On to Chicago

On to Chicago

Some wind and rain greeted us on our way to the windy city which almost seemed appropriate if it hadn’t upset a few tummies. In spite of the weather we watched the Chicago skyline approach for more than 17 miles.  (If the skies had been clear, we are told that we could have seen it from the lighthouse in Michigan City.)

 

A little rain did not stop us from wandering the city for a lunch stop followed by some power shopping at the farmer’s market in Daley Plaza. The famous Picasso statue calmly supervised the stalls while children slide down his base. As the clouds broke up we headed for a free concert in Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker pavilion – a sight to behold on its own. Folks relaxing on the lawn and in the stadium seats enjoying snacks or picnics reminded me of summer concerts in the Hollywood Bowl – only this was free! The highlight of the evening was the third act who paraded in led by the flute player. As the sun set, the colored lights on pavilion glowed with city skyline sparkling behind and the rain stayed away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With better weather we trooped off the next day to walk ourselves into the ground – we toured the Field Museum exhibit on the cave paintings of Lascaux, and a few of the bird and mammal rooms followed by the artifacts from the Pacific islands.  After a spot of lunch we joined a tour of the city’s architectural treasures on the north side. The Palmer House – newly restored painted ceilings wowed us as did the Cultural Center’s mosaics – formerly the library. Our tour also included the former Carson Perry Scott building now a Target and the Marshal Fields building now a Macys. We finally hauled our tired dogs home to the boat conveniently docked in DuSable harbor with its unobstructed view of Navy pier and its iconic Ferris wheel.

 

 

After saying good bye to Amanda and Paul, Steve and I headed off to another tour – this one of the Art Deco buildings in Chicago. We again walked several miles in and out of buildings – admiring the overall architecture as well as the intricate details decorating the inside as well as the exterior of these buildings.  Sadly in some the interior finishes have been remodeled away so in many cases all we could admire were elevator doors and mail boxes! Art Deco buildings in Chicago range from the simple elegance of understated geometric design to lavish attention seeking ornamentation – still using the metals and finishes favored during this era. The pastel and rounded corners so famous from South Beach were not seen in the city – but we did catch one earlier in a public building along the shore in Benton Harbor.

 

 

Our evening ended with a stroll down the river walk and over the river to Andy’s Jazz Club for a piano side seat.

 

 

We found Chicago awash the next morning with triathletes – and woke to the sound of the first waves hitting the water for the swim. From our ringside seat we could observe the swimmers finish, the bikers start and finish and the runners head out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These 8000 participants did not disrupt our plan to visit the Chicago Art Institute for some culture to finish off our stay. Being fans of Impressionism, we spent most of our time in the exhibit tracing the connections between fashion and painting in the era of Impressionism. The exhibit included actual dresses like the ones in the paintings as well as fashion plates that inspired the artists. For lunch we stopped at the newly remodeled museum café. The art work in Millennium Park – including the famous BEAN – drew our attention each time we passed. In fact, Chicago is a city of art with sculpture and visuals around the most unexpected corners. We were not alone in wandering the streets and admiring this city’s public places on a summer day.