In 4th or 5th grade, my parents had a policy about attending movies unchaperoned, a review from a parent approved list of film critics had to be provided supporting my choice. Recently this rule popped into my mind, dragged out from a long forgotten dusty corner. The cause? A recent trip to see "Swing Time," starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, at the Gene Siskel Film Center. Yep, Gene was on the approved list causing me much anguish as I waited anxiously for his coveted thumb's up. Often I prayed that my parents would let Ebert's thumb's up trump Siskel's, but alas Ebert was too free with his upturned thumb and my prayers went unanswered. As usual, I digress...
Our outing encompassed more that just the film, additionally we explored Millenium Park including a free outdoor operatic performance(soloist, orchestra, and choir included)in the park's gorgeous outdoor amphitheater. It was a wonderful evening of music and dancing. (Luckily we weren't the ones doing dancing.)
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Weirdo Magnet
While living in NYC I discovered I was a weirdo magnet. Invariably if there was a weirdo within a 5 mile radius he somehow sensed my presence, flocking to me like a heat seeking missile. Moving to the suburbs weakened the magnet's pull until if faded into oblivion, however, in an urban environment the magnet appears to be gathering strength. While wandering around Andersonville the magnet's signal captured the attention of a gentleman (aka. Weirdo A) who wanted to engage me in a conversation in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish, heck I can't speak French and I studied that for 5 years. When Weirdo A can't engage me in conversation in Spanish he switches to English explaining to me "I really should learn Spanish, if I learned Spanish it would be very easy to learn Italian and even French, etc. " The highlights of our exchange include his telling me I am young enough to learn these languages and then asking me if I was heading off to play tennis. (Other than the fact that I was wearing sneakers I am not sure where he came up with this idea.) This exchange (coupled with a few minor incidents previously) leads me to believe the pull of the weirdo magnet is gaining strength, which means vigilance is required to keep it in check. Having never mastered this in NYC, I have my work cut out for me. Apparently the suburbs is not rich with weirdos and so the magnet went dormant. Returning to the city has awakened the beast now I have to tame it. Fellow weirdo magnets, I call to you for your tales of weirdos and most importantly instructions for dimming the magnet's gravitational pull, we magnets must stick together. ;-)
Monday, July 21, 2008
Oh, the horror...Freaks and Geeks... Into Every Life a Little Rain Must Fall
I'm back from outer space (a little homage to Gloria Gaynor)... did you miss me? Our Chicago adventure continues with a little bit of camp. Saturday evening at midnight the Jersey Boy and I walked to the Music Box Theater to see... wait for it...Batman. Not just any Batman, we are talking classic Batman, think tights, non-chiseled abs, and barely legal side kicks. If Adam West and Burt Ward are popping into your mind you guessed correctly. This was the 1966 movie starring most of the cast from the classic TV series: grumpy old man, Meredith Burgess, as the Penguin, the Latin from Manhattan, Cesar Romero, as the Joker, and Frank Gorshin as the Riddler. Gorshin has the distinction of being the only cast member from the TV show to receive an Emmy nomination for his performance and is my favorite of the male villains (As a kid I thought he was kind of cute, which is a little alarming, after watching him frolic in his green unitard Saturday I may need decades of therapy, or perhaps a good stiff drink. But I digress...) Sadly, the uber villain and my favorite baddie, Cat Woman, was portrayed by Lee Meriwether, who gave a purr-fectly fine performance, but was no Julie Newmar.
I bet you're thinking with The Dark Knight, out this weekend why go see this old version of the movie? Aside from the nostalgia factor, there was the bonus of having the movie acted out simultaneously by Midnight Madness. (If you' ve seen Rocky Horror Picture Show at the IFC Center NYC (formerly the Waverly) you will get the idea.) Or if thinking makes your brain hurt check out the website to see the cast for yourself http://www.midnightmadness.org/.
What an experience seeing this movie was. First of all, the Music Box Theater is a beautifully restored old theater with a Gothic feel to it's interior. Adorning the lobby were dark carpets, high ceilings and velvet ropes to hold back the crowd pre-show, while the theater space contained a stage with scalloped red, velvet curtains which rose to reveal the movie screen behind it. A travel spot illuminated the announcer prior to the movie and followed the actor's movements as the movie progressed. It was the perfect blend of cinema and live theater.
Now for the Freaks and Geeks... upon entering the movie theater I looked around and realized the Jersey Boy and I were significantly under dressed. Glancing at the crowd I saw, T-shirts with Bat Signal emblems, the odd mask or two, capes and bat wings, finally as my gaze rested on a woman in full Robin regalia I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. (As it turns out she was a cast member, but the scene conjured up images of what I imagine a Batman convention would look like. Basically Trekies in capes.)
