2013 Road Trip With Carol, Part 4: Lee State Park, South Carolina

Lee State Park, South Carolina

My mother, Carol, and I went on a road trip in October 2013 that took us through North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Part 1 here and Part 2 here.  Part 3 here.

Lee State Park, South Carolina

Lee State Park - what a pretty place for a picnic lunch!

It's just off Interstate 20.

Lee State Park, South Carolina

2013 Road Trip With Carol, Part 3: Popcorn Overlook, Near Clayton, Georgia

 

Popcorn Overlook. near Clayton, Georgia

My mother, Carol, and I went on a road trip in October that took us through North Carolina and Tennessee.

Part 1 here and Part 2 here. 

'twas somewhat early in the morning when we stopped, hence the picturesque mist.

Popcorn Overlook. near Clayton, Georgia

We pulled over for a look-see at the Popcorn Overlook. I like this excerpt from the website:

... educational signs are on-site for the intellectually curious.

That extra little bit about the "intellectually curious." Not for those who are so bored while their companions take photo after photo after photo that they are reduced to reading the educational (gag! educational!) signs, not for the casually curious, not for the illiterati who only like to look at pictures.

It makes me nostalgic for the person who wrote the pithy interpretive signs at the Cypress Swamp Trail on the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Popcorn Overlook. near Clayton, Georgia

2013 Road Trip With Carol, Part 2: Chattanooga, TN: Delta Queen Hotel

Sunrise at the Delta Queen Hotel, Tennessee River, Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 2013. Credit: Mzuriana.

My mother, Carol, and I are on a road trip that takes us through North Carolina and Tennessee.

In Chattanooga, we stayed at the Delta Queen Hotel, permanently moored on the Tennessee River, alongside the pleasing Coolidge Park with its fountain, walking/biking trails, and green space.

People who reconstitute historic structures can go so many ways to salvage a place. There's renovation, preservation, reproduction, rehabilitation, and conservation. A few days earlier, we'd lunched at a "historic" restaurant in Kentucky that still held its plantation-ish exterior, but its insides had drop ceilings, ersatz colonial-style "chandeliers," mediocre local wall art, and institutional-grade carpet.

What a difference between that and the Delta Queen Hotel!

Sunrise at the Delta Queen Hotel, Tennessee River, Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 2013. Credit: Mzuriana.

The room, albeit tiny, felt luxe.  Looking out the window onto the river reminded me of the luxury of lying back and watching the full moon on that overnight train trip Sandy and I took from Batumi to Tbilisi.

Sunrise at the Delta Queen Hotel, Tennessee River, Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 2013. Credit: Mzuriana.

The interior, common areas of the boat glowed with the ambiance of early-20th century salons. Sofas, game tables, dressers, low lighting, tray ceilings, wainscoting.

Sunrise at the Delta Queen Hotel, Tennessee River, Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 2013. Credit: Mzuriana.

On the deck one can rock slowly into a meditative state while boat traffic floats or zooms by, while walkers and bikers cross the pedestrian bridge, while cars and trucks thrum over the other bridge. Looking across the river is a bank of new construction that is reminiscent of Dutch or Eastern European waterside apartment buildings.

Sunrise at the Delta Queen Hotel, Tennessee River, Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 2013. Credit: Mzuriana.

On a clear night, the stars compete with the lights on the bridges.  

 

Sunrise at the Delta Queen Hotel, Tennessee River, Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 2013. Credit: Mzuriana.

People who love the Delta Queen had to have played a part in preserving what made it the Delta Queen when it was in its prime. Beautifully done.

Gifts like this - being able to spend the night on a historic riverboat at a price that is affordable for many - don't last forever. I wouldn't delay in spending at least one night here in the near future.

