Gino’s Pizza

Day 1, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012, Supershuttle pickup at 4 a.m. to Los Angeles International Airport for a 7 a.m. flight on Southwest Airlines to Chicago, arriving about 1:30 p.m. I booked a flight/hotel package through Southwest, which saved me hundreds of dollars on the bill for my hotel right on Michigan Avenue, the main street in Chicago.  My daughter, now living in Chicago, met me at the hotel and we walked to Gino’s East Pizzeria for a late lunch, that is, after I bundled up in warm winter clothes. Gino’s is “Chicago’s Place to Go for Authentic Deep Dish Pizza.”

At Gino’s

The decor at Gino’s is one of graffiti––on the walls, on the tables, and the chairs, etc.

At Gino’s

But no graffiti allowed in the bathroom! It’s an Anti–Garffiti Zone!

At Gino’s

Chicago Deep–Dish pizza. It takes 45 minutes to cook. I ate mine with a knife and fork––very tasty!

Michigan Avenue

Michigan Avenue, Chicago’s main shopping street, in the daytime. The Old Water Tower is in the middle of the photo.

Michigan Avenue

Michigan Avenue transformed in the evening.

Michigan Avenue

Michigan Avenue with its holiday lights.

Michigan Avenue

One of my favorite photos that I took of Michigan Avenue on this trip to Chicago––the Old Water Tower lit up.

Michigan Avenue

Another one: of the Old Pumping Station across from the Old Water Tower.

Michigan Avenue

And one more favorite photo.

A Christmas Carol

There are many holiday shows and concerts in Chicago in December. My daughter and I went to see A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre. It is an annual tradition for many people to see this show every year, some for the last 35 years. This show had live music and an interesting cast. We wish we had read this review of the show before we saw it:

“Be forewarned: Dickensian purists will be gyrating madly in their dead–as–a–doornail afterlives with some of the multi culturally diverse casting. But this is a three dimensional Scrooge in a 21st Century production that still espouses the mid 19th Century Victorian English holiday traditions. The Ghost of Christmas Present is a sassy talkin’ African American female and Melody Betts strikes a perfect chord, bringing an exuberance and freshness to the role rarely seen. Betts is a lightning bolt of energy that gets the message across without pandering and stooping to modern day anachronisms.

The multi faceted African American Milwaukee actress Marti Gobel plays Mrs. Cratchit (two of Gobel’s own children are part of the Cratchit brood) and the image of the mixed race family (a Caucasian Bob Cratchit) resonates with today’s audiences while still respecting the time period.”

If we had, maybe we wouldn’t have spent so much time trying to figure out the reason for the multiracial cast in an old English story. I assume it worked for some of the audience who were more prepared for it than we were. Anyway, it was a great performance of the play and we enjoyed it. No complaints, just lots of curosity.

At the Loop

Day 2, Friday, December 14, 2012. I took a taxi this morning to meet my daughter at the Loop (the area of downtown Chicago that the train loops around), wearing long–winter underwear, wool turtleneck, heavy cardigan, heavy pants, parka, scarf, and warm boots. We don’t dress this way in L.A., but I did get to wear clothing that has been stored patiently until there would be a time to wear it. The cold weather here––in the low 40’s F with wind––bothered me at first but I started getting used to it.

Macy’s at the Loop

We walked around Macy’s to see its Christmas windows. I put most of the photos I took of Christmas Time in Chicago on a slide show on this website. Go directly to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/christmas–in–the–city/

or to Slide Shows, United States, Chicago Dec. 13–16, 2012, Christmas Time in Chicago.

Cloud Gate at Millennium Park

We did a lot of back and forth walking from the Loop. then to Millennium Park, then back and forth again as things weren’t open when we first went to them. We went to see the ice skaters at Millennium Park, but the outdoor rink wasn’t open yet, so I took photos of Cloud Gate, nicknamed “The Bean.”

Cloud Gate

More of Cloud Gate with different buildings behind it.

Cloud Gate

More of Cloud Gate.

Cloud Gate

Another Cloud Gate photo.

Cloud Gate

And one more.

Ice Skating at Millennium Park

Outdoor ice rink at Millennium Park.

Chicago Cultural Center

On Michigan Avenue with an interesting sign on it––see next photo.

Chicago Cultural Center

The sign. It is referring to the Industry of the Ordinary (IOTO) Projects. We did not go to the exhibit, but if you are in Chicago on  October 26, 2013, the IOTO will walk a refrigerated case with a butter sculpture of President Obama through the streets of Chicago, from the meat–packing district to the Cultural Center.

