Monday, June 29, 2009

My kind of town...

We had a great time in Chicago! Mike went for the RTOG meeting and I went for the fun! When we lived in Milwaukee, we would go down to Chicago several times a year for various occasions. Both of our mothers were born and raised there, so we have an historical basis for our affinity to "the Windy City." One of Mike's favorite places to go is The Berghoff. It's not that the food is so great, it's the history. They claim to be Chicago's oldest restaurant and Mike recalls his grandmother telling him that she remembered being taken there in a horse and buggy.

They have updated their menu a bit. Here is Mike enjoying his "beer flight."

My favorite place to visit is Marshall Field's. Of course, it is now a Macy's, but fortunately they had the good sense NOT to remove these signs.


And the iconic clock remains as well.

These towers were built in the 60s. I remember an issue of the Chicago Seed depicting them as ears of corn.
On Thursday night we went to a taping of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. It was fun to see what we listen to every Saturday. We have been to A Prairie Home Companion several times, but this is different because it is taped, not live. Here you can see what Carl Kasell, Peter Sagal, Roxanne Roberts and Tom Bodett look like (sort of).

On Sunday we went to the Art Institute. It is one of my favorite art museums, with an incredible collection, yet small enough to be manageable. This is one of the pair of lions that guard the entrance.

This Georgia O'Keefe is their largest painting.

But I like this one so much better...

We had seen this in an exhibition of Van Gogh & Gauguin several years ago. I didn't realize that it is a part of their permanent collection.


The same is true of this Mary Cassatt.

A Frank Lloyd Wright window...


It is amazing to turn a corner and find these famous paintings right in front of you.


This Renoir is one of my favorites.

Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.

Magritte's Time Tranfixed.
I love this one by Toulouse-Lautrec.


Especially this detail...


A smaller bronze of the Picasso sculpture in Daley Center Plaza.


Mike studying this large Picasso painting.


Nighthawks by Edward Hopper has certainly been parodied often.


Though not as often as Grant Wood's American Gothic.

Including this much larger than life installation on Michigan Avenue.

Mike obliged me by posing for this outside of the Lego Store in The Shops at North Bridge.

I can't wait to go back for the ASTRO meeting this fall!

6 comments:

BitsAndPieces said...

Wonderful post, Pam. I have been to Chicago, but didn't get to the museums...a big regret of mine. Thanks for all the marvelous photos.

Sandy

familyadventureguidebooks said...

Loved this post Aunt Pam! Hope to make it to Chicago next year. A visit the the Art Institute has been a dream of mine for many years.

Angela K. Nickerson said...

The Berghoff is a family tradition for us. I have tons of family in Chicago and get there as often as I can. Ciao!

Tim Marks said...

Looking forward to a Chicago trip later in the month. We also enjoyed the Berghoff when we were there a couple of years ago especially since good German is hard to find in the Detroit area. You have whetted my appetite.

Dominique said...

I wondered if Tim would catch this post about The Berghoff (no wonder he was already talking about it and the possibility of going back there this month!
I love the Art Museum and hope we'll be able to get over to see the new wing. And I remember taking photos of that sculpture in Daley Plaza during Christkindl Market one year.
Can't wait to get back there in a few weeks!

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