Have Dreams, Will Travel

THE BEST DAY EVER

BY NICK BURRY

Nine: That's the number of times Ferris played hooky. It's also the number of times I watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off when it was released in 1986. For me, that fictional day in Chicago represents the ultimate celebration of life, and a few months ago, I got a chance to re-create the highlights of the Best Day Ever with my very own Cameron (my best friend Brian).

Things began at 24 feet per second. That was the speed of the elevator launching us to the sky deck of the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower. In the movie, the trio leans against the glass to take in a view of the city they'd conquer that day, but we stepped out onto The Ledge, the new glass-floored balcony that boasts an unobstructed view to the street 1,353 feet below.

The Art Institute of Chicago was the next stop; we imitated the characters' contemplative poses as we perused the Gauguins, Van Goghs and antiquities. Next, we sped north to the Wrigley Field, where a sunny day game with a Chicago-style hot dog is more of a religious experience than a sporting one. We solemnly chanted at the visiting team: "Hey battah, battah, battah, suhwing…"

While Ferris lived with the constant threat of Principal Rooney, we were dogged by time. (Squeezing a city's worth of activities into a school day must require a rich father's Ferrari.) When we reached N. Lincoln Avenue, all that was left of the Von Steuben Parade was a sprinkling of confetti and some discarded novelty-sized German flags. We sprinted 15 blocks up the middle of the street towards the faint sound of an oompah band and arrived, breathless, to catch the tail end of the parade. I was too winded to leap atop a float and belt out my rendition of "Danke Schoen."

It was a lot to absorb in just one day, but as Ferris teaches us: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."