Some notes:

• The hotel is not accessible for the wheelchair-bound. I don't know if there is an accessible sleeping room for individuals who have other kinds of access issues. 
• There is pretty good wifi available in the common areas, including on the deck.
• No TVs or phones in the rooms. There are a couple of TVs in the lounge. 
• Parking is a pretty far piece from the boat, so pack lightly for your stay and leave the bulkier stuff in your vehicle. 
• The location of the boat is fabulous - on walking trails and near restaurants and night life. 

A slide show, which includes a photo of Carol:

#30 

 

2013 Road Trip With Carol, Part 1: Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Kentucky: Perspectives

Pinnacle Overlook, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Kentucky

My mother, Carol, and I are on a road trip that takes us through North Carolina and Tennessee.

Perspectives: Elevation

Carol and I drove up and up and up Skyland Road to Pinnacle Overlook (which is actually in Virginia), within the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. We got out of the car and walked to the signage that told us about Pinnacle Overlook and its elevation. Elevation = 2440 feet. Wait, what? Is that 2440 feet from the point where we stood to the pinnacle? Or was that 2440 total, from the base of the mountain to the peak?

Having just come from a year in Alamogordo, in the high desert, at an elevation of 4336, within 13 miles of the 9,000-foot level town of Mayhill, I felt disoriented.

It took awhile for my brain to recompute and realize that the baseline for Kentucky and nearabouts is less than 600 feet above sea level ..... ohhhhh.

Visually, then, the Appalachians and Smokies look of similar height as the Sacramentos, et al in New Mexico - it's the starting point that differs.

Pinnacle Overlook, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Kentucky

Perspectives: History

In New Mexico, I was struck by the viscous nature of what we call history. More to come on that in future.

But in the meantime, the Cumberland Gap Visitor Center had a Civil War-related exhibit upstairs. The exhibit described the racism that existed in Kentucky before, during, and following the Civil War. I admired how matter-of-fact the text was - no sensationalism and no sugar coating.


Read for yourself:

Exhibit, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Kentucky

Exhibit, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Kentucky

  

I'm processing the idea of historical trauma, a term I heard at a talk at the Bosque Redondo Memorial Site outside Fort Sumner, New Mexico. (Post to come.) I do support the historical trauma concept, and the African American experience is an example of same.  Although it doesn't use the term "historical trauma," the Cumberland Gap exhibit describes one section of the generational trauma. 

Funny thing, though, hardly any photos of African Americans at the exhibit.

And oh yeah, ditto for women of any complexion.

History, that elusive tale.

Kansas City 2010 Trip Report: Day 4, Nelson-Atkins Museum

In January 2010, my mother and I took the train to Kansas City, Missouri. This is part 3 (and final part) of our trip report, which includes comments from our original trip-report recipients.  

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum, Bloch Building

 

PAULA'S REPORT
 

On Wednesday, we visited the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum.  I preferred this to the Chicago Institute of Art Museum; Carol liked the Nelson-Atkins, but prefers the Chicago museum. 

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum, Bloch Building

We both loved the interior design of the Nelson-Atkins'  Bloch Building, with its clean lines and shadows and light play. 

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum, Rozelle Courtyard

We lunched at the Rozelle Court which, although it is fully interior, creates the effect of a Roman courtyard complete with central fountain and surrounding arches on two levels. Skylights are above. Carol had a club sandwich and a cup of chili; Mzuri had a trout cake salad. We shared a slice of key lime pie.

 

We agreed the museum's store is excellent. Here, too, I believe it surpasses the Chicago art museum's store. Although smaller, it has many truly creative, beautiful, interesting and affordable things. As I write this, I do believe there was not a t-shirt for sale. If I were a tea drinker, I would have snapped up an exquisitely simple tea set for two. Very clean lines, off-white color, spare curves. Carol bought a reasonably-priced art book devoted to Vermeer.

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum

This week, we're enjoying Augusta Winery's vignoles, a spicy white wine.

In the evening, some relatives joined us. We all threw together wine, beer, and carryout BBQ to make a merry get-together. There were a few sparks that flew around the topics of Facebook and the merits of Republicans, but other than that, it was convivial.

