Day 2: Second-city experience (12/30)
CHICAGO -- After a good night's sleep, it was up and at 'em in a city expecting a high of 18.
The first stop was the Northwestern campus in Evanston via subway, only to find the bookstore closed for the winter break. So, after a little web research during the bus ride back into the city, I found a college-wear store at Water Tower Place, next to the John Hancock Building. To say that Campus Colors runs the gamut of colleges and universities, I should note that the store had shirts for the infamous Banana Slugs of UC-Santa Cruz.
A little further down Michigan Avenue, I stopped off for lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern. Longtime Chicago Tribune writers know it as a hole-in-the-wall across the street from the office. Baseball fans know of it as the alleged reason the Cubs haven't appeared the World Series since 1945. Pop-culture fans may recognize it as the source of the "Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!" sketches from the original era of Saturday Night Live (for example)
Well, it's true. Every so often, the owner would yell out "Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!". And no fries, only chips. (In my frost-induced haze, I mistakenly asked for a second bag of chips.) But John Belushi didn't consider that the restaurant would only accept cash, no credit.
After dropping off the morning haul, it was an artistic afternoon.
First off, it was the Art Institute of Chicago, made famous by Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Encompassing a million square feet, it is an easy facility to get lost in, which, if you're a real art fan, is not so bad, I suppose. I did hit the old familiars -- "American Gothic", "Nighthawks" (the diner one), and "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" (the one Cameron stares at intently in the movie) -- as well as art from multiple cultures, religions, and centuries.
After traipsing through 1500 years of art spread across four floors in several connected buildings, I found time getting short to take advantage of my Clay Center membership allowing reciprocal free access to other like-minded museums. So it was a quick dash to and through the Field Museum for a return visit with a T. Rex named Sue. (Had I more time, the Adler Planetarium was also on the Clay Center's list.)
The final stop of the day was the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, where there was a women's/men's basketball doubleheader scheduled.
UIC's teams are known as the Flames, in obvious reference to the Great Chicago Fire, which started nearby. (In a wonderful bit of historical irony, Mrs O'Leary's home is now the site of the Chicago Fire Academy.) Both teams caught fire on the court.
The women played cross-town Loyola -- whose men's team I'll be watching tomorrow -- and dispatched the Ramblers quite handily, 63-28. (Highlights here.) A 21-0 run in the first half was key, as was Loyola's inability to finish off lay-ups. (You're basketball players. It can't be that difficult for you.)
Meanwhile, the men played Judson University, a small college located in the outer suburb of Elgin. Again, no worries about losing, as the final was 79-38. (Highlights here.) The real interest for me was off the court: the other people in my row parleed the français. As nobody on either roster was from a francophone country, I can only assume that it was a player's girlfriend's family; it is not my place to pry in another language. So I merely bid them au revoir at the end of the game and came back to the hotel.
The first stop was the Northwestern campus in Evanston via subway, only to find the bookstore closed for the winter break. So, after a little web research during the bus ride back into the city, I found a college-wear store at Water Tower Place, next to the John Hancock Building. To say that Campus Colors runs the gamut of colleges and universities, I should note that the store had shirts for the infamous Banana Slugs of UC-Santa Cruz.
A little further down Michigan Avenue, I stopped off for lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern. Longtime Chicago Tribune writers know it as a hole-in-the-wall across the street from the office. Baseball fans know of it as the alleged reason the Cubs haven't appeared the World Series since 1945. Pop-culture fans may recognize it as the source of the "Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!" sketches from the original era of Saturday Night Live (for example)
Well, it's true. Every so often, the owner would yell out "Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!". And no fries, only chips. (In my frost-induced haze, I mistakenly asked for a second bag of chips.) But John Belushi didn't consider that the restaurant would only accept cash, no credit.
After dropping off the morning haul, it was an artistic afternoon.
First off, it was the Art Institute of Chicago, made famous by Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Encompassing a million square feet, it is an easy facility to get lost in, which, if you're a real art fan, is not so bad, I suppose. I did hit the old familiars -- "American Gothic", "Nighthawks" (the diner one), and "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" (the one Cameron stares at intently in the movie) -- as well as art from multiple cultures, religions, and centuries.
After traipsing through 1500 years of art spread across four floors in several connected buildings, I found time getting short to take advantage of my Clay Center membership allowing reciprocal free access to other like-minded museums. So it was a quick dash to and through the Field Museum for a return visit with a T. Rex named Sue. (Had I more time, the Adler Planetarium was also on the Clay Center's list.)
The final stop of the day was the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago, where there was a women's/men's basketball doubleheader scheduled.
UIC's teams are known as the Flames, in obvious reference to the Great Chicago Fire, which started nearby. (In a wonderful bit of historical irony, Mrs O'Leary's home is now the site of the Chicago Fire Academy.) Both teams caught fire on the court.
The women played cross-town Loyola -- whose men's team I'll be watching tomorrow -- and dispatched the Ramblers quite handily, 63-28. (Highlights here.) A 21-0 run in the first half was key, as was Loyola's inability to finish off lay-ups. (You're basketball players. It can't be that difficult for you.)
Meanwhile, the men played Judson University, a small college located in the outer suburb of Elgin. Again, no worries about losing, as the final was 79-38. (Highlights here.) The real interest for me was off the court: the other people in my row parleed the français. As nobody on either roster was from a francophone country, I can only assume that it was a player's girlfriend's family; it is not my place to pry in another language. So I merely bid them au revoir at the end of the game and came back to the hotel.