Chicago
August 2004

William needed to go to Chicago for a business trip, so he went there for a couple weeks, and then Elaine joined him for the weekend. We spent all day Saturday in Oak Park, Illinois, a close-in Chicago suburb. It is the home of Frank Lloyd Wright's first studio, and the location of 22 Wright houses, the highest concentration of Wright houses anywhere. And, we visited William's cousins Madeleine, John, and Declan, who live in Oak Park. We took lots of pictures, but lost them all when our camera was lost/stolen at the hotel. So we bought a disposable camera at Walgreens for our journey to Chicago on Sunday.

Wave your mouse over the thumbnail pictures below, to show bigger pictures to the right.

Our first stop was at the Art Institute of Chicago, to see "Seurat and the Making of la Grande Jatte", that famous picture of people and umbrellas in a Paris park. The exhibition was great - it started with early works by Seurat along side works by artists who influenced him. There was a film about contemporary theories of color and light that were very important to Seurat. Then the exhibition moved along to studies for his masterpiece, including delightful sketches of the monkey. The displays continued to build gradually to the climax: A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte - 1884. As with every good story, there was a concluding section that showed works of artists who were influenced by Seurat and even a picture of the x-ray analysis of La Grande Jatte that showed changes that Seurat made. Awesome.

One of lions outside of the 'Tute posed with Elaine.

In the recently opened Millenium Park, near the Art Institute, there are two identical fountains made of glass bricks. Somehow they project images of Chicagoans (they plan to collect about 1000) on the faces of the fountains. Once in a while the models pucker up, and then water gushes out of their mouths. Hundreds of people congregate in the water between the fountains, getting wet and having fun. Everybody smiles. It is a phenomenon.

More fountain.

More fountain.

More fountain.

More fountain.

Also in Millenium Park, they had a wonderful reflecting sculpture that you could walk through and see yourself in.

More reflecty thingy.

Under the reflecty thingy.

Inside the reflecty thingy.

Great lawn and outdoor stage in Millenium Park. There were also gardens that someday should be beautiful. They are too new and need lots of work.

A boat was docked nearby (on the Chicago River). We couldn't resist, so we boarded and took a mini-architectural tour of the River and of the lake near the city

The Navy Pier.

Chicago skyline .

Really cool buildings on the Chicago River. The dark one on the right was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The twins to the left were designed by his students. The students were a bit rebellious.

Sears Tower.

Wrigley Building

William at dinner. We went to a Brazilian steakhouse, where they bring you 14 different kinds of meats and slice them at the table. This is after sampling the sumptuous salad bar. Not for vegetarians!

	Our first stop was at the Art Institute of Chicago, to see "Seurat and the Making of la Grande Jatte", that famous picture of people and umbrellas in a Paris park. The exhibition was great - it started with early works by Seurat along side works by artists who influenced him. There was a film about contemporary theories of color and light that were very important to Seurat. Then the exhibition moved along to studies for his masterpiece, including delightful sketches of the monkey. The displays continued to build gradually to the climax: A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte - 1884. As with every good story, there was a concluding section that showed works of artists who were influenced by Seurat and even a picture of the x-ray analysis of La Grande Jatte that showed changes that Seurat made. Awesome.
	One of lions outside of the 'Tute posed with Elaine.
	In the recently opened Millenium Park, near the Art Institute, there are two identical fountains made of glass bricks. Somehow they project images of Chicagoans (they plan to collect about 1000) on the faces of the fountains. Once in a while the models pucker up, and then water gushes out of their mouths. Hundreds of people congregate in the water between the fountains, getting wet and having fun. Everybody smiles. It is a phenomenon.
	More fountain.
	More fountain.
	More fountain.
	More fountain.
	Also in Millenium Park, they had a wonderful reflecting sculpture that you could walk through and see yourself in.
	More reflecty thingy.
	Under the reflecty thingy.
	Inside the reflecty thingy.
	Great lawn and outdoor stage in Millenium Park. There were also gardens that someday should be beautiful. They are too new and need lots of work.
	A boat was docked nearby (on the Chicago River). We couldn't resist, so we boarded and took a mini-architectural tour of the River and of the lake near the city
	The Navy Pier.
	Chicago skyline .
	Really cool buildings on the Chicago River. The dark one on the right was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The twins to the left were designed by his students. The students were a bit rebellious.
	Sears Tower.
	Wrigley Building
	William at dinner. We went to a Brazilian steakhouse, where they bring you 14 different kinds of meats and slice them at the table. This is after sampling the sumptuous salad bar. Not for vegetarians!

ChicagoAugust 2004

Chicago
August 2004