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum

Carol participated in this gathering from a prone position on the bed, eyes closed, with a quietly thoughtful expression on her face.


CAROL'S REPORT
 

6 AM Winding down..our bags are packed....we're le-a-a-v-in.  Last nights guests were a treat but I was beat - they accepted my apologies and I took to my bed and for a long time listened to the cacophony of four voices.  There was a short period when I thought I would need to rise up and separate a few.  Don't know the subject only the elevated voices - feminine, I believe which is always off-putting for the peacemaker.  That was a half a sandwich by the way.


EMAIL RESPONSES TO DAILY LOG:

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum

 

 

FROM SHILO GIRL:

Glad you enjoyed the Nelson-Atkins.  I read an article in the Post Dispatch about the museum and had been looking forward to seeing it.  Pleasantly surprised you preferred it to the Chicago Institute of Art.  I was especially interested in seeing the Native American exhibits. 

Kansas City, Nelson-Atkins Museum

FROM MZURI:
The native american exhibit is smallish, but of the greatest quality.

Am now home; looking forward to a nap later this afternoon.


FROM SHILO GIRL:
a nap sounds wonderful.  if i were off i don't know if i would nap but i sure would be relaxing!

Kansas City 2010 Trip Report: Day 3

In January 2010, my mother and I took the train to Kansas City, Missouri. This is part 2 of our trip report, which includes comments from our original trip-report recipients. 

Kansas City, City Market

MZURI'S REPORT
 

Tuesday, we visited Steamboat Arabia, which is within the City Market.

In brief: Steamboat sank in Missouri River in mid-century 1800s. All contents still within, tho all humans escaped. River course changed. Boat encased in muck and mud til 1990, when museum owners dug it out. Contents preserved and on display. Sort of a snapshot in time of everyday items - many totally new at the time, as they'd been intended for mercantile stores along the river route.

I'm not all that interested in all of the minutia arrayed in the museum, although there is power in the sheer quantities of like items, e.g. boots, nails, buttons, coats, tools, etc. The thing that I like is that the individuals who unearthed all of this are still a daily part of the museum, and they introduce themselves to visitors. Also, the docent is very knowledgeable about the dig and the museum contents. I was especially interested in talking at some length with one of the textile preservationists.

There was a bit of an incident when Carol was talking to one of the museum owners, one of the men who led the whole adventurous gamble of the dig. The boat was in a field owned by a local judge (a mile south of Parkville). Carol asked about legal threats to the ownership of the boat's contents, to which the museum owner replied there were none. Carol noted that it was likely a good thing the landowner was a judge and not  "an ignorant ..... " at which time my hand suddenly, without any warning to me, shot out and struck her thigh. Carol and the gentleman looked startled, and Carol asked, "what, were you worried what I was going to say next?" I allowed as how, yes, I was. Carol asked what I thought she was going to say, and I said I didn't know, but whatever it was, it probably wasn't going to be good.

Carol might have been really angry except that only moments before, the museum owner had exclaimed that she couldn't possibly be old enough to be my mother. So Carol was like a lion who'd just eaten, willing to let small prey live.

Kansas City, City Market

I liked the City Market. There seems to have been some effort by the powers-that-be to ensure some interesting diversity there. The restaurants include: Italian, middle eastern, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, and American. We lunched at the middle eastern place; Carol had a chicken gyros and I had a lamb/beef one. She had a great salad with feta, olives, etc. and I had hummus with my gyros.

I picked up fresh dates at the middle eastern market, ginger at the Vietnamese market, and berbere spice at the Ethiopian restaurant. Carol picked up a used book at Auntie Em's, an antique store.

CAROL'S REPORT
 

When the gentleman said I didn't look old enough to be Mzuri's mother I was wearing the red coat.  [See Chicago trip reports for red coat reference.]

