CHICAGO: My Kind of Town (Part 1)

We started going to Chicago on a regular basis about fourteen years ago. Brenda had been visiting there quite a bit longer. For whatever reason, I just wasn’t interested, plus, I was usually in rehearsal for a show at one local theatre or another. I finally got pushed into it by friends who wanted us to see Cirque du Soleil in the parking lot of the United Center (the home of the Chicago Bulls). It was great fun, beautifully mounted, and I loved Chicago…and I got a mug! 

Ever since that first visit we have averaged about three visits each summer and one time we managed six. Don’t worry, we won’t wear it out. It would be impossible to see and/or experience everything of interest, ever. 

The first few times we drove but ever since Amtrak came to town we take the train. A much better choice - most of the time. You know how raucous those Amish can get! And, did I mention that Chicago is one of the centers of the American Girl doll cult? Well, it is! A train filled with a dozen or more excited little girls is not a pleasant thing. Combined with those outof- control Amish and anyone could see that an evil brew was in the making. 

So, on one trip we decided to investigate this phenomenon. We bravely (?) walked right into the belly of the beast - American Girl doll cult headquarters. We were younger then and thought we could take anything they dished out. It turns out they in fact do dish things out! Upon entering cult headquarters you are confronted with tea parties, candles, cookies, and those cute little mints. There also were rows and rows of boxes containing what looked like little miniature human. They were so life-like. It kind of reminded me of a really tiny Vincent Price horror movie, only cuter. We only sampled a few treats, just enough to throw the security guards off the scent. We adopted the cover of a couple scouting the joint for their grandkids. It worked, we got out in one piece and only slightly rattled by the whole experience. Now that the whole operation moved over to Water Tower Place it is a lot less scary, I think… 

Our rationale for so many trips to Chicago was always the art, the architecture, and whatever the latest exhibit at the Art Institute. All of which are laudable excuses. However, the truth is closer to the food, the drink, and baseball, and a little bit of art on the side. It is a formula that has worked well for some years. 

While art, architecture, and new exhibitions are always a major focal point of our trips, we tend to break our days in Chicago down to when do we eat and where do we grab a couple of drinks. Of course, we always wonder whether the Cubs are in town or not. Even if we don’t have tickets to the days game it is always fun to take a train or bus up to Wrigleyville and enjoy the crowds. Now we have an even better excuse, a lady we have known for several years is working up there. We knew her as the bartender that worked at our favorite bar in the Loop. Most of the people we have had semi-long relationships have been bartenders, wait staff, or cowboys. Okay, forget the ‘cowboys’. Megan, who is our bartender-friend, is a really lovely woman who happens to look good in short shorts (the uniform of the day in her previous gig), and has been the subject of a couple of my shadow boxes. She also is a die-hard Cub fan and does generous pours. Don’t tell anybody. 

When it comes to food, I don’t think that we have an actual favorite. I know that ‘deep dish’ pizza is a famous Chicago dish but it really isn’t ours. We actually prefer something a little less ‘big shoulder’ (and fewer calories), the Margherita pizza. I think our favorite was at little woodburning stove addition to the Whitehall Hotel (which is another story). You sit in an intimate little street side area and watch the people and the cars go by as an authentic hispanic pizza chef creates your beautiful Italian, thin-crust pizza. It’s magic!

NEXT TIME: The Oldest Emerging Artist in America