Musings from Chicago

[Editor's note] As you may or may not recall, I went to Chicago a couple of weeks back. Here's my report:

Where do I begin to tell the story of how great a love can be? The sites, the sounds, the smells, the Holy O of Chicago?? Let's start at the very beginning, a very fine place to start...

Firstly, never fly with Spirit Airlines. It was perhaps the one and only disappointing aspect of this getaway. Long lines, uncomfortable seats, and they charge you for everything. The descent into O'Hare was no cake walk either. We got some of those winds that knocked down the stage in Indianapolis and you wouldn't believe the turbulence. The last 30 minutes were so bad that I was drafting a mental Will & Testament... terrible. But once I landed and thanked baby Jesus, it was smooth sailing.

The public transport in Chicago is so wonderful that I was able to take a train from the airport straight to Downtown Chicago. I met with my friend Barbara (whom I went to visit) down there and had breakfast. Unfortunately, she had to go back to work but I was free to roam the city streets alone. Which, if I can be frank, I love doing. I love to visit new cities and explore alone. I like doing what I want, for however long I want, without having to come to a consensus. Anyway, that day I visited Millennium Park, State Street, the famous fountain in "Married with Children", and the new Marilyn Monroe statue. That night we had dinner at the famed Chicago Diner in Boystown and gawked at some gays. We also went to an Improve Shakespeare show that was great fun. Picture it: 5 guys, 1 audience-generated idea (in our case, the London Riots), and Shakespeare diction.

My friend also had to work Saturday morning, so I was on my own again after a delicious breakfast at Logan Square. That day I went to the Cultural Center, the Bean (pictured above), the Public Library (where I serendipitously stumbled upon a piano show entitled "Gershwin: 1 piano, 4 hands"). Following that I went to visit the Art Institute. Let me interject here to say that if you've never visited Chicago, THIS IS A MUST. It's rooms and rooms of art and sculptures and furniture and beautiful delicate things. Every time I thought I had seen everything, I'd turn a corner and be in a wing filled with van Goghs and Monets and Matisse'. I was there for 4 hours and spent $100 in the gift shoppe. Hands down, a remarkable place.

After being engulfed by refinement, I decided to balance things out in the other direction and pay the gays another visit in Boystown. They were having something called Market Days that weekend which translated to a big gay street festival. Unfortunately for me and my white sneakers, it started to rain. This was perhaps the low point of the trip: being hungry, wet, a little over-weight, and surrounded by Adonis' is not what I'd call "ideal." But I found refuge in an old (and I emphasize OLD) bookstore where the crabby store clerk eyed me suspiciously. That night, we walked by Wrigley Field and had dinner at great Greek place called Andie's. Following that, we visited the Neo-Futurist Theatre and saw 30 plays in 60 minutes. That's their claim to fame: timed improve. And take it from me, it's epic.

On Sunday we went to visit my dad's old neighborhood. During the 70s, when my family came from Cuba they moved to Chicago. I got to visit my dad's apt building, my aunt's 3-story house (stoop and all!) and the church where my uncle was married. If I can speak candidly, it was quite cathartic to visit a place where your family set down its roots. Seeing where my dad lived and worked and thrived was pretty remarkable. That afternoon, we took a commuter train to Ravinia and saw Rufus Wainwright in concert. I love him and I loved the show. The venue is a big open amphitheatre and we took a blanket, wine, cheese, and brownies to the concert. It was heaven.
Monday was my last day and I went out with a bang! We went straight to the Willis Tower (AKA the Sears Tower). 103 stories with panoramic views of the city in every direction. To say that I was at the peak of happiness is putting it mildly. It was a breathtakingly beautiful day and you could see the world in a 4 state radius. The clever Willis people have constructed 4 looking rooms that extend 4ft out of the building. 4 rooms made entirely of GLASS. I was fine right up until the moment I set foot on the glass floor and looked down. Then panic and terror ensued. I put on a brave face (sort of) and mugged for the camera. After, I took a seat and let me heart rate stabilize. After that we paid Macy's (one of the first) a visit. Even the Macy's is a work of art with their Tiffany glass ceiling. We had lunch at the Walnut Room (which has been open since 1980) and got served by a waiter in a suit. I felt like a Vanderbilt.

The last thing I visited before I left was Oprah's studio. Embarrassingly, I let out a weird, high-pitched, girlie squeal when I saw the sign. As we were approaching, their were two gay guys walking away after taking pictures. I gave the camera to Barbara and asked her to take pictures of how I was going to lose my dignity. Without missing a beat, one of the gays turned around and said, "honey, you're not the only one," and walked away. Alas, Queer kinships...

And that was invariably that. I had an unforgettable time. I don't think I'd live there per se, but I have to admit it's a pretty impressive town. Made infinitely better by claiming my friend Barbara among it's own.