Woman killed at Palmer House Chicago Halloween Party
Last night a woman tried to slide down the railing of one of the big staircases at the Palmer House Chicago and plunged to her death four stories below.
I have friends that were there when it happened, as the Palmer House party is one of the big Halloween events for straight people here in Chicago.
The girl was dressed up like a superhero, was very drunk, and had been jumping around, doing karate kicks, and getting into her part. She apparently felt invincible enough to get up on the railing and try to slide down using her Halloween powers.
It’s a tragedy, and I feel for her family, but I have to tell you that I see drunk people act like idiots almost every night. Living in Boystown and covering the gay Chicago scene means that I get to see both the professional and the amateur hour drunks in action. The bar regulars know their limits: 3, maybe 4, drinks in a night, with just one or two shots, and they are done. Anything more than that and they act like fools.
The amateur hour drunks are the ones who come out on nights like Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, New Year’s Eve, etc. They don’t drink on a regular basis, are usually from the suburbs, and watched Ferris Bueller, Adventures in Babysitting, and Risky Business too many times so they believe they need to cram cinematic-grade adventures into their “big night out in Chicago”.
Some of you might not like to hear this, but straight women, on these “big nights out”, are a lot of times terrors to deal with. A lot of nights here in Boystown, I’ve seen these girls running through traffic, laughing, not paying any attention to where they are going. They whirl and twirl around, not looking for cars, reveling in the moment of being a princess in a neon kingdom surrounded by hot guys who are respectful and kind to them (ie, not physically interested in them at all…because we’re all gay). That feeling, for some of these girls, is more intoxicating than all the booze they over-drink.
I just want to take this opportunity, since a lot of people will be out drinking tonight, and a great many of them will be amateur hour drinkers, to let you know that you can, indeed, have an excellent time just about anywhere without drinking a lot of alcohol.
Do you really need to have four beers? Why can’t you stretch two beers out over an evening?
One day in the spring I just stopped drinking almost entirely. I wanted to cut out the empty calories to get ready for summer — because I live in the most judgmental community in a judgmental image-conscious city — and I honestly have never missed drinking. I have a beer, maybe two, when I go out…and sometimes I just drink orange or cranberry juice and people just assume it’s some mixed drink, and not virgin (ironically enough, probably the only “virgin” anything in most places I go in Boystown).
Another trick I pull is drinking Guinness in the bottle. It’s opaque glass so no one can tell how much I have left. If it’s something like Halloween or New Year’s and everyone is out drinking and living it up, and I don’t want to have any more alcohol, I just keep carrying around that empty Guinness bottle and everyone thinks it’s full. If people are buying another round and insisting I join them, I just tell them “No thanks, I just got this one!” and they leave me be.
Never, ever do the rounds of shots proferred. Once you start, you get sucked into doing more, and then all of a sudden they just pound you into the ground. Don’t let that happen to yourselves.
I want everyone to go out and have fun tonight, and every night, but I don’t want you to hurt or make assess of yourselves. Moderation is a wonderful thing. If you’re someone who succumbs to peer pressure to drink more than you should — use my Guinness bottle trick so you can fake them out and stay as sober as you want without feeling compulsion to drink because friends think they are being nice and want to keep buying you rounds.
If you know yourself, and realize the idea of you going out on Halloween and NOT drinking like Liza Minnelli is ridiculous, then at least load up on bread or Saltines about thirty minutes before you hit the bars. This way, there’s something in your stomach, and all those carbs will help soak up the alcohol…and also make you feel full so that your body can’t drink as much as maybe your impulses want you to.
It’s a weird thing to have to say, but in light of what happened last night I also want to add that if you are going to be dressed up as a superhero tonight, you need to remember that you really don’t have secret powers. This is not the Halloween episode of Buffy where everyone turned into their costumes, and Willow became a real ghost, Buffy became an 18th Century vapid belle, and Xander turned into Mr. Army Commando Guy.
You can’t surf down railings like in the movies, no matter how many beers you have — especially when I’d love it if you’d have just one or two beers and keep yourselves safe instead of going so nuts tonight you rob yourself of your tomorrow.
What happened last night was a cautionary tale I hope you share with everyone you know going to parties tonight…so we can hopefully stop this from happening somewhere else too.
