Chicago-Day 1

Last night I arrived in Chicago to visit family for Thanksgiving. My kiddo came with. Can I just preface this by saying how MUCH I love traveling? That said, lemme tell you about my fabulous day!

My cousin lives in Oak Park which is a city-ish suburb of Chicago. This morning I woke up, took a walk to the Oak Park downtown area, window shopped, people watched, and got some coffee. A lady stopped me and asked if I knew where a street was...and I was thrilled that I don't stick out like a Texas sore thumb (I'm not really a Texan so I can be like that...I'm a proud Californian transplanted to Texas and stuck there by fate of roots in the form of an offspring who loves his daddy and needs to be near him--well, I do love where I live, too). Anyway, my cousin lives a block away from the el/train (everyone calls it something different?)....so I decided my kiddo and I should catch the train to downtown Chicago and see the Art Institute.

On the train, I first notice we are the only white people on the train and for that matter anywhere near it (just observation...not judgment). In fact, every single person on the train was black until we're in downtown. Second thing I notice is the state of the city as we're moving along. The architecture is so much richer, older, more urban than where I live. It is clear where the poor ends and the wealthy begins...not unlike any other city. Downtown is spectacular. The buildings are high, flashy, busy. The streets are crawling with people, cars, lights, lights, lights. It's so busy, full, energetic, happening. I miss living in a big city. And even San Diego doesn't compare to the adrenaline in the air here. This is why I know I will love New York City. I belong in Urban World.

Back to the Art Institute. I saw Picasso, Gauguin, Liechenstein, Magritte, Van Gogh, Chagall, Dali, Hopper, Seurat (my favorite painting, La Grande Jatte), Miro, Degas, Jacob Lawrence (I really wanted to see Basquiat but either I missed it or none are there), O'Keefe, Rivera (no Kahlo?), and on and on. I could've stayed there all day but Offspring hung in there as long as he could.

The most profound piece today was by the late Fernando Gonzalez-Torres: A rectangular strip of wrapped candy pieces on the floor, the plaque description states that this is a symbolic representation of his lover who died of AIDS related complications in 1991, guests are invited to take a piece and enjoy a sweet in an unexpected place, as the candies disappear it represents his lover's body as his health deteriorated, then the candy is replenished to signify perpetual renewal of life. I was in awe.

Tomorrow is another day, we'll eat yummy food, go downtown in the snow and freezing cold, see the lights and Christmas hooplah, and have SUPER fun. Christmas is my favorite holiday (who says atheists can't celebrate Christ's birth--hohoho!).