With the sun bazing and hardly a cloud in the sky, it was a perfect Sunday in Chicago to get out and hit the beach. So after driving down Lake Shore Drive all week and watching the progression of crews building an elaborate bleacher setup at Oak Street Beach for what I assumed was a volleyball tournament, I decided to take the camera, jump on my bike and check out the action.

I was greeted by an impressive turnout of volleyball fans and other folks looking to enjoy the nice day. The entire beach had been converted into an interactive play land heavily sponsored by Jose Cuervo. Among the many cool attractions was a giant rock climbing wall that pelted you with a spray of water as your climbed closer to the top. And then there was the mechanical lime. Yes, I said mechanical lime…like a mechanical bull…but a lime. See it’s that clever tie-in to Jose Cuervo that catches your eye. Sometimes Marketing folks can have some pretty good ideas.

There were also various vendors selling food and event gear, giving out free swag and for some weird reason, giving haircuts at the mobile Paul Mitchell salon set up on the beach. So after getting my tips frosted, my tan sprayed-on and my eyebrows artistically waxed to fit in with some of the folks in attendance, I made my way on over to the main event.

I grabbed some sand court-side and watched the battle of Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik versus Priscilla Lima and Tyra Turner in the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series Chicago Open. I have to say, not being a huge volleyball fan, I didn’t really expect much out of the afternoon’s entertainment. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the tight competition. In the end, Kropp and Pavlik came from behind to beat Lima and Turner.

It was a great match and I couldn’t imagine a better place to watch some high quality professional volleyball than to be sitting in the shadows of the skyscrapers with my toes in the sand.