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I am a straight woman in the burbs who goes downtown occasionally with friends and spend a great deal of time serving as a ‘wrangler’. I rarely drink so my job is to make sure nobody dies, and everyone goes back to their own home safely.
Even with my friends who KNOW I rarely drink there is a point at the evening where the INSIST that I drink with them. My system is to get a Gin and Tonic at the beginning of the evening and then just getting Tonic water for the rest of the night. That way they think I got another gin and tonic and have no idea that I am basically drinking water. To them it looks like a mixed drink so that’s all that matters.
So true, Kevin. What a terrible tragedy. I know how easy it is to drink too much, and then have it catch up with me (fortunately in the past). I lived to tell about it, thanks be to God.
Other than driving after drinking (in the 80′s), I have never put my life in danger. I am too much of a chicken.
Hmmmm…the article says that alcohol didn’t play a part in the accident. I don’t believe it either.
My friends say she was super drunk. All her friends were.
THAT, or she was on something else that made her seem drunk.
They might be factually correct in saying “alcohol” wasn’t involved, but she was behaving like she was on SOMETHING.
So much so that she was noticed as behaving weirdly in a sea of people dressed in costumes behaving weirdly.
People not on something don’t go sliding down railings.
I meant to say, I DIDN’T believe the statement that article made of no alcohol usage. Poor girl had to be on something!
The article I read also said that “the police say that alcohol did not play a part in this accident.” I think this comes directly from the Palmer House, who would be liable if this chick got drunk there and then did this stupid thing. If she brought her own drugs in and got high and did this, it’s not their fault.
I think it is safe to say that “SOBRIETY did not play a part in this accident.”
I guess I’m mean, but I don’t call it a tragedy. I call it stupidity.
I do feel sorry for her family, losing a loved one in such a needless way.
Kevin, I like your tricks, I have used them. I like the bottle the best. I used to just put a little water in it in the rest room when I was younger when people seemed to keep an eye as to whether you were consuming or not.
I gave up alcohol for six months in college to test myself as their is alcoholism in the family. Peer pressure for the young can be pretty intense. I help one mug of green beer all night long at a St. Patrick’s Day party and one exactly one sip of it.
Lastly, having worked in some correctional facilities (i.e. jails) in the medical department. DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE EVER AGAIN. It is not worth spending some time in jail after the first offense and then losing your license and spending thousands of dollars in legal fees.
Oh, and I NEVER do shots. And, and I learned the hard way in college, I drink the punch.
I am having real trouble typing today, I never drink the punch.
Studmuffin NEVER drinks in a public venue/bar–he likes to have his wits about him at all times. If we’re with friends, he orders iced tea, in a crowd, he orders tonic water with a twist of lime — and people automatically assume it’s a mixed drink, and leave him alone.
I too have used the water in the beer bottle trick. It works for me.
That’s really sad. That’s what it’s always good to stick with a group that has at least one person who remains sober (drug and alcohol free).
Tragic, and frightening for those who unfortunately had to witness it.
I have to take a child around trick or treating tonight so that he can wear his fright ghoul costume.(I put the nix on fake blood; Boys!! LOL) so I will not be drinking anything, but it’s kind of you, Kevin, to be concerned enough to tell people to be careful and I am very sorry for the friends and family of the woman who died.
We have alcoholism in our family. As a result, no one here drinks any more. We’d rather watch the show than be the show. I can tell you that there is nothing sadder and uglier than a drunken woman. Maybe it’s because I am a woman that I feel that way.
This is why I don’t ever go to bars – I don’t drink, and apparently you can’t just be there and not drink alcohol and hang out. You have to diguise the fact that you’re not drinking alcohol so people don’t bug you about it.
On an unrelated topic, I just have to say – this post is a good example of why you think you don’t know any bisexual people. It’s straight people that go to the Palmer House party, straight women that show up in Boystown, despite the fact that you have no way of knowing whether they’re straight or not.
There’s one bit that confuses me. In my experience, it’s rare that someone does something catastrophic the first time they get off their head, or even has to face severe consequences. It’s something I’ve noticed when it comes to any negative or potentially harmful actions.
