Rocky Mountain High: Chicago ~ September 24-27, 2019
First Stop: Chicago ~ September 24 - 27, 2018
Jeff and I had such a wonderful time in Chicago the last time we were here. We had an apartment right on Lake Shore Drive and just had the best week seeing the sights. Sharing a great city with our oldest and dearest friends will be a treat beyond measure.
Monday, September 24, 2018
Our adventure began bright and early Monday morning. Peter and Betty Lou arrived at our house at 7:10 a.m. The sun was barely up as we loaded up the suitcases and began the scenic route to the airport. Betty Lou's sister met us at the departures level and took the car to her house for the duration of our trip. Such service! The Southwest flight was comfortable and uneventful, and before we knew it we landed and were collecting our bags.
As we exited baggage claim, it was past lunch time and our first order of business was to find something to eat. We quickly realized that we would need to go downtown in order to get lunch, so we set off to navigate the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) to first purchase 3 day passes and then USE those passes to make our way from Midway Airport on the orange line into downtown, where eventually we would pick up the blue line to get to our apartment.
After some burgers and a bathroom break, we located the blue line. Alas, we got on going the wrong direction, but we did not know it until we got off at "Western" (but it was the wrong "Western" -- there are two). Backtracking, we made it to the right stop. From there it was a short walk to the apartment. It's an interesting building -- very narrow with one apartment on each floor. Ours was on the third floor - a walk-up with no elevator (which is probably my only major complaint ... and even that isn't a major one). You enter the apartment and face a long hallway. The two bedrooms are on the right hand side, then a hall bathroom (there is also an ensuite bath in the master bedroom), and at the end of the hallway is a living/dining/kitchen area. There is a gas fireplace in the living room (which we won't use). All in all, it is quite lovely and comfortable.
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| Our living room window is the third one up! |
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| The walkway between the buildings -- ours is on the right! |
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| Stairway up to the condo! |
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| The long hallway |
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| The living room/kitchen area |
After a rather full day of travel, we were all a bit tired, but Jeff and I ventured out to find a grocery store where we picked up some foodstuffs to get us through the next three days. We emptied a suitcase so that we could haul the food back more easily, and set off on what turned out to be about a 20 minute walk to a great grocery store. The neighborhood is an interesting mix of cultures and ethnicities, and very lovely overall. Most of the people we passed on the streets were polite and friendly, nodding hello in response to our cheery "Good Evening" greetings. A lady who watched us load grocery bags into the suitcase quipped, "That was quite a magical act you just did!" And yes, it was kind of magical how many of the groceries fit into that suitcase -- leaving me to carry a bag with 2 rolls of paper towels as we began the trek back "home."
Needless to say, we were beat by the time we got back to the apartment and glad to sit down with a glass of wine for me and a bourbon for JJ. Betty Lou rose to the occasion and did most of the prep work for our dinner of chicken, rice, and broccoli. Then it was off to bed for a good night's sleep.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
We were up early and off to our adventure for the day -- a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio. Although I had been there on our last trip, I was happy to go back for a second look. The rest of the gang had not been and it seemed like a great plan.
I love this concrete sign designed by the architect himself. Our guide told us that he cast it in concrete because he wanted it to be a symbol of the lasting nature of his intended career.
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Two views of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
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Designed and built early in his career, his design reflects the influences of his employer as well as the beginnings of his own prairie style influences. The brickwork porch is not the norm of the day in the way that the shingles on the roof and exterior of the house were.
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| Betty Lou listening intently to our guide |
One new thing I learned was that Wright purchased the plaster figures in the entryway from a catalog! His use of natural wood, colors from nature, and careful design to maximize light is striking -- even more so this visit.
I remember loving this little fireplace "nook" along with the carved sign, "Good friend, around these hearth-tones speak no evil word of any creature." There is a velvet curtain that one could pull to keep out the drafts. I can imagine curling up with a good book on a cold winter night in such a space.
I love the designs of the windows throughout the house. In the living room he used clear glass as when the house was built the view was of the prairie -- no other buildings encroached on the space. He also designed most of the furniture throughout the home and studio. We saw lots and lots of built ins.
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| Lighting over the dining room table |
These lights in the children's playroom are reminiscent of lighting in Unity Temple - which we visited later in the day.
This octagonal room amazed me, and I do wish I was able to capture it more effectively. There were eight different "layers" (for lack of a better word) of octagons, repeating from floor to ceiling.
From there we went off in search of lunch -- stopping to enjoy a few of Wright's designs in the neighborhood.
Lunch at Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant proved to be delightful! Betty Lou and I enjoyed a glass of wine, and we each had a delicious meal -- not sure which was the best.
Feeling refreshed, we were ready for our next treat -- a visit to Unity Temple which was designed by Wright in 1905 after a lightning strike started a fire that destroyed the wood-framed Oak Park Unity Church. Wright came from a family of Unitarians, so he seems a good fit for doing the design. The church wanted a space for workshop as well as a community room. They also had a relatively small budget, so building materials had to be inexpensive. Wright decided to use concrete because it was "cheap," and the molds could be used multiple times since Wright had designed repeating walls with similar dimensions. He was also charged with designing the furniture and the stained glass for the building.
It would be interesting to juxtapose our photos from Unity Temple with photos of the Guggenheim, which he designed toward the end of his career.
All of us found Unity Temple to be a beautiful, calming, and somewhat spiritual visit.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
This must be the "architectural" portion of our trip as today's adventures took us out on an architectural boat tour, followed by a visit to the Chicago Architectural Foundation's exhibit a bit across the street from the boat. Jeff and I have done the boat tour before - using a different company - and it was really wonderful. This one was just as good, and we had a really spectacular day for doing it. After a leisurely morning, we left the condo at 10 or so catching the blue line into the city. Took a short bus ride over to the River Walk and purchased tickets -- we probably should have done the 1 p.m. trip because we (Jeff and I) forgot that folks might be wanting something to eat before the boat tour ended at 1:30. So, after purchasing the tickets, we hustled over to O'Brien's for a take-out snack. It all worked out.
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| Our tour boat |
I love the way the sun reflects off the buildings and the way the clouds add drama to some of the shots.
These two shots were taken inside the exhibit - showing a model of the downtown area of Chicago. A seven-minute video plays every 20 minutes or so and gives a fascinating overview of the history of Chicago. Upstairs is an exhibit hall with models of some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world.
After time in the exhibit, we stopped for a "second lunch" at a cafe, and took our meals outside. Jeff and I shared a ham and swiss panini (very delicious); while Peter and Betty Lou shared a bowl of soup and large portions of chicken salad and a curried chicken and pasta salad.
After lunch we walked through a small portion of Millennium Park, passing a climbing wall and a variety of play areas for children before walking through the Luria Garden. Then it was back to the condo for our last night in Chicago. Tomorrow we pack up and make our way to Union Station for our 2 p.m. "all aboard!" call for the California Zephyr. Good thing we all got our 10,000 plus steps in for the last three days -- I doubt we'll see that number again until we hit California!
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