Friday August 12: Henriëts Performance at Grant Park

Henriët is a member of the Grant Park Chorus for the summer Grant Park Music Festival. She's been rehearsing for months and we got to go to one of her performances Friday night. The work performed was "The Book with Seven Seals" by Franz Schmidt. This is an oratorio based on the Book of Revelation. The music was beautiful but the message is grim. If my belief in radical grace is wrong, I'm in big trouble.

The Pritzker Pavilion is smack dab in the middle of Grant Park right next to The Bean; it is a perfect place for summer concerts. True to my idiot self I forgot to take an over view picture. Here is one I found from the USA Today site

USA Today Image

Google Maps image

We got there early in true Thompson style to make sure we got good seats.

Before the performance

I saved seats while Carla and Andrew went to get some sandwiches.

The performance is full swing

After the performance we strolled over to the Buckingham Fountain which is a duplicate to one in France, but in true American style it is twice as large.

Buckingham Fountain sporting the lights at night

After this we walked over to the "L" and took the train back home. A wonderful night.

Thursday August 11: Sears Tower and Cirque du Soleil

When we came to Chicago last summer we didn't have time to get to Willis Tower, so that was high on our agenda for this trip. I'm not fond of heights but I figured I'd try stepping out on that plexiglass ledge 103 stories above Wacker Ave. When the Willis corporation bought the Sears tower, they also got the naming rights for 15 years. They are four years into the deal, and since I've known it as the Sears Tower for most of my adult life,  I'll just use the names interchangeably.

We also had tickets for the Cirque du Soleil. We threw in an around town bus tour to take up the time between the 2 headline events.

Henriët had rehearsal so we made plans to rendezvous downtown. We got off the "L" in "The Loop" and watched for her. Ain't nothin' but a short walk over to Willis Tower from there. It was about a 45 minute wait to get to the top, but they did a nice job of moving the lines Disney-style. Finally, up on top.

A view of one of the many train yards in Chicago just south of Willis Tower

A view of what some locals call East Chicago. AKA Lake Michigan

The Hancock tower is to the northeast. They say it has a better view of the Lake Michigan beaches; maybe next time we'll see if that is true. Also the  view from the women's bathroom from the bar on the 86th floor is reported to be very nice.

Hah! Hancock Tower! Not so tall now are you? 

Here are some pictures from the viewing deck

Our lovely couple Henriët and Andrew

I made it! I stepped out on the plexiglass floor; I didn't stay long

Carla enjoying the view.

Andrew is petrified with fright. Not really. Henriët takes it all in stride.

We had a couple of hours to kill so we took a bus tour around the city. The bus was a double-decker with an open top; it was a perfect day to capture the sites. Our tour guide was humorous and informative.

Carla and I checking out a fascinating sight. 

We then took a cab from Willis Tower to the United Center where the Cirque du Soleil was performing "Ovo"

The kids are excited!

So are we

This was the first time I've been to a Cirque du Soleil performance; it was fantastic. The acrobats were amazing. My favorite act was in the second half when they jumped on trampolines and looked like they were walking on the walls. The performers perched on a rock-climbing wall and would jump down, then bounce back up and cling to the wall. At one point three performers jumped down, up, and over  so that they looked like they were being juggled.

We took a cab ride home and got a ride from probably the crabbiest cabby in Chicago.

Wednesday August 10 - Chicago Aquarium

Henriët had two rehearsals on Wednesday and Andrew had a set of lessons to give at a high school on the South Side. So, Carla and I would be on our own for a good part of the day. On his way south, Andrew dropped us off at the Shedd Aquarium which is near Soldier Field. We felt like we got dropped off for day camp.

We walked out to the point on the south side of the bay where the planetarium is. We had a great view of s regatta going on

Many of the boats headed south had their spinnakers out.

On our way back on the other side we saw a small little beach

It was a fairly cool day: about 75 degrees so the beach wasn't overcrowded.

The aquarium was pretty underwhelming. We had to stand in line for an hour to get entry tickets. Once inside it was loud and crowded and the exhibits weren't so great. We did get to see some dolphins swimming in a big tank and a few beluga whales. We also enjoyed the jelly fish exhibit. The aquarium is a destination for a lot of summer camps; the place was absolutely filled to the brim with packs of 40-50 kids in matching t-shirts. I don't mind the kids; it's fun to have that energy but they certainly don't think twice about jostling and pushing and shoving.

The other phenomenon we noticed was that everyone jostled to the front of every exhibit to take pictures of the fish with their iPhones, Androids, and portable cameras. So, not only do you have to look over and around people but also their outstretched arms holding cameras. I'm thinking to myself, "you'll never look at those pictures."

I guess I sound old. We have had so many great days here in Chicago, I guess they can't all be home runs.

On top of that, my camera battery ran out (maybe I was just jealous that I couldn't get those pictures myself) after I grabbed some pictures of the skyline from the point. I'll leave you with these

Tuesday August 9, 2011: Frank Lloyd Wright Houses and Fenwick School

On Tuesday we spent a quite morning around the house then went to Oak Park to visit Fenwick High School where Andrew is teaching and see a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright houses near the school.
When I visited in June we got pictures of the outside but not of the rooms where he will be teaching. Here is a pic from June

Today we got inside.

Near Fenwick High School, on Chicago Ave is a house where Frank Lloyd Wright lived and designed. It is open for tours. This house was built in the 1890s and updated many times.

Henriët and Andrew in front of the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio on Chicago Ave.

People in the neighborhood loved the house (most of the other houses are Victorian style which Wright hated) and had him design their homes. So within a 10 minute walk of this house are about 5 others.

