I Totally Did The Crap Out Of Chicago

So on my most recent work iteration, I was sent to Chicago for a week in order to proctor two one-hour-long exams to three students. Which, if you do the math, left me with a city load of free time. I mean, not to preen or anything, but I really love my job sometimes. Chicago is a totally fun city. I was there once before, many years ago on a stopover on my way to Alaska by Greyhound bus. I had a friend that lived there, and I spent a night or two checking out the city with him. The main thing I remember was him taking me to see The Second City show. It's a comedy theater based in Old Town in Chicago where Saturday Night Live does much of their recruiting. The alumni list of the Second City main stage is intimidating.

Anyway, I of course bought tickets to revisit The Second City revue while on this trip, and when I was in the theater, waiting for the show to start, I saw a picture on the wall of the troupe from 1996, the year I'd been there before:

That's right! I saw Tina Fey when she was still just a pup! Pretty cool. But I have no recollection of the performance, really, except that I do vividly remember her pal there from 30 Rock, Scott Adsit (far right), because that hair really stuck out in my memory and he was really funny. He did some sort of a yodeling mountain man sketch that had me peeing my pants. Apparently I also saw Rachel Dratch and Kevin Dorff. I could be wrong about all this, because my memory of 12 years ago is probably faulty given the fact that none of the molecules that were in my brain then exist anymore, your body completely changing out it's physical composition every 7 years. It's science. But that picture said they were the 1996 troupe, so I'm going with it. The troupe I saw there last week was really funny also. I mean, I'm older now and a bit jaded when it comes to SNL type of comedy (The name of the revue is 'No Country For Old White Men', typical SNL parody fare. Though in all fairness, the show itself pretty much had nothing to do with the movie parodied in the title.); Nobody is ever going to be funnier than The Kids In The Hall. But they were really good, and I've got their picture and names down in case any of them become the next Tina Fey or Scott Adsit. My picks for future success are Amber Ruffin and Brad Morris. Joe Canale may make a great straight man comedian. (Who, if you put the accents on different syllables in his name, reads Joke Anal(e)... possibly a funny stage name? Or a fortunate accident at birth? Hmm.) They were all good, so who knows, but that's what I'd bet on in the OTB bar of comedy stardom.

The other thing I spent a lot of time doing, on Julie's suggestion, was touring Frank Lloyd Wright houses. He'd spent quite a few years in the Chicago area, and it has the highest concentration of FLW architecture anywhere. In fact his first important structure is in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was his home and studio for around 6 years, I think. He also designed the Oak Park Unitarian Temple, and a student of his designed the Oak Park post office, the prettiest post office you ever did see. I wasn't allowed to take photos inside of any of the houses, which is really sad because the insides of FLW structures are usually what really matters. As an illustration of what I mean, I was allowed to get photos inside the Unity Temple, so here's an outside photo, and then a couple inside photos:

Right? Honestly, probably one of the most awe-inspiring church-type thingies I've ever stood in. I've stood in the mother of all churches, the Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica, and as pretty as it was, it inspired as much scorn and cynicism as anything else. (Of course I was drinking absinthe in the Vatican, so my impressions may have been untrustworthy.) FLW found his inspiration in simple lines set in complicated and beautiful ways. He relied on design and creativity, rather than wealthy materials and grand scales (though he wasn't against wealth, necessarily) to make his mark. His houses were amazing, also. In addition to the one in Oak Park, I visited the Robie House in Hyde Park, on the University of Chicago's campus. It's considered to be a masterpiece, but I can't show you why... here are some so-so interior shots I found on the web. And here's a window on the Robie House:

Let's see what else, what else... Oh, I did the Chicago City Pass. It included 5 big things: The Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, and a choice between a ride up to the Hancock observatory or to the skydeck on the Sears Tower. I used the city pass to go up the Sears Tower, because you can go up to the restaurant/bar on the 95th floor of the Hancock building for free, which I did. Here's a shot of how I look in the thermal spectrum! They had a heat sensing camera in the Science museum, located in the Hyde Park area.

Hmmm, I guess I'm devolving this into a photo journal. Well, pictures are better than words. Here's Lake Michigan.

And here's a shot of the city from the Hancock building. The spider is on the outside of the window... apparently the wind picks spiders up off the ground and blows them around the sky all the time, and sometimes they land one hundred stories up and make the best of a bad situation. That's the Sears Tower tall on the left.

This is a weird public art statue that reminds me of the nice fairy version of a Silent Hill monster.

I was walking down the busy Chicago shopping street known as Miracle Mile, when I noticed Phil Donahue being interviewed through a street level window on a radio studio! My mom used to love his show when I was a kid. I sat there grinning like an idiot, snapping photos, until Phil noticed me. I waved. He waved back. Then I realized it was possible that they were also filming the show as they sometimes do, because other people were rushing past as though they didn't want to be seen, and I bolted. I'm hoping to God that my idiot mug didn't show up on some Chicago TV segment. Ugh. But what I heard of the interview was really good. He was talking about how much the news and other media has turned into a circus... he said that even though he now has like 500 channels on his TV, the bowflex is on every one of them. Wish I could've stuck around for more; he's still pretty sharp, that guy. Phil is on the left, and my idiot mug is reflected in the window on the far right.