Christkindmarket

The Christkindmarket, a German–American Christmas market, on Daley Plaza in the Loop wasn’t open when we first went to visit it. But an interesting photo with a Menorah in front of the Christkindmarket. The market is set up to resemble a little European village in the winter.

Christkindmarket

We got back to the Christkindmarket fifteen minutes after it opened and already it was packed with people eating and shopping. Much German food here.

Christkindmarket

I have never been to an European Christmas market so I do not know how much or not the Christkindmarket resembled one. However, I did see these hearts in Nordlingen, Germany, but they were for Mother’s Day.

Christkindmarket

I also saw many wooden dolls like these for sale in Rothenburg, Germany.

Lakeside Singers Holiday Concert

My daughter and I went this evening to the “Tis the Season” concert given at the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago right across the street from my hotel.

Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago

The Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, built in the Gothic Revival Style in 1912, is the oldest structure on Michigan Avenue except for the Old Water Tower.

Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago

Inside the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago.

Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago

A cross and an angel near the ceiling.

Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago

An angel and seven–lamp, six–branch Menorah near the ceiling. I have no information of why a Menorah appears in a Christian church.

Raining in Chicago

Saturday, December 15, 2012. Michigan Avenue in the rain seen from my hotel window. The Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago can be seen on the right of the photo.

Oak Park

My daughter and I took the train from Chicago to Oak Park, about a 30–minute ride. We had reservations to take a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright House and Studio, located in Oak Park.

Oak Park

More of Oak Park, an old–fashioned pretty town. It was a long rainy walk from the train station to the Frank Lloyd Wright house and studio.

The Frank Lloyd Wright House and Studio

Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built his house in 1889 and his studio in 1898. We took a tour of both the studio and the house. He lived here with his first wife, Catherine, and their five children.

I became interested in going to Oak Park after I read two books about Frank Lloyd Wright: “Loving Frank,” by Nancy Horan, and “The Women,” by T.C. Boyle, both very interesting books.

I have put photos of our tour of the house and studio on a slide show on this website. Go directly to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/the–frank–lloyd–wright–house–studio–and–oak–park–houses/

or to Slide Shows, United States, Chicago, The Frank Lloyd House and Studio and Other Houses in Oak Park, IL.

Tour of Oak Park and Frank Lloyd Wright Houses

After touring the house and studio, my daughter, I, and one other brave soul took a walking tour in the rain, led by our house/studio guide, around the neighborhood to see both some of the houses that Frank Lloyd Wright designed and other houses in the neighborhood. I make several suggestions: do this tour in nice weather, and after the tour, walk around by yourself armed with a very good book on all the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed houses in the area (we only saw a small number of the total) and, perhaps, even rent a car to drive around to see all those that he designed and also the other striking houses that other architects designed. It is a big area. Two Ernest Hemingway houses are also in the area, which I didn’t have the energy to go look for.

Photo: Two Frank Lloyd Wright–designed houses: The Thomas H. Gale House, 1892, and the Walter Gale House, 1893.

Tour of Oak Park and Frank Lloyd Wright Houses

Another Frank Lloyd Wright–designed house: the Arthur B. Heurtley house, 1902. You can easily see the difference in architecture between this house and the ones in the last photo.

I have put our walking tour of Oak Park on the same slide show as that of the Frank Lloyd Wright house and studio.

This evening, I had a wonderful dinner with my Chicago cousin, my daughter, and my daughter’s boyfriend.

Museum of Contemporary Art

Day 4, Sunday, December 16. My daughter and I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art, a short walk from my hotel.  Photo: of a 360–degree revolving sculpture in the front of the museum––I love it.

Museum of Contemporary Art

Part of the Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec exhibit at the museum. I have put my photos of the Museum of Contemporary Art on a slide show on this website. Go directly to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/museum–of–contemporary–art/

or to Slide Shows, United States, Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art.

Museum of Contemporary Art–Movie

Video art at the museum. I took a movie of it––very cute.

Afternoon at the Drake

In the afternoon, I had a wonderful tea with my cousin, daughter, and my daughter’s boyfriend at the upscale Drake Hotel––very nice!

Carriage Ride

After afternoon tea, I went on a horse and carriage ride around Chicago with my daughter and her boyfriend. I was a true tourist!

Packing, a little sleep, then picked up by the airport shuttle at 3 a.m. for a 6 a.m. flight back to WARM Los Angeles. (Part of Southwest Airlines’ flight plus hotel deal is taking early–morning flights.)

I had a great time on my second visit to Chicago. Chicago is definitely a different place to visit in the summer and then in the winter.