Things started on Halloween with my flight to ORD being canceled. Jason & Susanna also had their flight delayed and then canceled. Between the rain in SFO and the wind/snow in ORD, our travel prospects did not look good. After some
Welcome to Chicago O'Hare!
And, welcome to Chicago! The moment we stepped out of the "L" station, we got assaulted by some fairly aggressive wind (which, luckily for us, had died down somewhat from the 50 mph gusts that contributed to the flight cancellations we experienced) and sleet/hail (hooray ~30˚F!) that you can see accumulating on my jacket.
After all the delays and the extended travel time, we made it to Scott & Lisa's where they had some Chicago Deep Dish pizza waiting for us. Meat combo on the left, chicken on the right. So delicious!
After dinner, we settled in for a good night's sleep before an action packed Saturday. After a few of us woke up by hitting the gym, we traveled to XOCO for some splendid Mexican cuisine. Pictured: our gracious hosts Lisa & Scott!
My carnitas torta (Mexican sandwich) in the foreground and a chocolate covered churro in the background. Yum yum!
After lunch and a pit stop back at the apartment our group split up for our respective activities for the day. My day involved a trip to the hallowed sports ground of Soldier Field.
Greg practicing passing rugby balls at the Fanzone in front of the stadium.
Scott, myself and Greg got tickets to watch the All Blacks v. USA Eagles rugby match! Can you tell how excited I am to see my favourite sports team make the trip to the States to play?
Scott & Greg also took advantage of the USA Rugby temporary tattoo station to apply some patriotic tattoos to their faces. Nothing says "Go Eagles" quite like a Star Spangled Banner mustache...
We then finally entered the stadium about an hour before kickoff and got to see the stadium slowly fill up as the teams finished their warm up.
Our seats about 7 rows away from the very back. The more perceptive of you may also notice: 1) Other than Scott's cheek tattoo, the temporary tattoos didn't stay on particularly well. 2) The sun, behind us to the west, looks like it will shortly set below the edge of the stadium, which will leave us in the shade (and therefore the cold) for the rest of the game. 3) The blankets we brought (e.g. the green one in Greg's lap) were a lifesaver!
At long last, with the national anthems over and the stadium nearly full to its 60,000+ capacity, we get to the Haka! If you must know, they performed Ka Mate.
With pleasantries exchanged, we moved onto the kickoff! International rugby in the States!
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After some early, resolute American defense, the All Blacks broke through (again and again) and won the match impressively 74 - 6. Ouch. After the match, many of the non-playing All Blacks squad members were put through their paces in an entertaining post-match practice session (consistent mainly of touch rugby with some sprinting afterwards). We stuck around a bit, along with a sizable contingent of NZ fans, hoping for some contact with their sporting idols. Alas, they wrapped up their training with some running and then returned to the locker rooms. Darn.
Our walk back to the apartment from Soldier Field gave us a great view of the city during dusk. Truly remarkable.
We met up with Lisa back at the apartment, then walked across the river to dinner and got this spectacular view of the architecture along the way.
We walked around looking for a place to eat that wouldn't require a lengthy wait and ended up at Sable Kitchen & Bar. A sampling of the dishes we enjoyed:
Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds and Soft pretzels.
Fried Chicken & Waffles and Short Rib Sliders
Turkey Confit Poutine (with sweet potato fries).
Very good food indeed. And then we headed home to the apartment for a good nightʻs rest after a long day out and about.
Our second full (and final) day in Chicago began again with a trip to the gym. This time, I brought my phone to capture the stunning view from the rooftop (and indoor) facilities! From near to far, you can clearly see Millennium Park, the Art Institute, the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium and even Soldier Field.
The view of the lovely pool. What a wonderful way to wake up in the morning.
We walked across the street to get a group picture in front of Cloud Gate (or "The Bean" as most people call it).
Then, onward to the Field Museum! I mistakenly thought this museum would be free admission for the group on the account of it being BoAʻs free museum weekend. However, they did not participate in the program. I popped in on my own (using my complimentary admission as an Abbott employee) to see a few things while the rest of the group continued to the Shedd.
First up, a T. Rex fossil named Sue.
Finally, the Ruatepupuke II marae or traditional Maori meeting house. Built in 1881, then subsequently moved, it represents one of only three examples of these buildings to exist outside of New Zealand.
The city of Chicago as seen by the lake, beside the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium.
After our quick trip to the museum/aquarium, we promptly headed to Quartinoʻs Italian Restaurant for a hearty lunch:
Burrata and beet root salad.
Veal Meatball Sliders.
Hungry lunch-goers.
Braised beef short rib and roasted fennel pizza.
Cavatelli pasta (with tomato, basil and fresh ricotta).
Polenta Fries.
Duck prosciutto pizza.
After all that food, we could eat no more.
We decided to walk off the meal and we headed over to the Hancock Center where we decided to hit the Signature Room on the 95th floor for afternoon tea and a great view of the city.
The view north of the building with Lincoln Park at the center and Lake Michigan to the right.
After tea, the group headed back to the apartment where some folks chose to rest. Interested in squeezing one more activity in before departing Chicago later that evening, Susanna and I headed to the Art Institute to view their collection in the two hours we had before they closed. As Iʻve mentioned on this blog before, Iʻm quite a fan of Impressionist art and I took a moment to really enjoy this large format work: Paris Street; Rainy Day, 1877 by Gustave Caillebotte.
Another great example of Impressionist work, Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint Lazare, 1877 by Claude Monet also struck me.
We moved onward and next encountered the Contemporary art section where I saw Alexander Calderʻs Streetcar, 1951. Always great seeing one of his distinctive mobiles moving about gracefully in the space of the gallery.
Frustratingly, I canʻt find information on the name of this piece or the artist. I do like how it works with the space and, in particular, the amazing view of the city outside the window.
Susanna and I in the midst of Jesús Rafael Soto's Pénétrable de Chicago.
Very cool to have a chance to see René Magritte's Time Transfixed (or La Durée poignardé) since it represents such great example of surrealism.
Brâncuși! Also cool to recognize the works of an artist with a distinct style (in particular, White Negress II - on the left - since I've seen La Négresse blonde from the SFMOMA collection a number of times).
I spent a bit of time looking at Fernand Léger's works in this gallery. I wanted to take a closer look at his Composition in Blue but this couple beat me to it.
Deryck's favorite cubist artist: Piet Mondrian (owing to his artwork being a topic of BBC's TV Show Hustle - Season 1, Episode 3).
Marcel Duchamp's Hat Rack caught my eye as I reached the end of my tour of the Modern Gallery. I particularly enjoyed the insect/squid looking shadow it cast on the wall.
It has been a while since I've seen Marc Chagall's stained glass (the first opportunity being the Musée Marc Chagall in Nice, France back in 2004). We ran quickly over to see American Windows just in time before the museum closed promptly at 5pm.
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Another picture of "The Bean", this time at dusk.
We had unsuccessfully tried to eat at the Purple Pig the night before but they always have an unreasonably long line. We found out that they do take out and got a pretty delicious spread of food to enjoy from the comfort of the apartment before we had to pack up and head to ORD.
And then we headed back to SFO. Jason & Susanna, while scheduled for a later flight (plane shown above) actually departed slightly earlier due to a delay with my plane. Go figure that this trip would end roughly the same way it started...
An overall amazing first trip to Chicago complete with the All Blacks, art, food and friends. I can't really ask for more in such a short period of time. Thanks to Greg, Jason, Susanna most importantly, Scott & Lisa for their hospitality! Until the next blog!
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