Zach Zimmerman presents TWINK ON THE FIRE ESCAPE

Anyone who has lived in Chicago for a number of years can walk its streets and point out places that hold certain memories for them. It might be the restaurant you had your first date with your partner, the comedy club where your roommate worked, or the corner you were standing on when the Cubs won the World Series. For Zach Zimmerman, there are three particular locations in Boystown that hold his very specific dating memories. With him as our guide, we embark on a walking tour as he tells us his story --THE TWINK ON THE FIRE ESCAPE.

Snacks and Booze Await on Zach Zimmerman’s Tour

The 60-minute tour begins at the corner of Clark and Belmont where a friendly tour guide named Josie is waiting. She hands out an apt snack for the beginning of the tour - Twinkies. Then the tour departs for the first stop at an “unnamed Swedish restaurant” (read: Anne Sathers) where we’ll meet Zach. Here at this popular brunch spot, Zach is sitting at the table surrounded by plates of cinnamon rolls and mimosas for each of the guests.

He begins the story of THE TWINK ON THE FIRE ESCAPE by telling us how he and said twink met – in this very spot. After plucking up some courage to make the first move, Zach made his way over to the host stand where he gave the twink his number. Zach then leaves us to walk ahead to the next destination while we finish up our cinnamon rolls.

More Surprises Along the Way

Next stop-- Clark Street Dog. Here, Zach tells us about his first date with twink at a nearby coffee shop, followed up by another date ending up at this bar/hot dog restaurant.As we gather round at the bar, we are treated to jordan almonds and a pickleback shot (a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice) to accentuate this part of Zach’s story. The date didn’t end as expected, and the two went their separate ways. Now the tale gets interesting as Zach wakes up to missed calls and voicemails from the twink, and….

… Zach leaves us on this cliffhanger until the next destination.

Finally, we arrive at the titular fire escape in the alley behind one of Zach’s old apartments. This is where he had brought a drunk twink back to his home after the twink was locked out his own place. The twink ends up on this fire escape after a climbing out of a bathroom window…

And then…

…Zach calls his previous roommate, currently in New York, who takes over the story telling.

I won’t spoil the ending, just know that extra help was brought in to finally rescue the twink. After all is said and done, the tour ends with a toast and a shot of Fireball whiskey.

A Charming Host with Stories to Tell

Zach has fantastic story-telling abilities. He engages each and every one of his guests. We feel like we’ve been friends for years.

He knows how to spin his tale by incorporating other themes to relate to his story. Take for example the Chicago Fire. Nobody who went to sleep the night before it happened expected their lives to be changed forever - the same way Zach never expected his dating life would be changed by this short lived relationship with his twink.

THE TWINK ON THE FIRE ESCAPE is a crazy date story that is intrinsically fun to listen to. The tour could benefit from more content during the walks from location to location. But overall, this pop-up performance art piece where you can see, taste, and experience the story yourself makes for a delightful afternoon out.