So my question is why people don’t take the hint when they first realise that they can’t handle alcohol, drugs etc., and control/eliminate their intake. “Wow, I get into trouble when I get drunk – maybe I’ll stop getting drunk from now on.”
Is there something I’m missing?
Lots of wisdom in your post, Kevin. Because of some alcholism in my siblings and my complete astonishment when, in my 30′s, I discovered I LOVED strawberry margueritas! (up until then, I found safety in saying, “ish….who wants to drink….it’s tastes awwwwful!”…once I found margueritas, that fence didn’t work any more)….so…..THEN I specificially decided that I could never risk getting comfortable with drinking. Simply as a safety measure for myself. That way I don’t have to worry about “where I am” in terms of consumption or habits.
A few years ago a high school girl tried to slide down the railing at the Museum of Science and Industry here in Chicago. She plunged to her death, grabbing at the pendulum hanging from the ceiling, ripping it out. What a tragedy to die while on a school field trip.
Alcohol had nothing to do with it. Tragic accidents can happen in seconds, under all kinds of circumstances.
Now, see, I am more of a Christine O’Donnell type who loves to get pleasantly drunk in the company of good friends …yes, I have gotten into a little trouble this way and have learned the hard way to drink enough to just get there, then STOP. It is a real trick, I am telling you. And I never ever go out in costume : )
You are a good guy, Kevin. Thank you for your concern for the buzzies : )
I just love your heart! (I know that might sound incredibly stupid.) I am going out tonight, but just to take my kids around “begging for candy!” Haha! I’m not a big drinker, and as a rule, I don’t drink when I go out. Anyway, thanks for caring about your readers! I promise you, I will not make an ass out of myself tonight! Happy Halloween!
I want to applaud all of the friends here on Hillbuzz who recognize that there may be an alcohol problem in their genes and are being diligent that they don’t get in that trap. I know far too many people who are the opposite: they drink and drink and deny that they are ever out of control. Of course, the worst person in the world to judge their degree of intoxication is the one doing the drinking.
That said, a couple of other beverages that look like cocktails are club soda with a lime in it, and ginger ale. A little Canada Dry in a champagne glass will fool them every time.
It’s been my experience that nobody’s personality is ever enhanced with alcohol or other drugs. If you can’t have fun without it, you have a problem.
So go out, have fun and be responsible. We need you to VOTE on Tuesday!
DG–your advice on club soda w/lime etc is the one that I’ve always used in business situations. Just don’t drink too many or others will think you have a ‘hollow leg’ unless you verbally switch to it. Another dodge is ordering a vodka/soda type of drink and a side of plain soda and you just leisurely refill. (Same with cranberry/soda) As a rule, it is vodka/plain soda/lime or orange if I’m actually drinking–I tend to keep a clearer head because it doesn’t have allergens (which BTW tonic does).
FYI eating beforehand–mixed protein/complex carbs–is best. If in a rush a dairy product like Greek yogurt not only fills but insulates a bit–and also tends to incline you not to drink.
Kevin, thank you so much for that story and your ‘tips’. That was such a useless tragedy. And I don’t get the sliding down the railing thing. Once in a Toronto hotel some drunken clown tried to ride the handrail of a three-story escalator and…splat! The hotel had to build some hideous safety system to prevent future idiots from killing themselves.
Anyway…I’ve quit drinking several times in my adult life and there have ALWAYS been idiots who tried to force it on me. In a few cases, I’ve suspected that they were just jealous and wished they could ‘take it or leave it’ themselves. A couple admitted this to me privately.
I’ve never bothered to pretend to be drinking, although I can see how that might be easiest in a bar or party situation. (But Guinness? Ick!)
Depending on my mood and the degree of persistence/obnoxion of the idiot pushing the drinks, my responses range from ‘No, thank you.’ to ‘I wish I could, but I’m allergic to alcohol.’ and for the real assholes ‘What part of ‘no-thank-you’ are you having a problem with?’
It’s been my experience that alcoholics are very uncomfortable being around people who aren’t drinking. I suspect the idiots in your life who try to force it on you are problem drinkers themselves.
As I get older, I meet more and more alcoholics. Maybe they were always there, but right now, even in my small neighborhood, I bet 50% of the men (and several of the women) are alcoholics. The majority of the people in my neighborhood are over 60.
