It was fun to see the Chicago River dyed green for St. Patrick's Day, but it was even more fun watching the drunken fool that jumped in, trying to swim to the other side. (He didn't make it very far. The police boat saw to that.)
My good friend Kelly was in town with his wife and it's always a pleasure to spend time with them, especially when the focus is books. Kelly scoped out Myopic Books, a very good used bookstore that kept us busy for a good part of Sunday afternoon. Kelly, it was great to see you guys. Let's do it again soon!
On Monday, Cindy and I visited a couple of museums. The Museum of Comtemporary Photography is small, but quite good (and free). Their current exhibit This Land is Your Land captures both the humor and sadness of the current political landscape, especially in light of 9/11. Watch the video tour of the exhibit here. The first image is my favorite.
And of course, how can you beat The Art Institute of Chicago? I'm not a big fan of Ed Ruscha's photography, but the Impressionist paintings really knocked me out. The modern stuff...not so much. Maybe I'm just ignorant of modern art and should spend some time trying to appreciate it. On the other hand, how many canvases do you have to view with one dark splotch on the edge labeled "Untitled" before you can appreciate them? (My theory: "Untitled" means the artist doesn't know what it is either.)
All in all a great trip, but it's sure good to be home.
1 comment:
Chicago is ten times better in the summer, too. There are tons of great neighborhoods to explore in addition to downtown. Between the el and the occasional cab, Chicago is a city best explored on foot and the weather this time of year ain't great for that kind of trip. You'll have to come back!
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