My OperaThe Windy City
Saturday, June 17, 2006 4:19:09 AM
In and Around Chicago
Miles: 0 driven, several on foot
We got into Chicago just past dinner time last night. Jessica’s cousin Rachel and her husband Mike agreed to put us up for a couple nights, and their two adorable little girls, Emma and Zoe, were very happy to stay up past their bed time to greet us.
Jon goes back in time with Emma while playing a game of Pac Man.
We set off this morning on the El to explore downtown Chicago, which was even better than we had expected. The weather was deceptively perfect (isn’t Chicago known for it’s bad weather?) and just right for a boat trip down the Michigan in one of Chicago’s architectural tours. We couldn’t begin to peg down our favorite building, although the Wrigley, Tribune, and some of the Art Deco and International buildings topped the list.
Lower Wacker Drive, sight of the world famous Blues Brother’s car chase.
We took a lunch break for some deep dish pizza, then rolled ourselves out again to walk off some of the damage in Millennium Park, a park dedicated in 2004 and filled with something all too rare: really good public art. (Among them were a serpentine bridge winding it’s way to a Blibao-esque open stage and a giant mirrored jelly bean.).
Last stop of the tour was a stroll along Lake Michigan, then back to Rachel and Mike’s funky neighborhood, where we plopped ourselves down in a great little wine bar to write to all of you. From here it is back for dinner and a shower then, we hope, off to a blues show.
…we did find a blues show! The night got off to an odd start when someone who may have been the club owner or may have been a drunk vagrant (it was a toss up) paid our cover charge for us. In the end we decided that he was simply a good natured inebriate who had inexplicably taken a shine to us. “Pistol Pete”, the night’s headliner, turned out to be a terrific guitar player, although his considerable talents were somewhat lost on one of us – guess which one – who complained, “It would have been a lot better if it weren’t so loud.”
All in all, we LOVE Chicago!
Miles: 0 driven, several on foot
We got into Chicago just past dinner time last night. Jessica’s cousin Rachel and her husband Mike agreed to put us up for a couple nights, and their two adorable little girls, Emma and Zoe, were very happy to stay up past their bed time to greet us.
Jon goes back in time with Emma while playing a game of Pac Man.
We set off this morning on the El to explore downtown Chicago, which was even better than we had expected. The weather was deceptively perfect (isn’t Chicago known for it’s bad weather?) and just right for a boat trip down the Michigan in one of Chicago’s architectural tours. We couldn’t begin to peg down our favorite building, although the Wrigley, Tribune, and some of the Art Deco and International buildings topped the list.
Lower Wacker Drive, sight of the world famous Blues Brother’s car chase.
We took a lunch break for some deep dish pizza, then rolled ourselves out again to walk off some of the damage in Millennium Park, a park dedicated in 2004 and filled with something all too rare: really good public art. (Among them were a serpentine bridge winding it’s way to a Blibao-esque open stage and a giant mirrored jelly bean.).
Last stop of the tour was a stroll along Lake Michigan, then back to Rachel and Mike’s funky neighborhood, where we plopped ourselves down in a great little wine bar to write to all of you. From here it is back for dinner and a shower then, we hope, off to a blues show.
…we did find a blues show! The night got off to an odd start when someone who may have been the club owner or may have been a drunk vagrant (it was a toss up) paid our cover charge for us. In the end we decided that he was simply a good natured inebriate who had inexplicably taken a shine to us. “Pistol Pete”, the night’s headliner, turned out to be a terrific guitar player, although his considerable talents were somewhat lost on one of us – guess which one – who complained, “It would have been a lot better if it weren’t so loud.”
All in all, we LOVE Chicago!
