Eunji Kim on the Best of Summertime Chi

Eunji Kim (she/her) is a comedian, writer, actor and mother, and our fabulous MC for CHF's Comedic Showcase of Chicago last summer—a very special Chicago summer night at Navy Pier Lake Stage. She's helping us recreate the vibes of that magical evening with her recommendations, in her own words, for a good time in Summertime Chi.

Image caption: Photograph of Eunji Kim on stage at Navy Pier Lake Stage for CHF's Comedic Showcase of Chicago. Image credit: Timothy Schmidt.

Get Eunji's tips on the best summer hangs, fav summer films, warm weather jams; plus the Chicagoans to follows and local organizations to support all year round!

Winnemac Park

Eunji: If you like chilling with your friends in a chill place with chill vibes and chill trees and a chill prairie habitat - then Winnemac Park is IT, honey. Bring a towel, a chair or just a CHILL ATTITUDE and come HANG IN THE PARK. Bring a lil cooler, a backpack of snacks or JUST a lil water bottle and COME OUTSIDE AND GET OFF YOUR PHONE. Bring a book, a ball, or just LAY ON THE GROUND IN YOUR CLOTHES AND BE CHILL OUTDOORS. I love that you can see a true cross section of all life at a park - not just the trendy and beautiful. The park is fun, free, and for all!!!

Image caption: Photograph of Winnemac Park on a summer day. A group of people sit together on the lawn, behind them trees and the side of a building.

Your Friend with a Boat or Access to a Rooftop Pool

Eunji: If you hate being chill and love to be seen, get tipsy and sing along to songs on the radio - you better start texting that friend who has got a boat or has access to a rooftop pool ASAP. Summer is simply not complete without at least a week where you get really sunburnt and have some tasty drinks with friends by the water. And the fastest way to do that is on a boat you do not own or by a pool you do not pay assessments for. Best case scenario, you’ve already started to sow the seeds with this person in the fall and winter - so as to not be accurately called out as a fake friend/boat/pool chaser.

Image caption: A boat on the Chicago River at sunset, the skyline in the background.

Metropolitan Brewing

Eunji: Metropolitan Brewing is right along the river and is a part of a massive new development called Rockwell On The River. It’s tucked away from the industrial area surrounding it - which gives it a serene, quiet, and unassuming energy. But get there early because it is a hotspot for the late-20s/early 30’s “I’m not trying to be too cool but I do still want to be cool” crowd. And everyone’s home by 10pm.

Image caption: Photograph of the patio at Metropolitan Brewing, depicting tables and string lights a little before dusk. Photography courtesy of Metropolitan Brewing.

DRAMA

Eunji: A great summer jam takes you from a chill backyard hang to a contemplative drive with the windows down, one hand on the wheel one hand riding the wind - and this is the Chicago band that will take you there. They are the perfect blend of sexy, cool, and anything could happen chaotic that you want for summer vibes. This is music to fall in and out of love to - this band has soundtrack to your sexiest/saddest/hottest life vibes.

Instagram: @thedramaduo

Image caption: Photograph of DRAMA

DJ Ca$hera

Eunji: DJ Ca$hera is a queer female DJ and long-time fixture on the Chicago scene. If you want to have one of those perfect Chicago summer nights, follow her on instagram and make sure you get to a set she’s DJ-ing.

Instagram: @djcashera

Image caption: Photograph of DJ Ca$hera

𝑫𝑬𝑯𝑫

Eunji: This cool kid band has been getting a lot of buzz lately and I won’t pretend to have known who they were before the buzz. They’re giving us songs to accompany your mental health walks with and weep to. I recently wrote a letter to a woman I hurt (that I didn’t mail) after I listened to Blue Skies (their latest album). The hooks are catchy, the lyrics are deep and the sensibility is unpretentious but sophisticated. Quintessential indie Chicago shit.

Instagram: @dehdforver

Image caption: Photograph of 𝑫𝑬𝑯𝑫

Fire Island

Eunji: Who isn’t trying to watch a cute lil rom-com during the summer? In my experience, only psychopaths. This movie is an adaptation of Pride & Prejudice which makes it feel familiar to audiences but then the all-queer all-POC cast made it feel familiar to ME for whole other reason. The cast is magic and the movie is LOL. This is perfect for those nights when it’s just too hot to be outside but you want to be wine-drunk in an extremely air-conditioned room.

Image caption: Movie poster for Fire Island

Magic XXL

Eunji: Watching this movie in theaters was the most fun I’ve ever had in a theater. My friend puked from laughing. I stood up in a crowded theater and barked. I cannot imagine a season that this movie would not be fun or appropriate. This movie should be in the Smithsonian.