Frank Lloyd Wright houses can be identified by large central chimneys, hidden entrances, very horizontal lines, and large screens of windows

Another Wright house in the hood

Broad horizontal bands of windows are a distinguishing mark of FLW houses

 After the tour we went to the Maya Grill for some Mexican/Cuban fusion. Carla and I got to have Margartias. Henriët had to leave for rehearsal and Andrew was the designated driver

After getting back to Andrew and Henriët's place we went to the Davis Theater in Lincoln Square to watch Cowboys & Aliens. It was a good western with some scary aliens thrown in. A good summer movie, but not a classic.

Monday August 8; return to Chicago

Monday was a travel day. Henriët had to get back to Chi-town for rehearsal. So we had a quick breakfast at the Village Cafe in Egg Harbor and hit the road.

We had seen signs for the Cheese Castle along the road and thought it might rival the  Corn Palace in Nebraska. Um, no. It's a place to buy cheese and get lunch. If you are pondering a stop there on your travels, I have 4 words: DO NOT DO IT.

The sign was way better than the place 

We got to Highland Park in late afternoon;  pefect timing to hit the Real Urban BBQ (again). We all had burnt ends. This is a great barbecue joint. If you are coming to Chicago; put this on your must visit (unless you are vegetarian)

When we returned to Andrew and Henriët's place Carla and I headed off for a walk to a park on the Chicago River. It started to rain which was fine; but when the lightning and thunder started we headed back. Henriët headed to Grant Park for rehearsal while Andrew, Carla and I messed around the apartment and watched another Jeeves and Wooster episode from our Netflix DVD

Sunday August 7: Exploring Door County

It rained overnight and was overcast and windy a good part of the day; regardless, we gave the day over to exploring the peninsula of Door County. We were staying at Egg Harbor about 1/2 way up the coast line;  looking across the Bay we could see the Michigan Upper Peninsula.

Our goal was to go all the way to the tip and see where the bay and the lake meet. We took Highway 42 along the bay side of the peninsula, stopping at many small villages along the way. Since we were in Wisconsin, our meal goals for the day were cheese curds and frozen custard.

Our first stop was Gibraltar AKA Fish Creek. There was a boat harbor (as there was in every town along the way)

Interesting decoration at a little curiosity shop in Gibraltar

 Farther up the road we found a place with a large freestanding wooden tower. It was very windy but the view from the top was great

Carla and Henriët on the top viewing platform overlooking Green Bay

I'm not a fan of heights. I went up to the 2nd level (of 3). On the way down Andrew got a picture of me.

A little farther along was a light house with a walking path. We went for about a 30 minute walk through the woods. The peninsula is a destination for bikers; lots of families and couples riding their bikes on paths that parallel the highway.

 After a couple of hours we made it to the end of the peninsula. Carla and I headed out for a little walk along the beach to the point.

On the point of Door County peninsula

The beach is so different from the west coast; In California, Oregon, and Washington the beach is all sand. Here it is all sea shells. I wonder if the lack of waves is the cause of the shells not breaking down into smaller pieces.

The beach is made up of shells.

On they way up the peninsula we liked the looks of Sisters Bay so we headed for that when we came back down. We used yelp to find Fred and Fuzzy's which is near a  beautiful little resort. The water is very warm here; there were about 10 kids running off the piers and jumping into the water. Three little kids were practicing on a kayak. Getting in, tipping it over, extracting themselves, then righting the boat and reboarding. The clouds and wind were starting to lift a bit.

Andrew and Fred & Fuzzy's in Sisters Bay

We were in Wisconsin so cheese curds are a must. When I posted this on FaceBook some friends likened it to buying a Dumbo shirt at Disneyland: it seems like a good idea at the time, but in retrospect, maybe not so great. Whatever, we enjoyed them while they were there to be eaten :)

Cheese curds

I think a brat was required eating as well. Home made potato chips. 

I think this was our favorite place to eat

A little farther along we saw a sign for frozen custard. It was a must stop.

Scary dude; but the custard was very good

 As we stood in line to order we got perturbed by a guy who cut in line. Henriët checked him with a glance.

Andrew and Henriët were turned into gnomes by the custard.

By the time we made it back to our place the sun was out in full force and we laid out by the pool for a bit. Then we grabbed some beers and Door County cherries and sat out on the big lawn reading and watching the sun set. Sorry I don't have a picture, I was enjoying the view too much to go back and get the camera. There was a very thin bank of clouds over the horizon. We watched the sun set in the clouds then reappear and set again over the Michigan Upper Peninsula across the bay.  Turning to our left we saw a 1/2 moon. Looking through the binoculars gave us a spectacular view of the seas and craters.

A beautiful day. We've been very lucky with the rain so far. The rain has come at night or when we were in the car.  

Saturday August 6: Driving to Door County Wisconsin.

We woke up had a bite to eat and then headed up to Door County, Wisconsin which is a peninsula which just out between Green Bay (yes that Green Bay) and Lake Michigan. It was about a 5 hour drive from Chicago.

Here is a view showing the distance from Chicago.

A closer view of the peninsula

This is a big tourist area for Wisconsin and Illinois'folks. Carla did some great sleuthing to find a place for us in Egg Harbor (Green Bay side) on short notice.

We headed north on the freeway, then cut over to Highway 42; a 2 lane highway up the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula.

This is by far my favorite way to travel. On the way up we stopped for lunch in Manitowac, small town Americana

Andrew and Henriët had a room next to us with a shared deck.

We found a really nice Italian restaurant, Trio, for dinner

After dinner we took a little walk around the grounds and played a little tennis. Then we came back to enjoy the sunset from our decks. It was overcast as the humidity took over but it was still beautiful.

To end the evening we watched a Jeeves and Wooster episode and headed to bed