I enjoyed the movie and the live floor show. Some of the props Midnight Madness found for their production were pretty impressive. (They actually had the bust which opens to provide access to the bat cave.) Exiting the theater around 2 a.m. we discovered it was pouring rain. Sadly, we were unprepared and had to slog home sans umbrella. The irony was the same thing had happened to me the day before as I exited my favorite coffee joint, Julius Meinl. Crossing the street the skies opened up and I spent 45 minutes under a Prudential Realty awning waiting for the rain, which oscillated from lightly coming down to torrential downpour, to pass. You would have thought that experience would have left an impression...obviously I was never a scout.
Until next time...
I bet you're thinking with The Dark Knight, out this weekend why go see this old version of the movie? Aside from the nostalgia factor, there was the bonus of having the movie acted out simultaneously by Midnight Madness. (If you' ve seen Rocky Horror Picture Show at the IFC Center NYC (formerly the Waverly) you will get the idea.) Or if thinking makes your brain hurt check out the website to see the cast for yourself http://www.midnightmadness.org/.
What an experience seeing this movie was. First of all, the Music Box Theater is a beautifully restored old theater with a Gothic feel to it's interior. Adorning the lobby were dark carpets, high ceilings and velvet ropes to hold back the crowd pre-show, while the theater space contained a stage with scalloped red, velvet curtains which rose to reveal the movie screen behind it. A travel spot illuminated the announcer prior to the movie and followed the actor's movements as the movie progressed. It was the perfect blend of cinema and live theater.
Now for the Freaks and Geeks... upon entering the movie theater I looked around and realized the Jersey Boy and I were significantly under dressed. Glancing at the crowd I saw, T-shirts with Bat Signal emblems, the odd mask or two, capes and bat wings, finally as my gaze rested on a woman in full Robin regalia I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. (As it turns out she was a cast member, but the scene conjured up images of what I imagine a Batman convention would look like. Basically Trekies in capes.)
I enjoyed the movie and the live floor show. Some of the props Midnight Madness found for their production were pretty impressive. (They actually had the bust which opens to provide access to the bat cave.) Exiting the theater around 2 a.m. we discovered it was pouring rain. Sadly, we were unprepared and had to slog home sans umbrella. The irony was the same thing had happened to me the day before as I exited my favorite coffee joint, Julius Meinl. Crossing the street the skies opened up and I spent 45 minutes under a Prudential Realty awning waiting for the rain, which oscillated from lightly coming down to torrential downpour, to pass. You would have thought that experience would have left an impression...obviously I was never a scout.
Until next time...
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Sign of the Times
Walking past a funeral parlor in our neighborhood today, I noticed a small sign in the window which said "Kid Friendly Business" and I had to wonder... what the heck does that mean? Are dead children welcome there? Are live children welcome to attend the funerals? Or is it one of those safety oriented signs to indicate to children who are in danger that this Funeral Home is a safe place to take refuge? Very strange.
This is not the first sign I have seen that caused me to pause and take notice. All over our alleyway are signs that say "Warning, this is private property. Unauthorized vehicles will be relocated at the owner's expense." It's the relocated part that gets me, it seems so polite. At first I thought the sign was unique to our neighborhood, but I have seen them all over town. It seems that people in Chicago are even courteous about towing. This is much different from NYC, half the time the "No Parking" signs aren't even present and you arrive where you parked your car to find it MIA without any further explanation. At least here you get a warning, and one with a cordial tone.
I'll keep you posted on further adventures, but wanted to get that off my chest and into print while it was on my mind.
This is not the first sign I have seen that caused me to pause and take notice. All over our alleyway are signs that say "Warning, this is private property. Unauthorized vehicles will be relocated at the owner's expense." It's the relocated part that gets me, it seems so polite. At first I thought the sign was unique to our neighborhood, but I have seen them all over town. It seems that people in Chicago are even courteous about towing. This is much different from NYC, half the time the "No Parking" signs aren't even present and you arrive where you parked your car to find it MIA without any further explanation. At least here you get a warning, and one with a cordial tone.