Mzuri punched my leg; it startled me and I knew she was cautioning me to watch my rhetoric which puzzled me, but am getting used to my children expecting some untoward remark made by me.  Beekeeper [Carol's 4th son] even asked me to refrain from sighs at his son's recent concert.  Anyway Mzuri explained later that she thought I was going to say "ignorant farmer" instead of what I did say which was ignorant person.  By the way, the group responsible for digging up the boat were a father and his two sons all in the family air conditioning business.  The City Market was unique - as Mzuri said many cultures and native food choices present.
 

My passport card was Discover.  Today, the Art Museum.

EMAIL RESPONSES TO DAILY LOG:


FROM LABARQUE:
I love these reports. They are great escapes. Thanks for sharing them. ....I especially enjoy the two different reports.  I love Mom's clarifications.  It's the difference in the two perspectives that I find the must humorous and interesting.

Kansas City 2010 Trip Report, Days 1 and 2

In January 2010, my mother and I took the train to Kansas City, Missouri. This is part 1 of our trip report, which includes comments from our original trip-report recipients. 

Kansas City, WWI Museum, in the trenches.

MZURI'S REPORT

Our train arrived at Kansas City's Union Station on Sunday afternoon. There'd been bit of a snafu about the tickets, but we straightened all of this out when we arrived.

While at the Union Station, we had lunch at the Harvey HouseDiner, where I was accosted by a Monte Cristo sandwich (who knew?). Carol had an always-reliable reuben. As to "who knew"? Carol evidently knew, but as she'd also been assaulted by one in the past, I think she felt secretly gleeful to witness another's demise. After I'd placed my order and the server had left, she did ask coyly, "Have you ever had a Monte Cristo?" Look it up. Shows the importance of clear writing; specifically, where the word "fried" sits in the description.

We're staying at Residence Inn Downtown/Union Hill. Very pleasant, like a studio apartment. Free shuttle service within five-mile radius. Free breakfast. Free light dinner Mondays through Wednesdays. 

Kansas City, WWI Museum, in the trenches.

Yesterday, Monday, we went to the Liberty Memorial/WWI Museum. Very impressive museum. The trenches were especially vivid due to the visual design and the audios of soldiers' descriptions of their experiences in the trenches. There was a great movie that bridged the European and American sections. The movie displayed on a corridor-length wall that overlooked a battlefield diorama below. Exceptionally well-done.  One enters the museum proper by walking on a glass bridge that overlooks a "field" of 9000 poppies.

Kansas City, WWI Museum. Glass walkway over field of poppies.

Carol's father, WWI soldier

[Note: The WWI Museum has particular interest for Carol, as her father fought in that war. He didn't like to talk about his experience there, but he made it clear the war was horrific.]

 

We enjoyed a quite respectable lunch at the Over There Cafe at the museum.

In late afternoon, a former colleague of mine came by for a visit. Carol joined in for awhile, and then Donna and I went to The Brick , funkyish little bar for its Monday-night Rural Grit Happy Hour. Rural Grit is a sort-of open mic deal. Music is roots, americana, bluesy/jazzy, folksy whatever kind of stuff. Some was great, some was ok, some interesting, and some godawful. Cool vibe there, though.

Weather dreary, but as with Chicago, there is a vast difference between vacationing in KC in dismal weather versus the Lake of the Ozarks. Vast. 

[Note: A week-long stay at Lake of the Ozarks the previous year, during the winter, was deadly. Dead. Ly. Nothing to do except visit the outlet mall. In Chicago there's plenty to do regardless of weather.]


CAROL'S REPORT 
 

Accurately reported by Mzuri.  While the experience has been enjoyable, engrossing and educational I feel as if we have  been here for about a week which makes the trip very economical.  The weather, even tho gray and foggy, is mild and we walk from our second floor "suite" in the fourth building to the reception room where breakfast buffet is set up and a roaring fire and newspaper cheers us up as we enjoy the vittles.  Kansas City, Missouri, seems newer than St. Louis which, of course, is true...smaller also.  After touring the Steamboat Arabia today, we plan to find a tour bus or city bus and see more of the city.  The Residence Inn provides us with shuttle service within a five-mile perimeter which makes it only a cell phone call away at any time up to 9 PM.  By the way, the National WW1 Museum was wonderful - one of a kind as far as scope is concerned.



