and the warm weather that will eventually follow... and I heard it today, for the first time this year!