My Marvelous Chicagoland Adventure - Part I
Sorry for the lateness of this post but between my computer and time issues I didn't really have time to write it up.
Warning Image Heavy!
In any case, last month I headed out to Chicago on May 13th with my tiny car and rpb3000 & kanamai wedged in with all the stuff we had somehow. We spent most of the time heading up listening to Nerd To The Third Power podcasts to allay the growing insanidom of the open road.
One of the first major stops was by pure accident. We needed to get gas so I got off on a random exit and filled up at a super generic gas station (just called Gas). We then spotted signs pointing to the Tippecanoe battlefield. I thought that we might as well as stop by since we were there and after a quick talk with rpb3000 & kanamai we headed over and found a rather impressive monument and a few graves of the American Officers.
The Historical Marker for the battlefield
The entrance to the monument
Another view of the Eagle
I noticed the Eagle had a ring on its back - an artifact from where they lifted it into place?
The front of the obelisk with a statue of William Henry Harrison
Col. Abram Owen's Grave with rbp3000 in the background. There were a few other marked graves onsite of slain American Officers - Owen being one of the most famous.
There were a few other places I wanted to check out but it was getting late - next time I head to Chicago I have to make a long stop over there. Among the places I want to see at the complex:
Prophet's Town - The site of the capitol of the Pan-Indian Confederacy that was crushed by the US.
Prophet's Rock - Where Tenskwatawa, 'The Prophet', rallied the Native forces for the coming showdown with the US.
Wolf's Park - Also on-site is the non-profit Wolf's Park dedicated to protecting and rehabilitating Wolves, Foxes, Coyotes, and other Canines.
It's sites like this though that tend to leave me conflicted - On one had my European ancestry in America goes back to about the 1630s (from research I did a while ago) and I have two great grandparents who were native to this land (one each on both sides who were both reportedly full blooded Cherokees). So my roots in this land are deep and mixed deeply into the darker chapters of her history.
On one hand this battle represented probably the last best chance for the Native Nations to check the advancing imperialistic United States and preserve their lands, peoples, and cultures from near extermination by forming a native confederacy to counter it. On the other hand there is a reason why the Cherokees and more than a few other nations refused to join Tecumseh's Confederacy (such as Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa's bloody rise to power on the back of witch-hunts, their habit of accusing anyone who disagreed with them of witchcraft and executing them, and their Luddite stance).
The US has done great wrongs in its past and this is something that annoyed me about the History Channel's recent America: The Story of US - it basically skirted the things that the US had done wrong and more or less presented the Americas as a vast empty open country only giving quick token mentions and a small bit about the plains tribes while bombastically presenting a US that could do no wrong. Nothing was really mentioned of the land grabs and extermination attempts using germ warfare and other methods. Its something we must remember so that we do not repeat our past mistakes. I see America as a great alchemical experiment, we've made up pieces of cultures around the world and while we have made grievous errors in the end we've been slowly been refining our selves and admitting our mistakes and becoming a better society. It's been painful and their are still many open wounds and major challenges to overcome (such as the current battles for gay rights and greater religious freedom & tolerance) but as it stand I think America has the promise of bring out best and becoming an example for the world - that whole 'City upon a Hill' thing.
When we were about to leave I offered a silent prayer for all the dead.
Anyways we got into Chicago and met up with neilworms at his apartment. Near by was a Vietnamese Buddhist temple (Truc Lam Temple), The Chicago American Indian Center, a rather amazing Polish Cathedral and a cool looking shrine to Mary on the grounds of a Catholic school (sorry, didn't get a pic of it).
The American Indian Center
Our first stop after racing neilworms on his bike to the subway with us on a bus was Panel Ops at Acen then another room in a long convoluted quest to get our guest/panelist badges in the midst of the chaos that was convention prep. Oh and on a short side hop to a convenience store I got some sort of Mexican Twinkie thing with strawberry filling that I split with rpb3000.
Waiting for badges. Right to Left: neilworms,rpb3000, and kanamai.
After the badges ordeal we headed back and briefly split up meeting up again at Abraham Lincoln's Statue in Lincoln Square.
Mr. Lincoln
Another shot of Lincoln's Statue, in this shot you can see a bouquet of flowers at the statue's feet that someone had left.
We spent the night at neilworms's apartment since rpb3000 and kanamai were staying their and my hotel room with Jon, Ryan, and a few other people wasn't open until the next day.
I didn't really go to ACEN the next day, instead I headed out with neilworms on a pilgrimage to various sights around the city.
One of the first stop was an Awesome Indo-Pak-Chinese Fusion place that was pure awesome - it was also very close to a Sikh Gurdwara. We split an order of Patras and I had an excellent dish of Orange Tofu.
USMANIA's Signage
The unassuming exterior of the Sikh Gurdwara (pic by neilworms)
Then it was off to visit the Baha'i Temple of North America, and boy is it a sight to behold - the Temple is huge and beautiful.
Me at the Baha'i Temple (pic by neilworms)
Another shot of the Baha'i Temple
Me at the Baha'i Temple (pic by neilworms)
This shot gives a hint of the Baha'i Temple's Scope
The Baha'i Temple's Grounds
An outbuilding of the Baha'i Temple of North America
We visited the visitor's center first. The Visitor's Center chronicled the temple's construction and the continued persecutions of Baha'is in their religious homeland of Iran. We then went around and went into the temple's main area which was open to the public and free meditation was encouraged so I sat there for a little bit. The place's energy had a very Jovian feel to it and it was extremely peaceful. Just being there inspires awe. If you're ever in Chicagoland I urge you to stop by and check the temple out - you won't be disappointed.
neilworms and I then went off to what has become a geek and nerd mecca...
*To be continued*