Image caption: Movie poster for Magic Mike

Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar

Eunji: Strap yourself in for a delightful time. Watching this movie is the visual equivalent of lasanga covered in ice cream. It seems crazy but it’s so good. It’s a great friendship movie to watch with friends or enemies.

Image caption: Movie poster for Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar

Parker Callahan

Eunji: Parker is an absolute rising star, comedian, and most recently the director of my solo show, IN BAD TASTE. He is joyous and camp and hot. He is the unholy step-child of John Waters, Tyra Bank’s talk show, and a world post-Ryan Murphy’s Glee. Not only is he psychotically fun - he has impeccable taste. He collaborates with some of the most exciting comedic talent in the city: Maggie Winters, Alex Grelle and of course, MOI. I endorse Parker, HARD.

Instagram: @parkthelark

Image caption: Headshot of Parker Callahan

The Fly Honeys

Eunji: The Fly Honeys are “a rotating and ever expanding ensemble of empowered individuals who celebrate bodies and self-love in a punk-styled, social progressive show” In short, they are a fucking vibe - a collaborative arts, theater and dance ensemble who run a horny fun ass show. They have workshops, they do social justice shit and they celebrate radical self-love. Like I said, they are a VIBE.

Instagram: @theflyhoneys

Image caption: Photograph of The Fly Honeys performing. Photo courtesy of The Fly Honeys.

Phillip Tang

Eunji: Phillip Tang’s instagram posts offer a moment of zen for me in my hellish social media scroll. He’s a self-taught videographer/photographer, whose natural intuition and talent actually makes me mad. His food and coffee art videos are so beautifully dreamy and are an absolute feast for the ASMR-inclined freaks out there, but are always captioned with a healthy dollop of humor and reality.

Instagram: @potatoislike

Image caption: Photograph of Phillip Tang

Brave Space Alliance

Learn more about Brave Space Alliance on their website: "Brave Space Alliance is the first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ Center located on the South Side of Chicago, dedicated to creating and providing affirming, culturally competent, for-us by-us resources, programming, and services for LGBTQ+ individuals on the South and West sides of the city. We strive to empower, embolden, and educate each other through mutual aid, knowledge-sharing, and the creation of community-sourced resources as we build toward the liberation of all oppressed peoples."

Image caption: Brave Space Alliance logo

MASK (Mothers/Men Against Senseless Killings)

Learn more about MASK on their website: "MASK (Mothers/Men Against Senseless Killings) was established in 2015 as a way to put eyes on the streets, interrupt violence and crime, and teach children to grow up as friends rather than enemies. A group of caring individuals in the community began to simply hang out on the block, cook food, and emanate love."

Eunji: I am a firm believer that the biggest impact on people’s lives are other people and government, not large non-profit institutions. And I know this because I have seen Chicagoans step up to help their fellow Chicagoans in remarkable ways that provide lasting change and engender real hope. This organization is one of them.

Image caption: MASK logo

The Love Fridge

Learn more about The Love Fridge on their website: "The Love Fridge is a Chicago-based initiative created to nourish our communities through mutual aid. Powered by kindness, generosity, and most importantly, love, we firmly believe that feeding oneself is not a privilege, but a right...These refrigerators, painted by local artists to reflect the communities in which they live, provide neighbors the opportunity to donate food as well as take what they need, ensuring accessible food 24/7."

Eunji: It’s about mutual aid, not charity - it’s empowering, not enabling.

Image caption: The Love Fridge Chicago logo

@thebesteunji on instagram, twitter, and Tiktok

@ekinetic on Venmo

Eunji Kim (she/her) is a comedian and writer based in Chicago. She was a Senior Writer for Cards Against Humanity. She could once be seen performing stand-up at Zanies, Laugh Factory, and all sorts of bars. She was a 2017 Bob Curry Fellow at Second City and a featured performer in the 2017 NBC Universal Break Out Festival. She also co-hosts The Ajumma Podcast (@AjummaShow) with fellow Chicago comedian/Korean, Peter Kim (@Peterkz). Her TV credits include: Chicago Fire (NBC), Chicago Med (NBC) and Work In Progress (Showtime). To learn other reasons she feels great about herself, follow her @TheBestEunji.

Image caption: Headshot of Eunji Kim

[Banner image description: The banner image across the top of the web page is a graphic with a photograph of Eunji Kim in front of the Chicago skyline in summertime.]