EMAIL RESPONSES TO DAILY LOG:


FROM SHILO GIRL:

LOL.  I have heard the Monte Cristo sandwich story before.  And I believe Mom ordered it twice.  The second time to give it another chance.  I think she was enticed by the picture of the sandwich on the wall of the restaurant (in the Ameristar complex).  Humorous to hear, not so to have been the recipient of the sandwich.

 

I can picture her internally enjoying the whole deal with you, from order, to presentation, to finally the first bite!  What a hoot!  She can be so sly.

 

Sounds like you are experience some promising "must-sees" for a future trip for me!

FROM STORMY:

So very happy to receive your "report". I was having withdrawal symptoms.

Happy travels girls!

FROM JACK:
Enjoying the travelogue.  I am uncertain about references to Lake Ozark and Chicago.  I know Chicago had a snowstorm while you were there. Sounded cold and oppressive, but survivable apart from the bus drivers.  How do the three compare?  Was Lake Ozark the worst or best under these circumstances?  Anyway, enjoying immensely.  Carry on people.

Backtracking

I hate to backtrack. If I take a wrong turn, I just want to press forward, find a new way, figuring it'll work out just fine. And I don't have to lose time by retracing my steps.

Sometimes, this leads to adventure. The road less traveled and all that.

Most times, it's just a character defect, leading to high drama between driving companions; battles royal between my own id and ego; edge-of-the-seat, gotta-pee-bad! thrillers; ohshiti'mgonnarunoutofgassoon cliffhangers; or just time and fuel lost forever.  

For some, this leads to death. That's what happened to a married couple recently.  A wrong turn, and instead of backtracking five miles, Elizabeth and Dana Davis pushed forward via a forest road where eventually they became stranded.  The wife died. The fact that they were in their 80s was irrelevant. Here is a poster from the Grand Canyon that I think is genius for getting a point across about the dangers of our decisions (like, uh, not backtracking):

So anyway, on our way home from our Mississippi trip today, I took a wrong turn. I didn't backtrack. I should have. [Insert melodrama here.]

On a brighter note, if I hadn't taken a wrong turn, we wouldn't have seen the 20 or so turkeys cross the road in front of us.

"I'm On My Way, Baby!"

Lunch and blues

In Jackson, we went to F Jones Corner to have lunch and to listen to some blues. Carol ordered fried grits and a chili dog. I got a spinach salad.

Fried grits: Small, dark-golden cubes. The outside crunchy; the inside mushy. Devilishly good.

Virgil Brawley, F Jones Corner, Jackson, MS

 Virgil Brawley sang and played his guitar while we ate. Virgil's good. He has a mature bluesy voice that lets you know he's already paid his blues dues, so he doesn't need to do anything to fancy things up. He played several Robert Johnson songs, in honor of that musician's birthday. Robert Johnson is one of the fathers of Delta-style blues.

Below is Robert Johnson himself singing his Hellhound on My Trail:  

Love the music, but I'm not a big fan of Robert Johnon's voice. If I think of it as a woman's voice, I can kind of get into it, but that's a lot of work.


Now, same song, this time by Big Joe Williams. Gives you shivers.   

The 10 Best Robert Johnson Covers offers one person's view of same. Some passionate arguments for alternatives are in the comments at the bottom of his page.

Farish Street Project

F Jones Corner is smack in the middle of the Farish Street project. It all looks like it'll be standard-formula gentrification to me, but there seems to be an effort not to make it so.

I'm on my way, baby! 

As we left the Farish Street area, we saw a terrific billboard for Big Mama Bail Bonding with her genius tag line.