I guess that's mostly it. I can't think of any other crazy Chicago stuff I did. But you know, there is so much to do in Chicago, and so much good food, it's not surprising if it turns out that I've forgotten something... I kept very busy all week. Chicago is a city I would love to live in; I doubt I'd ever get bored there. It also has a really good vibe. It's a very clean city, it's got this total art deco thing going on in its design, it's on one of the Great Lakes, and there is a ton of park area, adding lots of fresh and green to that whole clean vibe thing. I'll leave this post with a night shot of the city, taken from the Sears Tower.

Comments

[Gaseous Clay]

Nice read. I, too, love Chicago. Don't think I spent more than a couple of days there, not including completely transient visits, but had a really good time there. The city really sticks in your mind. I still have clear visions of being there, even from 15 years ago, which is amazing considering how piss-poor my memory is. FLW rocks!

[messiestobjects]

Hey, you want to move there? Let's go halfsies on a nice place, I would love to live there.

[Miss Luongo]

Frank Lloyd Wright had his problems as a designer, I'll concede. His house / studio in Oak Park was crumbling when the preservationists got their hands on it. But, still, I love his work and his decidedly non-Victorian parenting ideas. And naturally, I'm curious about his tragic personal life.

The fact that designers took his Usonian style and morphed it into the Ranch is a shame. I'd have preferred it if they put the fireplace in the middle of the house and kept it as an open plan. But, alas, they just didn't get the FLW big picture.

[messiestobjects]

You mean like about how his family got axe-murdered? Yeah, that was interesting.

Seeing FLW stuff awakens the inner architect, for sure. If I ever build a house, I definitely will go for the Usonian/Prarie style. I wonder if there's anybody around today that does things like that, or if all there is is a modern American wasteland of lazy, soulless, shoddy, good-for-nothing LTS Builders types?

[Miss Luongo]

Both styles would give you lots of roof space for solar panels.

[Emily]

Those of us food-obsessed, currently trapped in a life full of nothing much and having adventures through your travels are being a bit deprived with descriptions like "good food." Come on! I know you can be more specific and would be much obliged if you could elaborate.

[messiestobjects]

Miss Luongo: Brilliant idea! I think I'll invest. Go Green!

Em: Umm... Really good food? That better?

Ok ok, well, there was a restaurant named Geja that had really good fondue, a restaurant named something like Noodles And Junk that had really good noodles and junk, a Greek restaurant named something really Greek that had really good spinach pie, and a Jamba Juice near my hotel that had really good strawberry and wheatgrass juice.

We don't have a Jamba Juice where I live, ok?

[Jimmy "J.J." Walker]

"Ok ok, well, there was a restaurant named Geja that had really good fondue..."

Feh - you 70's reject.

Keep it Dy-no-mite!
J.J.

[Emily]

Wow, with those detailed descriptions I could actually taste the food! Hey, I totally understand about the juice place. There is no Sonic here, so if I see one anywhere I have to stop for a slushy.

[messiestobjects]

Sonic! When I was in Missouri, I came across a Sonic for the first time... we don't have those either, here in good 'ol backwoods, PA. I went there every day for one of their juice slushies. Really good. But I think I actually like Jamba Juice better. (Anybody seen Baby Mama? Jamba Juice is the DEVIL!) I love me a shot of wheatgrass.

[messiestobjects]

J.J.: Fondue is back. It ain't just for yer folkster wannabe parents any more. It's considered pretty hip now, by those in the know. Making fun of Fondue may expose your backwoods, PA roots. I'll forgive you if you open up a J.J.'s Jamba Juice franchise in the greater Pocono area.

[Gary]

Mike what are you doing in that thermal imaging pic? Looks like you've got your knob out.

[messiestobjects]

Hee hee. That's a clever trick I do with my camera. It's called, 'Camera Love'.

[Miss Luongo]

Is it the thermal spectrum that makes you look so hot?

[messiestobjects]

Yes? No? I don't know? Um... 42? Shucks, now I'm all thermal. Anyway, I look nothing like that in the usual visible spectrum.

[Slim Goodbody]

The cursor arrow indicates you need to work on your delts.

-Slim

[messiestobjects]

But the arrow is pointing at my shoulder... What's a delt?

[Slim Goodbody]

They should invent some way to ferret out this stuff on the internets. Perhaps some sort of dedicated answer-generating device of some kind...

Dusty - er, Slim

[messiestobjects]

Yes they should, but sometimes people can just answer questions, too.

[Keith]

Sounds like you did it up pretty well; I'm sorry we didn't get together when you were in town. Next time.

I've actually never done the Museum of Science and Industry or the FLW tour. When you live here there never seems to be a reason to do that sort of thing.

It is hard to get bored in this city, but it does get gloomy toward the end of winter. Summer makes up for it tenfold, though. If you want, next time you're here Claudia and I will take you to our favorite restaurant and take you just enough off the beaten path to get a feel for the depth of the city beyond the obvious places.

[messiestobjects]

I've never been to the Statue of Liberty, and it's only an hour & ½ away. Well, I vaguely remember my Pop Pop taking me to see it when I was really young, but I don't really have any memory of it other than I remember some talk about having gone to see it. I've actually come close to going a couple of times this past year just to check it off my list, but it's become rather a point of pride by now. I've been to Angkor Wat, but not the Statue of Liberty. Plus it gives me something to say when I'm talking to a local Cambodian who has never been to see the temple, a German that's never gone to the Hofbrauhaus, or a Chicagoan who's never been to a FLW house...

Sorry I missed you though. Bad planning on my part. I find it hard to make and keep specific time sensitive plans on my work trips because I never know exactly what my work schedule is going to be like. I just take advantage of the free time as I get it. Next time!