Note: I published 2 blogs today... our experience with Bessie and the Pawn Star follows this since they are in reverse order.
Chicago proved to be MUCH BETTER than Indianapolis (which to
be fair, we only drove around on the outer loop). Our campground was in a County Park fairly
close to the city and was brand new. It
had only been open 2-3 weeks. After
settling in we drove downtown. The Navy
Pier was a not quite as much fun as I remembered, but they had completed the
big Ferris wheel (sort of like the “Eye” in London) and riding it gave us a
nice overview of the city.
We had
researched another good segway trail and got them out and rode both South and
North along the Lake Side trail. Along
the North side where the “beaches” were they had buoyed off a lane for
swimmers. They all had on wet suits and
when we asked one how cold the water was, she shook my hand. It was freezing!! We realized the swimmers were practicing for
a triathlon when we rode along the South side and saw the staging and signs
(wave 47, gather here in this “cattle gate”).
We rode all the way to the Museum district and wished we had planned
more time in Chicago. We also rode
through Grant Park. The fountain there
reminded us of Trevi in Rome, and we remembered it was here that Obama spoke
after his first election (and Keith was there).
Our only disappointment was that none of the sports bars were carrying
the Panther/Patriot game. We settled in
at “Harry Carey’s” on the Navy Pier and when they didn’t have it, called around
to several others. But since it was a
preseason game, the NFL Network was only carrying it on its 2nd
tier. We would have to make do, with
checking for updates on our phone and on the scroll of the local game. (Finally
Cam found his stride, but someone put some “stick-um” on Corey’s gloves!)
Saturday, was Frank Lloyd Wright Day. We had tickets to tour his home and studio
and to take a walking tour of Oak Park, to see some of the houses he designed
(from the outside). Our guide, Felix,
was an architect and was very knowledgeable. The house was built before Wright
developed his Prarie style and was his take on a Victorian.
The children’s playroom which was huge with a
rounded vaulted ceiling was the most impressive. It had a gallery, where the children
performed, and a grand piano was recessed under the gallery and over a
stairwell. The risers and a panel were
hinged so that they could be opened to allow the sound to come into the
room. The art glass in this room and the
dining room were amazing.
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| Dave in Children's room... note gallery above him, glass on ceiling, piano lower left |
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| Piano suspended in stairwell |
His studio was
octagonal shaped with more art glass and was built in the “round” (a series of
twisted octagons) with an atrium in the middle (is this where Ben got the idea
for the office in Greenville?). The
drafters sat on the bottom tier and the artists (including a potter – how messy
must that have been!) were on the top level.
Wright’s office and library were interesting for the psychological
twists. In his office, folks sat on
“black and blue” chairs so uncomfortable that they didn’t stay long! His looked the same, but had cushions and a
more comfortable “fit”. In the library,
where the “pin up” boards were and where he did most of his sketching and work,
light was brought in through art glass clearstory windows above eye level, and
through a skylight, so that while the area was bathed in light, the windows did
not distract the clients from looking at his proposed (or dictated, in Wright’s
case!) drawings. Another example of
this was the way he twisted a window 90 degrees in a bathroom, to allow light
in, but to obstruct the view of the bathroom from outside.
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| Gallery in studio. Felix in blue |
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| Window twisted in bathroom |
About the time we were gathering for the walking tour, the
“bottom let out” and the misty rain of the morning gave way to torrents. But Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts are hearty
souls, and only one couple of our 10 member group gave up. (Yes, we love FLW, plus we were already wet
after the first house AND we had paid so much for the non-refundable
tickets…!!) The second house was the
most amazing to me.
We decided to dry out at Revolution, a local brew pub. It was really in “NoDa (on steroids, with a
Cuban twist!)”. The beer was
interesting, and the food was amazing.
Luckily we had to wait long enough for a seat, to see how big the
portions were, so we split a burger - great beef with pulled pork. Dave was in heaven!
As I write this, Dave is reading the Observer and telling me
about Steve Smith giving the crowd a bow as he left the game, being ejected for
a fight. The world must be spinning OK,
for the front page is taken up by the Copal Grill sign being on Craig’s List. We decided that Noah Lazus, the developer of
the Music Factory, should buy up all the signs to go with the JFG sign, and
create a “sculpture garden” there. The
paper also said that gas in SC was now $1.69… we’re paying twice that! BUT the weather has been pleasant and
cool. I even wore a sweater one night!
On to Taliesin in Wisconsin:
Frank Lloyd Wright’s 2nd studio.
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