CHICAGO

I finally have something to write about on my blog.

My classes are going well and I only have a week to go.

On Friday morning I headed south for a Chicago weekend. I had actually planned two weekends in Chicago, but I had to condense it into one because of the unexpected trip back to Oregon. So, I had reservations this weekend to stay in Oak Park, which is now part of Chicago, but at one time it was a posh suburb. It is about 8 miles east of downtown. Oak Park is famous for the Chicago home of Frank Lloyd Wright and there are 20+ residences in the area that he designed. It is also the birthplace of Hemmingway---yes, he did get around. I’m staying at a little historic inn across from the Hemmingway museum and right down the street from where he was born.

Anyway, I arrived Friday afternoon and immediately walked down 3 blocks from the hotel and caught the train into the city center. It takes about 25-30 minutes, with frequent stops. I visited the Chicago Art Institute and of course it was fantastic—I got to see the great work by Seurat Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Grant Wood’s American Gothic, and Hopper’s Night Hawks. There were of course many other great works, but it was disappointing in that about half of the museum was closed for renovation. Wouldn’t you know it—I have wanted to come here for years and the summer I am finally here they are going through a major remodel! Guess I’ll just have to come back.

So anyway, I walked out of the museum yesterday took a couple of photos and then the clouds decided to open up. Having no umbrella (forgot it in the rental car a couple weeks ago) I ran across the street to little restaurant and ordered a salad until I could venture back out and find my way back to the train. I did manage to get on the right train and headed back to Oak Park where I had a nice Italian meal before heading to the hotel. I also took a detour as I walked back and saw FLW’s Unity Temple.

Back at the hotel I continued to read “Three Cups of Tea,” which is such a great book. Long story, but I met the author’s wife in Portland last spring when I was taking an art education class.

This morning I got up fairly early and planned to head back into Chicago so I could take a city tour. Well, I woke up and it was really pouring. Remember I have no umbrella and it is about 3-4 blocks to the train station. I also only have sandals along, so I really didn’t think I could make it to the train without being completely drenched and miserable. I waited and waited and finally about 8:15 it looked like it was easing up a bit, so I jogged to the train—forgoing coffee and breakfast, because I needed to get to the tour office to buy a ticket for the 9:30 tour. I got on the train—no problem, but then there were delays, so again I was jogging to buy the ticket. I ended up with about 10 minutes to spare before the 4 hour tour was to begin, but the only coffee to be found had a line out the door. In other words, No Coffee…. No Breakfast.

The tour was great. It was the perfect way to see Chicago during the pouring rain. I got to see everything I wanted from the comfort of the bus, sculptures by Picasso, Calder, Chagall, Moore and others. We drove by Oprah’s apartment building on Lake Michigan, Wrigley Field, through parks, the Magnificent Mile, then south to the Hyde Park area where we drove by the famous Robie house designed by FLW, drove by Obama’s house, and the University of Chicago area. The tour ended about 2:00 and I was really hungry. It was still drizzly but not as bad as earlier.

I spent the rest of the afternoon walking down Michigan Ave. I went into the original American Girl store---kind of glad I didn’t have to spend any money there. It was so crowded, but fun to see. Then I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art. There was a Jeff Koons show. Not my favorite artist—It was an OK museum. I was just glad that my Portland Art Museum card got me in for free.

From there I continued walking along Michigan Ave. to Millennium Park. I have pictures, but I didn’t bring my camera cord. Maybe tomorrow night I’ll just post photos. By this time I was working on several blisters, so I made my way back to the train (I’m now an expert on the Chicago Transit system) and headed back to Oak Park. I wasn’t going to walk anywhere else, so I ate dinner here at the Inn.
The bistro was really good. Goat Cheese salad to die for and the most amazing prawns I’ve ever had.

Nicole just called and reported that they arrived safely back from Pennsylvania.
I think I am going to crawl into bed and read. Tomorrow I will tour the Oak Park neighborhood of FLW homes and then tour his home and studio. In the afternoon I will head north to Milwaukee, but I have to figure out an alternative route. The main freeway between Milwaukee and Chicago is about 100 miles long and the entire thing is being reconstructed. It was the most miserable stretch of road I have ever driven. I think I’ll try the secondary roads for my safety and sanity.

Tomorrow evening I’ll post photos. I now know why Wisconsin & Illinois lawns are so green all summer without irrigation. It rains more here than in Oregon.

Oh yea, Chicago is a great city. Clean, beautiful flowers, and art everywhere. I'm so glad to finally experience it.