Kevin, you are really a sweetheart. I wish more people cared about others as much as you do! Good advice, all around.
And have a safe and happy Halloween!
Yours is the only story that mentioned she was “surfing” down the railing. That’s a lot more dangerous than simply “sliding” down the railing, as other reports have it. Did she really try to surf down? Then it’s no wonder she fell, especially in what was undoubtedly a slick and shiney superhero costume. At twenty-three, she should have known better than that. Tragic but really dumb!
Good advice, Kevin. Reminded me of my dad who when we were old enough to drink reminded me and all of my girlfriends to NEVER leave our drinks unattended when going to the ladies room or wherever. It was he who suggested we drink beer from a bottle and never leave the bottle on the bar. Odd since he was a stickler for women NOT drinking out of a bottle but he was more concerned about someone slipping something into our drinks. When I think back to the time he would have been young and “out with his friends” we couldn’t believe there was the same problem with “drugs” as we were confronted with – and then our kids and now their kids. But mostly he was concerned about our safety – and our virginity.
And he had a thing about getting home early. He would said “Anyone who can’t get drunk before midnight ain’t half trying.”
we had no curfew. My parents thought that if we could get in trouble before midnight, we could get in trouble after. And they didn’t want to fight about it.
Of course, most of my friends had curfews (and they knew that) – so it wasn’t much fun thinking I was going to be alone roaming the streets. So I was typically home early enough, anyway.
My favorite sentence:
[They don’t drink on a regular basis, are usually from the suburbs, and watched Ferris Bueller, Adventures in Babysitting, and Risky Business too many times so they believe they need to cram cinematic-grade adventures into their “big night out in Chicago."]
When I went to school at Iowa, a lot of my friends were from Chicagoland, and I know the type you’re talking about.
I just want to say thank you for writing this article. It is beautifully and lovingly written.
I have a daughter who, in her college days, would fall into this category. She was a heavy drinker and I was told that she used to jump into Narragansett Bay in RI while drunk. I have worried so much for her over the years, but I’ve had to put her into God’s hands for His protection.
I think she has settled down now. I know she will be staying in tonight and passing out candy to the neighborhood children.
May God bless you and protect you for the good you are doing, not just politically, but also for caring about your fellow human beings.
Thanks Kevin. It was kind of you to think of us. With rampant alcoholism in my family I don’t drink, smoke or do drugs. And I have to say I think I have just as much fun as everyone else! I’m a great DD to boot. Most people appreciate that. But some are determined to get you to drink. No matter how many times you say no they keep asking. It’s rude. Now, just in case you buzzers think I’m all pure and clean…….I love chocolate and eat lots of it! Don’t expect me to guard your Reese’s. LOL
Great, thoughtful article, although oddly, the police said “alcohol was NOT a factor in this accident.”
I cannot imagine what would have possessed her to do so otherwise.
Blake
That is a real tragedy. But it sounds like the alcohol mixed in with something else she took made it worse. If they’re saying alcohol was not a factor, she must have been on something else.
But as far as drinking goes, even if you’re used to going out and drinking, if you’ve taken a break from drinking for a while, it is NOT like riding a bicycle. It takes going out at least 2 or 3 days to get back close to where you were before. So that warning about not drinking a lot that first night is good advice for everyone.
I disagree with the headline. The woman wasn’t killed, she died due to her own bad judgement.
To put my comment in context, I am a combat vet of OIF II. Killed is an action verb, meaning that an outside force was responsible for her death.
While I grieve for her and her family, she was not killed, she died. A sad, unfortunate death, but no ones fault but her own.
The media used the “killed” verb to make it appear that the violence in Iraq was greater than it was. During the worst of the worst, if a soldier died of heat stroke, or a vehicular crash, or an accident, the media reported that soldier as killed, and in a manner that made the public think that an outside, malevolent force was the cause of the death.
Died and killed, at the end of the day mean death. But died is passive and killed is active.
Well, Gravity is an outside force…as well as a harsh mistress…
Great words of wisdoms and thank you! In my college days, I drank too much and if it were not for the grace of God, I wouldn’t be here. Thanks for doing your part in your encouragement. We don’t have enough people like you who are willing to call things the way it is. I feel so badly for that woman and her family. The sadness that is now in her family’s life will be overwhelming. I pray for peace to prevail upon them and may the Lord give them the grace to get through this heartbreak.