I'll keep you posted on further adventures, but wanted to get that off my chest and into print while it was on my mind.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
So Hot, Too Hot
So, yesterday was a glorious day of exploring. Our friends, Tim and Ed, were in town and the first visitors we have had since moving here the last weekend in June. Sadly, the Jersey Boy had to work, so I was left to discover the city's riches without him. This was the first time I left the neighborhood alone and rode the CTA, which was a hot sweaty mess yesterday with problems going and coming back (ah, the bliss of public transportation...) however, I made it to both my destination and my home so I won't complain too loudly. :-)
What astounds me the most about this experience of moving to a big city is how foreign it sometimes feels. I lived in Manhattan and Queens for about 4 years and was independent and adventurous, but having been in the burbs and one half of a couple for the last several years it seems as if my Sir Francis Drake genes have atrophied. (Seriously, according to our family tree we are related to Drake on my dad's side, but I digress.) Until yesterday I only ventured to areas that I could walk or drive to. It never occurred to me to take the El alone and explore the vastness that is Chicago. Sometimes I feel like a fruit fly. (In high school we did an experiment where we put fruit flies in a jar and after a period of time transferred them to a larger jar. We discovered the flies would only jump to the height of the small jar never challenging themselves to go beyond what they had learned about their original environment.) So I have to thank Tim and Ed for coming to the city, liberating me from my jar and expanding my horizons.
We spent the day in downtown Chicago. First, there was an architectural tour of the city by boat on the Chicago River, which was fantastic. It was interesting to see the city from that vantage point and to hear about the different buildings. My favorite part was hearing about Daniel Burnham, whom I had read about in the book "The Devil and the White City," the story centers on the World's Columbian Exhibition of 1892 in Chicago. Amazingly, Burnham's vision for the city of Chicago is still being implemented today. (Talk about long term planning.) From the river we were able to see the former Post Office, where scenes from the upcoming Batman flick were filmed. (I am looking forward to seeing this movie in IMAX and keeping my eyes open for the Post Office scenes. I know, I'm a geek.)
Another highlight of our trip was seeing the city scape from the Hancock building. At this building there are breath taking panoramic views of Lake Michigan which can be seen from either the Observatory or the Signature Lounge. There is a $15 fee for the observatory, while a cocktail from the lounge is $12 and offers up the view plus the addition of a nice buzz...Hmm, which do you think we chose? :-)
Our exploration ended at the Navy Pier. Definitely a family friendly tourist destination with a Ferris wheel, food, and gift shops galore. However, the stained glass museum is the reason we braved the heat and crowds venturing to this location. It was worth the walk. The window panels were gorgeous depicting much more than religious themes, offering up landscapes and geometric designs in brilliant colors. I overheard a little girl of about 6 or 7 telling her friend that she had to see the most beautiful window EVER, this scene was pretty funny and terribly cute. While exploring the Navy pier, I also discovered the location of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater which I have filed away in my memory banks for a future outing. Thanks again to Tim and Ed for inviting me to be part of their Chicago vacation, it was extra nice to discover the wonders this city holds in the company of dear friends.
Hopefully, I will get my digital camera soon so I can send along pictures to document these places, which I hope to return to with the Jersey Boy when the next opportunity for exploration arises. My discoveries yesterday have served as inspiration to strike out on my own and uncover the other wonders of Chicago. I'll keep you posted...
What astounds me the most about this experience of moving to a big city is how foreign it sometimes feels. I lived in Manhattan and Queens for about 4 years and was independent and adventurous, but having been in the burbs and one half of a couple for the last several years it seems as if my Sir Francis Drake genes have atrophied. (Seriously, according to our family tree we are related to Drake on my dad's side, but I digress.) Until yesterday I only ventured to areas that I could walk or drive to. It never occurred to me to take the El alone and explore the vastness that is Chicago. Sometimes I feel like a fruit fly. (In high school we did an experiment where we put fruit flies in a jar and after a period of time transferred them to a larger jar. We discovered the flies would only jump to the height of the small jar never challenging themselves to go beyond what they had learned about their original environment.) So I have to thank Tim and Ed for coming to the city, liberating me from my jar and expanding my horizons.
We spent the day in downtown Chicago. First, there was an architectural tour of the city by boat on the Chicago River, which was fantastic. It was interesting to see the city from that vantage point and to hear about the different buildings. My favorite part was hearing about Daniel Burnham, whom I had read about in the book "The Devil and the White City," the story centers on the World's Columbian Exhibition of 1892 in Chicago. Amazingly, Burnham's vision for the city of Chicago is still being implemented today. (Talk about long term planning.) From the river we were able to see the former Post Office, where scenes from the upcoming Batman flick were filmed. (I am looking forward to seeing this movie in IMAX and keeping my eyes open for the Post Office scenes. I know, I'm a geek.)
