Broadway in Chicago

I reckon this will be the closest that I get to the real Broadway.

Once again, Patrick hosted me for a day in Chicago, and we saw a currently playing Broadway musical: Hamilton, winner of numerous awards -- 2016 Tony for Best Musical, 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, as well as many other awards.

Patrick planned our itinerary:

9:00 a.m. I will meet you at Union Station and we will head to my apartment to drop stuff off and do other administrative tasks. We’ll take the el to my apartment. 10:00 a.m. Pastries at Alliance Bakery, near my apartment. We'll grab an Uber to the bus tour. 11:00 a.m. Untouchable Gangster bus tour 1:00 p.m. Lunch-- get something small at a fast food place in River North 2:00 p.m. Hamilton 5:00 p.m. Dinner 8:00 p.m. Train home

After our stop at P.'s apartment where I gave him a couple surprises (brownies and a hand-crafted hot-air balloon picture), we stopped at the bakery and ordered delicious croissants.  I had an almond one, and P. chose a more savory one with cheese and red peppers.

We modified the itinerary a bit as we went along.  Following the gangster bus tour, we shared an Italian sub at a Potbelly Sandwich Shop as we walked to the theater.

May 14, 2017

Following the fantastic production, P. suggested we walk towards the train station and find a place to eat.  That didn't quite work out as planned.  There wasn't much to choose from: just no restaurants or they were closed on Sunday.  He checked his phone several times, and when he found something, it turned out not to exist when we got to the address.  Alas, our supper was in the food court at Union Station: Kelly's Cajun Grill, which turned out to serve Chinese food.  We shared what looked to be the last of the food for the day, bourbon chicken.  

Hmmm--

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

As expected, we did a lot of walking.  My Fitbit can attest to that:

 

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Christmas in April

My Christmas gift from Patrick arrived on April 11.  He had promised me a trip to a musical in Chicago.  We settled on a day in April with the hope that the weather would be pleasant.  P. chose April 11.  I told him that if he’d picked the following Saturday I could have gotten Amtrak’s senior discount (over age 62).

Now that I’m a seasoned traveler, I had no qualms about taking the train.  I was really laid-back and actually left the house for the station several minutes later than I’d planned.  I walked into the waiting room around 6:00 a.m. and checked the on-time board.  No delays were listed, but I knew that did not necessarily mean the train was on time.  A few minutes before the anticipated train departure at 6:10 a.m., I observed the Amtrak desk clerk putting on his jacket.  I thought, “Hmmm, maybe the train is about to arrive.”  It did, and we departed only minutes after the scheduled time.  I was so surprised.

I followed the queue boarding the train and into the car.  Lights were dim – this is an over-night train from New Orleans – and many people were huddled down napping or at least resting.  It was difficult to figure out which seats were vacant or maybe the occupant was just somewhere else.  I followed other people into the observation car and settled in a seat there.  I’d been really intrigued by this car back in August so I thought now would be a good time to see what it was all about.  The wide, bubble-topped windows offered views from both sides of the train.  It also let in a lot of light which, although not uncomfortable, could be more than what you wanted as the sun rose.  I spent the trip alternately watching the passing scenery and reading a book (The First Family Detail : Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents / by Ronald Kessler).

We made good time – no slow-downs – and arrived at Union Station in Chicago about 30 minutes early.  I’d texted P. when we passed through the Homewood station to give him a heads-up to come and meet me.  His commute was slightly delayed so I settled in a waiting room and people-watched and read my trusty book.

dinnertime along the Chicago River

We had quite a bit of time to kill so we did a little exploring.  First stop was Starbucks so that P. could wake up!  Then we walked to Chicago Public Library.  The central library is the Harold Washington Library, brand new in 1991.  The inside architecture is very impressive.  I marveled at the roped stanchions placed near the circulation desks which clearly indicated that the lines could get long.  I did see a couple self-checkout stations.  There were many, many public access computers and people already using them Saturday morning.  We didn’t spend a great deal of time in the library.  Just long enough for me to say that I’d been there.

Our next stop was Navy Pier – again, just so I could say I’d been there.  P. wisely called for an Uber car.  He remembered how too much walking last summer got me over-heated.  Nothing much going on at the Pier so we started walking back towards downtown.  I just happened to notice three dollar bills on the sidewalk.  We looked around to see if anyone seemed to be looking for them, then picked them up – P.’s tip for spending his day-off with me!

