Ivy League and Pop Art

August 1st, 2012

We started our day heading to the South side of Chicago. The furthest south I'd been previously was US Cellular Field at Sox/45th. Broke new ground by heading to the Osaka Garden on the Wooded Island at Jackson Park. For all the bad wrap that the South Side gets, this is a beautiful oasis in one of Chicago's biggest parks. This Japanese style garden was apparently built for the World's Fair in the 1890s, and still stands as a great place for contemplation or a picnic for that matter. My hope is the next time I am in Chicago that I can explore more of Jackson Park itself.

Just to the west of the park is the Midway Plaisance, another relic of the World's fair that cuts through the University of Chicago. The campus is one of the more majestic campuses in North America, matching the beauty of Harvard both in it's architecture and parkland. The only hitch was that they were in the midst of construction work near the main quadrangle in the centre of campus.

While at the university, we went to the Rockefeller Chapel, named for it's patron, John D Rockefeller, towers over the campus. The chapel is not too gaudy but acts more as an art gallery- including sculptures, paintings, and stainglass.

We moved on to the Robie House, one of architect Frank Lloyd Wright's most iconic buildings (in the "prairie style"). Unfortunately for us, my guide book was out of date and it is no longer open on Tuesdays. We walked around the building, trying to get as much of a look at it, as you could without actually going inside. So we pressed ahead, walking around campus until we headed to Medici for some great tasting sandwiches at the cafe. Next door is the main restaurant where you can find more substantial eats like the half pound hot dog, spinach lasagna, burgers, or one of their many pizzas.

After lunch, we headed back downtown. It took forever for the bus to come, and we were tempted several times to hop on the Metra and pay the extra money. In retrospect, we probably should have done it. Traffic was horrible once got closer to the Museum Campus- thanks to closed streets in preparation for Lollapalooza. We did however get back in time to the Art Institute of Chicago.

We met my friend Maya there as she was interested in seeing the Lichtenstein exhibit. The Art Institute is a massive beautiful building filled with art from the time of the Khmer Empire to modern day. It is definitely meant for multiple visits. The Lichtenstein exhibit itself was fairly large, and it took awhile to comb through all that pop art. If you don't know much about Lichtenstein, a lot of his more recognizable work was based on old comic books and ads. He was also known to make works of art parodying other popular art.

With limited time in the Art Institute, we tried to get in all the Van Goghs, sculptures, and American Contemporary Art we could before it closed. I made sure we saw American Gothic and my personal favorite, the Edward Hopper classic- Nighthawks before we left.

One Last Night in Chicago

With an invite from Maya to check out a friend's band at Shuba's later that night, we decided to grab some food from somewhere close by. We headed over to Rockit Bar and Grill in River North for some of their much famed burgers. We grabbed some rockit pockets (cheese, steak, and onions wrapped together), and some brews to start (I got a bottle of the tasty Bells Oberon that I tried in Detroit last year). I had the tasty "The Vegetarian Burger" which is a red bean burger with cheese and peppers- although I was tempted to get the Kobe beef based Rockit Burger or the Cinammon Raisin Grilled Cheese. The truffle fries did not really impress me but too each their own.

After dinner, we headed up to Schuba's but as usual just barely missed our train north, and were delayed getting up there. By the time, we got there, Maya's friend's band, Dozens were wrapping up their last song. In the many times, I had been to Chicago, I had never been to Schuba's but it has an almost Rivoli (for you Torontonians out there) feel to it, where the stage/concert area is separated from the main bar and restaurant. Maya bought us a round of drinks and we talked before the next band came on- which was Brooklyn's Fort Lean, which Andrea took to almost immediately. They were alt rock with somewhat of retro vibe to them. His voice seem to be infectious, and we were all caught in a trance until the set was over. Refilled our drinks, talked some more but by the time the headliner, Bear Hands was on, it was time to go to bed.

We said our goodbyes to Maya, a fun night out in tow, and drifted back to our hotel for one last day in Chicago.

Next blog...."Of Science and Slow Service"