Hey everyone, we’re having trouble with the WiFi here today and I can’t upload any images and it’s all slow as molasses. So I’ll post more tomorrow.
Thanks for your patience!
Another Opening
It’s a rainy morning here in Chicago. Unfortunately, it’s been rather gray and cloudy since I arrived. There were a couple of mornings where the sun emerged, but by about 11 am, the clouds had taken over. I used to come here every January when we were auditioning students for the MFA program and it was always cloudy, cold and windy.
We’re staying in a neighborhood called River North, just north of the Loop on the other side of the Chicago River. Yesterday, I walked to the area by Navy Pier to investigate the Whole Foods in that neighborhood. (We needed some stuff.) There’s nothing I like more than to walk in a city and explore neighborhoods. I learn a lot that way.
I also cleaned the apartment. This is the kitchen. I’ll try to take more photos on a sunnier (fingers crossed) day. That’s a fish hanging from the light that was made from a palm frond – given to Don by someone he worked with in LaJolla. I’ll try to take a picture of that as well, because it has the most beautiful turquoise and green colors.
I’m sleeping surprisingly well, given the fact that we’re in a smaller queen sized bed that is shoved into an alcove – not unlike a tiny house. Walking a lot makes one nicely tired.
The lions in front of the Art Institute. Chicago readers: Didn’t these guys wear Cubs caps during the World Series? I seem to remember that.
Across the street is Symphony Hall.
I always stop for Art Deco.
Tonight is Opening Night, so yours truly will be attending the performance. And heads up, Chicagoland: The cast will be marching in the Thanksgiving Day Parade! They prerecorded their song while they were in Houston.
Don says the audiences are great and, though tired, everyone in the cast is having a great time.
Beware: the Senate Republicans are trying to repeal a major part of the ACA by sneaking the repeal into the Tax Plan. They also want to cut 23 billion dollars from Medicare. Make your calls. #resist.
Happy Wednesday.
The Art Institute
Yesterday was Don’s one day off, so we went to Lou Mitchell’s again for breakfast (I had French Toast this time) and then walked to the Art Institute.
The day started out sunny but quickly turned gray. (Today is sunny…fingers crossed!)
I hadn’t been to the Art Institute for many years. The very first time I went there was for the King Tut exhibition and that’s a long, long time ago. Don had never been there. Not surprisingly, he fell in love with it. There’s so much to see and far too much to cover in one visit, so we’ll be going back again. Yesterday, we concentrated on the Impressionists and some of the sculpture and the Thorne Rooms, but I had to go through those rather quickly, so more on another day.
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grand Jatte by Georges Seurat.
This is one of my favorite paintings. It is painted in the pointillist style – all of the paint strokes are dots. It’s truly incredible. That’s Don, contemplating this magnificent creation. He kept going back to it.
So many artists represented: Monet, Manet, Gaugin, Seurat, Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, Cézanne, Morisot. This time I was struck by the works of Renoir. Perhaps because I love color so much, his paintings really moved me. Instead of the more muted tones of many impressionist paintings, his works used vivid colors. I couldn’t take my eyes off them.
We also visited the famous Thorne Rooms, composed of miniature scenes of different periods of design. They are incredible. I’d seen them in the past, but that was before I grew to love miniatures later in life. This time, I was stunned by their detail. But Don was getting tired (we’d done a lot of walking and he is constantly on the move in rehearsals and performances) so we decided that we’d return another day. We need to see the Chagall windows and American Gothic and Edward Hopper and Picasso and a whole lot more.
One of the Thorne Miniature Rooms. If you’re curious, Google “Thorne Miniatures” and you’ll find out the history of these incredible creations.
One of my favorites: a miniature Pullman car.
We stopped by the gift shop, where we bought some T-shirts (because you know we love our T-shirts) and a few other things, among them, a book on the Thorne Miniatures.
Then we came back to the apartment, ordered Thai food, and took it easy for the rest of the night.
Taken on our walk to the museum.
And I thought you’d like to see a picture of the proud uncle and his adorable nephew, taken by another adorable nephew.
If that doesn’t warm the cockles of your heart, nothing will!
Today: a more low-key day. Don has rehearsal this afternoon. I’m feeling stuffed up. I’ll probably walk to Whole Foods to buy a few more essentials. By the way, there is an opening night, it’s tomorrow. So, since Don gets a free ticket, I’m going. This will be my third opening for this musical, Don’s fourth. Will Jimmy be there? Who knows?
Happy Tuesday.
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