My husband’s father was an alcoholic…he stopped drinking in his 40s/50s maybe and was able to make amends…somewhat, at least with my husband.. My husband normally doesn’t drink, but when he is traveling for work and the guys harass him about it, he will “fake” drink a beer..because he says even a beer makes him sick.. I don’t understand the faking it part?? I have tasted wine a few times in my life and thought it was disgusting..never had a beer, etc. Never drink a drop of alcohol.. I don’t hold anything against those who do. I just don’t get the attraction.
You fake a drink by ordering it and putting it to your lips but never really taking more than a sip. This is much easier to do if you’re drinking beer from a brown bottle.
I have also done this with frozen margaritas. You can take a small sip or two, cry “brain freeze!!!” and it kind of excuses you from drinking the rest of it, or appearing to gingerly drink the rest of it.
I have found that the people who make a big deal out of someone NOT drinking, tend to be problem drinkers. They are very uncomfortable with the idea that someone can CHOOSE not to drink. So as long as you order a drink and APPEAR to drink a little of it, they’ll be happy.
I know, why should we try to appease a drunk? Because when these people are in your life, it tends to be easier in social situations than trying to fight them.
Given equal intoxication (whatever that is) alcohol tends to make you reckless and pot tends to make you cautious.
Too bad the stuff isn’t legal (consumable in public).
There is even a book with the evidence:
Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?
Or you can check out this report on pot and driving on the www:
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/misc/driving/driving.htm
Note there is an ad up on that page: “Don’t let Sarah Palin Win Vote Nov. 2nd”
http://pollingplaces.raiseyourvote.com/?source=GOTV_Google_Banners_Cat_CPC_57477
Paid for by the DNC. Don’t fill out the form as you will be getting mass mailings from the DNC.
In fact it might not even be wise to click the link.
Boy are they scared of her.
Gosh! Is Sarah Palin running this year????? LOL!!!! These guys are really afraid!
I was having a conversation the other day with a young liberal who was really PO’d because Sarah Palin was endorsing candidates. When I asked why this bothered her she didn’t have a good response. When I pointed out that Bill Clinton, Obama and Moochelle were also out endorsing candidates she justified that by saying that they are important political leaders in the country, but who is Sarah Palin?????
Boy, is this chick going to be surprised when President Palin takes the oath of office! I think her (my liberal friend’s) head will explode!
And the GOP good ole boys are scared of her too.
http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2010/11/stop-palin.html
I ♥ Sarah’cudda
DG in Georgia – thanks for sharing. The most compelling part of your note is one that we need to keep in mind about how liberals view everyone else. You have to be “important” to be heard. Otherwise, keep your pie-hole shut and out of any position where your peon-like opinions might persuade the masses from believing the liar-in-chief. I love it. When you get a liberal angry, it’s because you’re getting close to the truth. When you get a liberal angry, the response they produce is very enlightening about what they actually believe and it is at that time that all of the cameras should be rolling and that footages should be played over and over again for everyone to see. Thanks again!
I finally saw an article that told the whole story about this woman’s tragic accident which led to her death. My big thanks to Hillbuzz for giving the on-the-ground reporting on this tragic accident. It was only in the UK Daily Mail did I read that she was dressed up as a superhero, which was precisely what Hillbuzz reported. None of the local media (ABC and CBS and NBC didn’t report it) that I looked at reported this detail. Alcohol wasn’t involved? At least the UK Daily Mail offered that was a possibility.
I really feel so badly for her family. Here she was: a recent 2009 graduate from NIU and embarked on a career path to be a special education teacher. She got a job that was also near where her family is in Crete, IL. She was very attractive and looked full of life. But regrettably, it was one moment where she lost her inhibition and tried to slide down that bannister. I am certain that under more sobering moments, any of us would have said, “lets not do crazy things.” I pray for peace for her family as they grieve their loss as well as her students who are also experiencing this loss.
What a sad story. One wise gentleman once told me, “Life is a series of decisions.”
Apparently it is not LSD that makes people believe they can fly, but Alcohol, the #1 killer drug in America. And Marijuana is still illegal.
May her Soul be at Peace.