Fog Before the Storm

One of these days I am going to write these in succession, and not months apart. But here goes nothing...

Monday, June 10th, 2013

'Twas the morning before the Blue Jays 11 game winning streak- one of the bright spots of an otherwise dismal season that began with such promise and hope. We decided to head downtown for an architectural boat tour, and hopped on board the Chicago Architectural Foundation's cruise- something we had always wanted to do. Perhaps, it was not the best day to go on a cruise, it was slightly foggy already and the drizzle came down as we tried to stay dry.

We had a particularly enthusiastic tour guide, an older lady with big blonde hair in her 60s. She was quite knowledgeable but did not seem to be on her 'A' game, I felt like we did not get the tour guide that everyone had raved about- must have been having an off day, right? She fixated on Aqua, she proclaimed to the heavens numerous times "Look at Aqua" as if the gods were listening to her tell the tale. This building does have a notable fact- it is the tallest building in the world to have a woman as lead architect- Jeanne Gang. It is actually is a pretty nice building, just felt it was being a bit oversold you know?

All kidding aside, the view from the river is great for taking photos of the buildings- especially if you have a decent lens and camera. On the tour is all the greatest hits- the Sears Tower (Sorry Willis Tower ugh), Merchandise Mart, the Civic Opera House, Chicago Board of Trade, Tribune Building, Trump Tower, and my two favorites- 333 Wacker Drive and the Marina City Towers (it was on the cover one of those Wilco albums). I love Chicago's architecture, the diversity of old and modern buildings inspired by every architectural movement of the last 100 years. Such an amazing city to look at- it's exhilarating. Too much? Ok maybe. The tour really was informative, and there is a bar on board for those who want to get wasted watching the world pass you by (yes I ripped that off Depeche Mode).

The Tradition Continues

Much to the annoyance of Andrea and Genevieve, myself, Dave, and Paul have an obsession with throwing the baseball around in parks of cities we visit. We played catch in Baltimore, we did it as Harvard in Boston, and this time was no different. After meeting up with Maya again, we walked around Millennium Park- which may be a bit of tourist trap but it is actually quite nice. It does not have the tackiness of Navy Pier, and the Cloud Gate (aka The Bean) is probably one of the coolest pieces of art you will every see.

We moved over to Grant Park and found a relatively empty section of Grant Park, and starting throwing playing catch while the ladies took a rest on the lawn. I am sure we impressed them with our athletic abilities- being able to throw the ball away from each other and make the other person run after is highly sought after skill. Drives the women wild. The group made one last stop at the Buckingham Fountain for a picture- because well you have to do that.

In a Fog

U.S. Cellular Park is one of the less visually remarkable ballparks in the MLB but it is not without its charms. First of, the food selection is amazing- not quite Miller Park amazing though. It has a good selection of beers and other beverages as well but the food is what really shines here. How great would it be for the Rogers Centre to have elote served on the concourse? For those who don't know what elote is, it's mexican corn on the cob with mayo, spices, and lime or some variation thereof. Surprisingly delicious!

Other than that, the fans at the park are great. Everyone was either really friendly to us or were playfully razzing us. Don't get me wrong, there were a couple of annoying fans, and I swear there is even more fights at the Cell than at Blue Jays games. At least, in my prior experience there has been.

Things got foggy real fast into a less than promising start from staff ace, R.A. Dickey. In the 3rd inning, the umpires delayed the game to the jeers of White Sox fans, who thought it was playable. I am surprised the players could see the ball at all. The delay lasted over an hour, in which the U.S. Cellular sound crew sounded a fog horn numerous times, and played every pun laden weather song they could find. When the fog finally lifted enough to play, they of course played "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash. The Jays were eventually done in by two home runs from Adam "I Hate Baseball" Dunn and lost the game 10-6.

Little did the White Sox know that the next night, that Jose Bautista would tie the game with a homer to take into extra innings, and start the best stretch of the Blue Jays season. A game we listened to over the radio driving through the dark stretches of highway going back to Toronto.

Next blog..."What's that Smell? Mushroom Gravy?"