Our next destination was Eataly, and this time we took a cab.  Eataly is a combination restaurant/marketplace with an emphasis on Italian cuisine.  In fact, there are several restaurants inside the two-story building.  It’s an open-concept type of place.  We looked around and admired the products.  We shared a prime rib sandwich from La Rosticceria, a counter service (as opposed to a sit-down restaurant).  It is their “signature porcini-rubbed prime rib with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.”  It was really tasty. 

It was time to think about heading to the musical at the Bank of America Theatre.  We stopped by P.’s office so he could print out the tickets.  It gave me a chance to see their space again.  P. told me some things had changed, but I didn’t really remember it from when I was there a year earlier.

Another Uber car ride and it was time for The Book of Mormon.  I had heard it was a sort of raunchy play, but I had no idea how extreme it was going to be.  P. pointed out that it was created by the people who created South Park (TV show), so “what can you expect.”  It pokes wicked fun at an organized religion without being nasty about their beliefs.  The content is risky, but the Mormon characters are loveable.  The musical was really good.  The music was catchy, although not well-known.  The whole production was excellent – I really enjoyed it.

We had an early dinner at River Roast along the Chicago River.  We each chose a meat dish and also selected a vegetable dish to share.  P. had salmon, I had meatballs, and the vegetable was leeks ‘cause I’d never had those before.  (Aside: it’s October now and I looked at their online menu to refresh my memory, but the menu has completely changed from 6 months ago.)

We were several blocks from Union Station, and I told P. I could walk back there on my own.  P. pointed me in the correct direction, and said “just keep walking ‘til you get to Adams Street, then turn right, go over the river, and you’ll see the station.”  There was no need to hurry, and I took a few pictures along my route.

from River Roast on LaSalle Street to Union Station

I boldly entered the station through a different entrance and took the time to explore a bit.  I sat in the food court area and collected my thoughts, made some notes, and read my trusty book again.  I then went to my departure gate and people-watched some more and read some more.  People with young children or over age 62 were lined up first.  If I ever take the train again, I will certainly relish that perk.  We departed on time.  My seat-mate was off somewhere most of the trip.  A young woman a couple rows behind spent the whole time talking loudly on her cell phone.  She phoned several people, and I heard over and over how she was going to have to go help her mother and she didn’t know if she would still be eligible for financial aid at her beauty school/college.  Oh, just shut up!

Another special day with my favorite son.  Thanks, Patrick, for the lovely Christmas gift.

Men in Kilts

I did something a couple weeks ago that was way beyond my comfort level: I took a train to Chicago ….. All by myself!!!

It all started the beginning of June.  I was randomly googling musicals in Chicago when I stumbled across a production of Brigadoon.  I was very excited to see a favorite musical.  P. has long offered to go to musicals with me when he can – and he’s done so (The Music Man, Bye-Bye Birdie, Les Misérables, Spamalot), all local productions.  Once he moved to Chicago, he encouraged me to find something that I would be interested in doing, and he’d go with me.  Bingo!  A fantastic musical would be perfect.

I had to talk myself into taking the train by myself.  Funny-- the biggest stumbling block was where to park my car for the day.  I'm not familiar with the downtown train station; there are different parking spaces for different time allotments and I think long-term parking is somewhere across the tracks.  But I studied the maps, and after reconnoitering one Saturday morning I discovered that metered parking on the street is free on the weekends.  I made the theatre reservations and reserved a round-trip seat on Amtrak City of New Orleans train.

My train was scheduled to leave at 6:10 a.m.  The trains running through C-U are notoriously late.  Had they been reliable I would have booked the mid-morning departure that arrives in Chi-town around 1 pm.  I arrived at the station well-before departure.  Around 6:05 there was an announcement that the train would be 15 minutes late.  That turned out to be an under-estimate.  We finally pulled out around 6:50 with the explanation that they’d been delayed by freight traffic near Mattoon, but they’d make up the time in transit.

We were told the train was full and that they were assigning seats.  I was given seat 3 at the very front of the car.  I was agog watching the scenery.  No one was in seat 4 next to me, so I had the whole space to myself.  Which was good because I proceeded to take a bazillian pictures out the window.  Really 75, but that's a heck of a lot.  I'd never have done that if someone was right next to me.  My intent was to try to get one "perfect" photo that would encapsulate the whole train experience.  That was difficult because the windows were dirty, and by the time I snapped the picture, the train had passed the view.  Nonetheless, I persevered.