 

Vicksburg - National Military Cemetery

In the afternoon, we drove to the National Military Park in Vicksburg. It was a crime we didn't have more time to spend at that remarkable place. As we drove the winding auto-trail, past "camp" after camp,  it was easy to imagine the exchanges of fire, the hunkering down in the trench, the smoke, the sounds of war. The cemetery really brought it home: Of the 17,000 people buried there (and that only includes the Union soldiers), 13,000 are unidentified.

The good that came out of that rushed visit was that if I return to the area in the future, I'll devote a day to its exploration. I'm glad Carol wanted to see it; otherwise, it wouldn't have made my list of things to do.

On the Natchez Trace Parkway

We got onto the Natchez Trace Parkway late this morning to see what it was all about. It is a "unit" of the National Park Service, described thusly:

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile drive through exceptional scenery and 10,000 years of North American history.  Used by American Indians, "Kaintucks", settlers, and future presidents, the Old Trace played an important role in American history. Today, visitors can enjoy not only a scenic drive but also hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping.

Sidebar: What is a "unit"? 

First stop: An information center close to Hwy 51. Super friendly NPS staffer; she recommended a restaurant for lunch and even photocopied the info to take with us.

Second stop: Said lunch at Mama Hamil's, a feast of southern cooking, all via buffet. The ribs were smoky and juicy. Creamed corn just like my mama used to make.

This gigantic place in Madison, MS, is so famous, it doesn't even have a sign. It does have a delivery van in front of the entrance door. But you know you've come to the right place because of all the cars. At first I thought we had the wrong place, that it was a church, because there was an outline of a cross above the entrance. But then I realized this was a Christmas decoration. And then I thought, some people might consider Mama Hamil's their place of worship. I didn't think it was that heavenly, but it was good. Along the lines of Missouri's Lambert's Cafe, the "home of the throwed rolls." But not nearly as much fried stuff as Lambert's. A place you go to once, maybe, to see what all the fuss is about.

Third stop: Mississippi Crafts Center. Lofty, contemporary place. Some nice things for sale. My brain made a desultory attempt at convincing me to spend a stupid amount of money on a scarf. No sale. Maddeningly poor signage to (not) get you back onto the Natchez Trace Parkway. 

Fourth stop: Ross Barnett Reservoir overlook. Gigantic reservoir created from Pearl River. We saw many herons along the banks of the reservoir, both great and white.








 
Fifth stop: Cypress Swamp trail. For me, the highlight of our Trace drive. Still, primeval, darkly beautiful. The person who wrote the thoughtful guide signs has a serene, spare style.





While I walked the pleasant trail, I remembered a seminar presented by a parks and recreation professor awhile back. He talked about the Declaration of Independence's "pursuit of happiness" and that parks and recreation programs help us in that pursuit.  

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Music

Carol wasn't interested, but I wanted to hear some music. Specifically, blues. So about 10:00, I went to Martin's for its Monday night open jam while Carol relaxed in the hotel room. While nothing blew me away, the music was good. Glad I went.

On the Mississippi Blues Trail

Abe's BBQ, Clarksdale, Mississippi. December 2011.

 

 

 

Carol and I left for Jackson, Mississippi, this morning a little after 5:00 a.m. to take the secondary-road route.

Destination: Jackson, Mississippi

Purpose: Carol wants the free whiskey sour she's gonna get at the Cabot Lodge. This hotel brings fond memories of past free-happy-hours-with-room she's enjoyed when traveling to the Gulf Coast for vacations. Also, Jackson is closer to Missouri than Savannah and has more of interest than Hattiesburg, which were other destination contenders for this tiny holiday.

The bulk of our travel today was in the Mississippi Delta. The Delta is flat. Sometimes one can appreciate flat; sometimes not. We experienced both feelings on the way down to Jackson.

When we crossed the Mississippi River on the Arkansas-Mississippi border, it was swollen wide. We frequently saw high, lesser rivers that had breached their usual borders, flooding trees' lower trunks.

