Chicago in a weekend - day 2

Day 2: blueberry crisp pancakes, strolls through the park, and lots and lots of art.

Breakfast on Sunday was at the Bongo Room, by recommendation of our first Lyft driver (pro tip: Lyft and Uber are the way to go in Chicago for quick transportation). The blueberry pancakes with vanilla sauce and cinnamon granola on top were excellent. The sauce tasted like a creamy yogurt - delicious and not overpoweringly sweet. Jeremy had a pork loin burrito thing with some magic pesto sauce that went perfectly with the sauteed potatoes seasoned with fresh herbs (didn't really pay much attention - did I mention the pancakes were good?!). Once again, the place was tiny but hopping. I'm starting to get the hang of this city thing!

The Bongo Room is on the south end of Grant Park, so we took advantage of the perfect weather to walk through some great scenery on our way to the Art Institute. I enjoyed all the large-scale art displays in the park, including this multi-colored rectangle with artists' names. It's called "The Artists Monument" by Tony Tasset. The designer wanted to honor all artists without creating a hierarchy of prominance, so the names are simply listed alphabetically. It adds a fun and bright pop of color to the surroundings, especially in the winter!

In front of "Artists Monument" by Tony Tasset.

Chicago skyline, as seen through Grant Park.

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the best art museums in the nation, and after touring it I can definitely see why. The museum covers a wide range of art styles, but it doesn't throw every single piece of its collection onto the walls. So, you're able to actually appreciate and absorb what's there. Jeremy pulled me to see the Asian art because of his involvement in Muay Thai, and I pulled him to see the huge European pieces because of my experience in Europe. I particularly enjoyed Monet's work - his art always brings a deep pleasure and contentment to my soul. We both had no idea what was going on with most of the contemporary and modern pieces, but we dutifully looked at the famous stuff anyway.

Also, did you know that the famous "American Gothic" painting of the skinny man with the pitchfork standing next to the long-faced woman with a bun is actually a father and daughter combination, not husband and wife? It was painted during the Great Depression, when many people were reaching back to rustic and agricultural roots for something to latch on to. Learn something new every day...

Two of Monet's paintings and an inlaid Japanese box.

We walked around the city center (pictures to come later), then hit up Summer Dance Chicago. An open dance floor with rotating dance styles, Summer Dance was hosting two-step on Saturday with old-style live music (think "Turkey in the Straw"). We swung by, made a splash for two dances, threw a few dips in, then dropped the mic and peaced out. Dinner was Lindy's Chili - famed according to my "Vintage Chicago" book, but not actually that spectacular. Kinda a flop, solid chili though.

Small-Town Colorado

One final night of celebration brought my Colorado trip to a close. Around supper time, we headed down to Florissant for the weekly meeting of the Grange - an organization originally started as a gathering of ranchers and farmers in the area. Now they meet as a social activity and to perform community service. Think of it as a sort of rotary club. The meeting was held in the old town schoolhouse, now converted into a community center. The building next to the main room was the "teacherage" where the teacher used to live (think parsonage, but for a teacher). 

Among the attendees were:

- A man who went to the original schoolhouse as a young boy and stayed in the area his whole life.

- A woman whose pies are so good that people started fighting over the pieces in line, so now there is an advance sign-up sheet and she personally hands her pieces out to the correct people. What the fee is to get on that list, I have no idea.

- An older couple both dressed in plaid and two-stepping to almost every song, reported to be "living together," ahem. Having both had long and happy marriages with their respective spouses who have now passed away, they are enjoying each other's company in this latter part of life.

- The old "dirtbike guy" who chewed my younger brother's ear off with story after story of his younger glory days, tearing it up around the Colorado mountains.

- My sister's father-in-law who proclaimed upon arriving (in a true country drawl), "y'all go in and mingle now until they ring the dinner bell, and then you dance!"

The line for food - gotta get there early to get the good stuff!

Line dancing to some good music.

One final story about Colorado - I wanted to share this with a view from Pikes Peak, but the train to the top was booked solid so I missed that opportunity. Katharine Lee Bates was an English professor in the 1890's, and she was a visiting professor at Colorado College in the summer of 1893. She herself visited the top of Pikes Peak (via prairie wagon and mule ride), and the view moved her to pen the words to what eventually became "America the Beautiful." What I love about her story is that she was a confident, single woman who never married. That life decision often clashed with the expectations of society, but when a colleague described "free-flying spinsters" as "fringe on the garment of life," her response was, "I always thought the fringe had the best of it. I don't think I mind not being woven in." (Schwarz, "Yellow Clover," 65). That sounds like a lady I would have loved to meet!

With that, I'm signing off on Colorado with a final picture from back in Austin with my Colorado coffee mug. Until the next adventure!

Enjoying coffee from my newest addition to my travel mug collection.