I tried to figure out the small towns that we passed.  Only one water tower’s name faced the tracks, Chebanse.  I occasionally got out my cell phone and used its GPS to track our progress.  Somewhere between Clifton and Chebanse we slowed way down.  It was announced that we were under “restricted speed” due to “signal issues.”  Alrighty.

I told our conductor (who made the announcements on the PA system) that he had a nice, reassuring voice.  And that I could understand him.  Dopey, I know, but it’s nice to compliment good work.

I texted P. when we passed the Homewood station, “home-sweet Homewood” as the conductor called it.  That would give P. a clue to our time of arrival.  He asked where I wanted to eat lunch, and I replied “middle eastern” cuisine or another ethnic food or anywhere.

We de-trained (that’s railroad lingo that I picked up) at 9:35 at Union Station about a half-hour late.  With the “restricted speed” we didn’t make up much time.  I followed the departing crowd and ended up on the street.  I asked a nice police officer what side of the building I was on.  Turns out I was on the west side facing Canal Street.  I texted P. and he found me.  Success!

I’d previously mentioned to P. that I’d like to see the Bean at Millennium Park.  It’s really called Cloud Gate, but everyone calls it the Bean, I think.  We stopped in the Chicago Cultural Center which is located in the old Chicago Public Library building.  It has impressive architecture that includes a memorial to the Civil War and a stunning Tiffany stained-glass dome, the largest in the world.  Building tours are in the afternoon, otherwise I think that would have been interesting.

Chicago Cultural Center -
in the former Chicago Public Library.

Millennium Park was pretty much across the street.  After viewing the Bean I was ready for a rest.  The weather was lovely for sitting in the shade, but walking under the sun was quite warm for me.  (Think sweat, lots of sweat.)  P. and I found a shaded bench and watched a couple little kids bury plastic dinosaurs under the newly-cut grass.  We talked about walking over to the far side of the park to see Lake Michigan, but after our rest I decided I'd see the lake another time.  BTW, the Chicago Air and Water Show was that same weekend.  We heard the buzz/drone of aircraft overhead.

left:  "The Bean" at Millennium Park
right:  The Picasso sculpture at Daley Plaza

It was now time to think about lunch.  P. had found a couple middle Eastern restaurants in our general vicinity, and we headed in their direction.  We went to the address for the first place, but we couldn't locate it.  P. said it could be somewhere inside the building.  We decided to look for the other one.  Once again, we couldn't locate it.  But looking down a side street we discovered why: it's located inside the building with the address we're looking for, but its entrance was off the side street.  We lunched at Roti Mediterranean Grill on North Dearborn Avenue, but its entrance was on Washington Street.  It was somewhat similar to Subway in that you order at the counter and select what you want on your sandwich or plate.  I had a Chicken Roti Plate and P. chose a Chicken Roti Sandwich.  The sandwich was a wrap made with laffa bread.  I chose cous-cous and fresh vegetables for my plate of shawarma chicken and rice with yogurt-cucumber sauce.  It was refreshing and tasty.

Following our lunch we walked up the street to the Goodman Theatre.  We had "cheap" seats in the mezzanine.  The view was perfect.  I loved, loved, loved everything about the performance: the music, the acting and singing, the costumes, set design and staging, the whole production, and especially the dancing.  I'm surprised how much I liked the dancing.  The Scottish dancing had a mix of ballet thrown in.  P. even said the musical wasn't bad.

Following the musical we made our way to Bridge House Tavern on the Chicago Riverwalk for an early supper.  We both selected Chipotle Chicken Sandwich on a pretzel roll, although I deconstructed my sandwich and ate the parts separately.  P. chose an Allagash White draft beer which he thought might appeal to me.  I took a sip and pronounced it "not terrible."  We killed a little time and chatted.

left: lunch at Roti Mediterranean Grill
(that's pita bread on top, not a gigantic mushroom)
right: supper at Bridge House Tavern

Then P. escorted me back to Union Station.  He contacted an Uber driver for his trip back to his apartment.  I headed underground to the waiting room, and P. exited to the street.  I had about an hour's wait 'til the 8:05 departure.  The train left pretty much on time, and I arrived back in C-U around 10:40 to sprinkles of rain.

This was an especially lovely day for many reasons: I managed a train trip on my own, I enjoyed a wonderful professional musical production, and P. was a super nice guide for my venture in the big city.

And the answer to the age-old question: What do men wear under kilts?  From my seat at the Goodman Theatre, it looked like black Speedo-type underwear.