Til I did a little research for this trip, I didn't know about the Mississippi Blues Trail.  If I get an offer to join Teach for America and they place me in the Mississippi Delta region, I can see myself exploring the Blues Trail on many weekends. (Note to gods: New Mexico is still my first choice.) 

We stopped for lunch in Clarksdale with the plan to buy hot tamales (Delta style) for lunch on the road and to pick up dinner for later from Abe's BBQ.  We accomplished half our mission, Carol getting chili dogs and me a BBQ'd pork sandwich. Hicks Tamales, a famous tamale vendor, was closed. Sunday.

We agreed that Abe's makes tasty food.

That was the most eventful part of the drive down to Jackson. When we arrived at the hotel, I poured myself some delicious Georgian wine and Carol got her satisfying whiskey sour.

Chicago: Day 4: Cold Culture

In December 2009, my mother and I went to Chicago. Here is Day 4 of the trip report. 

MZURI'S REPORT

Brutally cold on Thursday!

Nevertheless, we sashayed out of the hotel and decided to turn left instead of the usual right, then got on a bus whose driver said, yes, she goes to the Chicago Cultural Center, only to take us out to east jesus by the Chicago History Museum. Wow, was it cold! We blew into the history museum and asked how to get to the Chicago Cultural Center (hereafter referred to as CCC), and the guy suggested that perhaps we'd just like to take a look around his museum. When I demurred, he gave me directions to the CCC, then asked, "Why do you want to go there, anyway?"

Carol ventured the same question, to which I snarled "because it's a must-see for me."

So we entered out into the cold again, and lurched, shivering, for about a block (as it turns out we were practically on the lake), and got on the right bus.

Did I say how cold it was?

Chicago Cultural Center

The CCC is the former Chicago Public Library. It has an immense decorative dome with a gigantic Tiffany chandelier. Or maybe the entire dome is Tiffany; I don't know. But it's beautiful. The CCC has musical, dance, or dramatic performances daily. There are art exhibits on several floors. There is also a visitor center. Carol, obviously nursing some kind of grudge, pronounced it "barn-like" as we left.

Chicago Cultural Center

After the CCC, we walked three blocks to Daly Plaza (site of the Picasso sculpture). The kristkindlmarket is there this time of year, so it's filled with German vendors and wares. This includes the bratwurst and potato pancakes we enjoyed for lunch. We ate same in the Timber House, which is sort of like a beer hall. Picnic tables. Pretty well heated.

Ethiopian art, Chicago Art Institute

Our next destination was the Art Institute, a cavernous ("barn-like") building that housed, you know, like, art. We split up and joined together a couple of times as we perused the stock. Carol was most taken with the impressionists, particularly Monet's six versions of haystacks. She had just remarked earlier that day how she loved when an artist repeated a piece over and over and over again.

Doorway, Chicago Art Institute

Sated with culture, we returned to our hotel. Later, we went downstairs for dinner at the little Italian place. Carol enjoyed a Manhattan and I warmed up with a cup of coffee.


CAROL'S REPORT

As a Lady of a Certain Age times two, I think I did extremely well - each of three days walking without complaint for miles before I slept. Generally we forged out each morning around 9 AM, took numerous buses and a few memorable times the subway, walked briskly (me tottering gamely after the Guide) and both up and down many, many steps into the wonderful world of the tourist. As the Guide once proclaimed "when a person is in an unfamiliar setting the brain turns to mush" - very apt since at every bus that opened its doors for passengers who knew where they were going, she would dart forward and ask the driver how to get to where she wanted to go...I held back and tried to look like a knowledgeable native.

Caillebot's Paris Street, Chicago Art Institute

READER RESPONSES

FROM SHILO GIRL:
you're killing me! you are so funny!


FROM STORMY:
Again, are you taking reservations for the next trip?


FROM LABARQUE:
LOL :)

Millennium Park, Chicago