Another highlight of our trip was seeing the city scape from the Hancock building. At this building there are breath taking panoramic views of Lake Michigan which can be seen from either the Observatory or the Signature Lounge. There is a $15 fee for the observatory, while a cocktail from the lounge is $12 and offers up the view plus the addition of a nice buzz...Hmm, which do you think we chose? :-)
Our exploration ended at the Navy Pier. Definitely a family friendly tourist destination with a Ferris wheel, food, and gift shops galore. However, the stained glass museum is the reason we braved the heat and crowds venturing to this location. It was worth the walk. The window panels were gorgeous depicting much more than religious themes, offering up landscapes and geometric designs in brilliant colors. I overheard a little girl of about 6 or 7 telling her friend that she had to see the most beautiful window EVER, this scene was pretty funny and terribly cute. While exploring the Navy pier, I also discovered the location of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater which I have filed away in my memory banks for a future outing. Thanks again to Tim and Ed for inviting me to be part of their Chicago vacation, it was extra nice to discover the wonders this city holds in the company of dear friends.
Hopefully, I will get my digital camera soon so I can send along pictures to document these places, which I hope to return to with the Jersey Boy when the next opportunity for exploration arises. My discoveries yesterday have served as inspiration to strike out on my own and uncover the other wonders of Chicago. I'll keep you posted...
Monday, July 14, 2008
Summer in the City
After sending blanket e-mails with my adventures in the Windy City I decided to set up a blog. (Thanks, Dee for the idea!) This way if you are curious about my adventures in Chicago you can check out the blog and I won't have to subject your in-box to long winded e-mails about squirrels and exploding transponders or real life sightings of "Lars and the Real Girl."
As an east coast transplant I have to say I am really digging Chicago in the summer. This former Manhattanite, turned Jersey suburbanite, is loving rediscovering that dormant City Side of myself here in Chicago. We have walked along Lake Michigan, explored the Chicago Zoo (its free and gorgeous!), listened to great music at the Chicago Folk & Roots Festival (www.oldtownschool.org), and seen what I hope is the first of many shows at Steppenwolf (www.steppenwolf.org).
When we finally get a more portable digital camera I will supplement my text with some photos, I have never seen a lake as gorgeous as Lake Michigan, it's like looking at the ocean. You can't see land on the horizon and the water is the color of the ocean in the Caribbean, aqua not muddy brown like parts of the ocean near New Jersey, there are even waves that crest along the shore. I am told the water is too cold to swim in, but I can't corroborate that statement as I haven't tried it myself.
I am off to see what adventures today may bring...
As an east coast transplant I have to say I am really digging Chicago in the summer. This former Manhattanite, turned Jersey suburbanite, is loving rediscovering that dormant City Side of myself here in Chicago. We have walked along Lake Michigan, explored the Chicago Zoo (its free and gorgeous!), listened to great music at the Chicago Folk & Roots Festival (www.oldtownschool.org), and seen what I hope is the first of many shows at Steppenwolf (www.steppenwolf.org).
When we finally get a more portable digital camera I will supplement my text with some photos, I have never seen a lake as gorgeous as Lake Michigan, it's like looking at the ocean. You can't see land on the horizon and the water is the color of the ocean in the Caribbean, aqua not muddy brown like parts of the ocean near New Jersey, there are even waves that crest along the shore. I am told the water is too cold to swim in, but I can't corroborate that statement as I haven't tried it myself.
I am off to see what adventures today may bring...
First Post in the Windy City
After much consideration I decided to set up a blog about my adventures in Chicago. (Thanks to Dee for the idea!) This way if you are interested in what's happening here you can check the blog, and if you aren't I don't keep bombarding you with silly e-mails regarding squirrels and exploding transponders or real life sightings of "Lars and the Real Girl."
So as an east coast transplant, I have to say the Windy City is pretty rocking in the summer. The beach is gorgeous and Lake Michigan looks like the ocean (it's the color of the water in the Caribbean not the color of the Jersey shore aka. muddy brown). When I finally get a decent and portable digital camera I'll post a photo so you can see for yourself. We've been here two weeks and I am starting to feel like I know my way around.
The highlights of the past two weeks were the Old Town School of Folk Music
So as an east coast transplant, I have to say the Windy City is pretty rocking in the summer. The beach is gorgeous and Lake Michigan looks like the ocean (it's the color of the water in the Caribbean not the color of the Jersey shore aka. muddy brown). When I finally get a decent and portable digital camera I'll post a photo so you can see for yourself. We've been here two weeks and I am starting to feel like I know my way around.
The highlights of the past two weeks were the Old Town School of Folk Music
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