Chicago (5-11 May 2014)

In her 5 years on the La Leche League Board of Directors back in the 1990s, Edie was in Chicago 2-3 times a year, but didn’t manage a lot of sightseeing. She often flew in overnight straight to meetings, and upon their conclusion, continued on to Connecticut to see her parents for a few days. From the little she managed to see, she was fascinated by the dynamic city and its extraordinary architecture. She was eager to see it more at leisure, and Ray had never been in Chicago. And now we had the additional motivation of visiting Nir and Lilly!

After a late arrival Sunday evening, Ray was involved in the Society of Vacuum Coaters Technical Conference from early morning Monday until mid-day Thursday. He did manage to take a few walking lunch breaks, getting to the Millennium Park and around the loop.

Edie spent Monday walking the magnificent mile and beyond to Lincoln Park, with detours along the way to take in exterior views of a number of 19th century houses featured on a self guided architectural tour. Amongst the many houses was Hugh Hefner’s “bunny house” – one of the bigger residences, but not the most impressive.

On Tuesday, Edie had another treat in store – meeting an old friend, Cindy Smith, from their days on the LLL Board. Cindy drove up from Anderson, Indiana. Rendezvous was in south Chicago – for brunch, touring the U of Chicago and its Oriental Museum (with lots of finds from Israeli and other middle eastern dig sites that you don’t see locally), dinner, and talk (over a few bottles of wine) until late in the evening. Unfortunately, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House was closed that day. There’s what to do next year when the plan is to finish up Ray’s series of mini-sabbaticals at Northwestern.

Cindy in front of an Indiana tulip tree The Robie House by Frank Lloyd Wright

Wednesday, Edie joined up with a group of the other ladies from the conference to visit Navy Pier and the (free) Stained Glass Museum there. At this conference, there was no formal program for accompanying spouses, but rather the organizers facilitated an early morning meet and greet on the first day for spouses who then proceeded to self-organize sightseeing and leisure activities in small groups.

Our Group at the Glass Pavilion, Navy Pier Industrial Chicago in stained glass

Examples of Tiffany’s work

Stained glass windows were very common in upscale residential late 19th century construction in Chicago. Seen side by side with windows created by other artists, the Tiffany windows really stand out for their depth, composition and color. Tiffany pioneered the use of varying layers of glass, rather than painting the glass, and the results speak for themselves.

Don Selina would have enjoyed this ode to the printing trade.

Jerusalem in Chicago (by a modern Jewish Russian artist)

The stained glass museum was sufficiently interesting that Edie dragged Ray back there late afternoon. We also enjoyed the view from the Ferris wheel which is a replica of the original attraction created by Mr. Ferris for the 1893 Chicago exhibition. (The Devil in the White City by Eric Larsen gives a fascinating picture of these times, when Chicago was growing abound and becoming one of the great American cities.)

Overlooking the Riverwalk View from the ferris wheel at Navy Pier

Chicago skyline from the Ferris wheel As evening descends

While Edie was gallivanting around Chicago, Ray diligently participated in the SVC conference, presenting two papers (one was supposed to be presented by one of his students, but his visa did not come through). And on Wednesday Ray and Edie presented a 1-hour tutorial on scientific writing – a super-condensed version of the main part of their 12 hour course. Ray presented the lecture and Edie corrected the students’ exercise.

Thursday morning Edie took a guided tour of the Driehaus Museum, the grand Gilded Age home of banker Samuel Mayo Nickerson. Built in 1879, it is a three story city residence of exuberant design, elaborately furnished. It cost approximately $500,000, an enormous sum in that period. The furnishings were so closely designed in accordance with the structure that very few items were taken to the owner’s next home. When sold in the early 1900s, upon Mr. Nickerson’s retirement and move back east, the purchase price was less than a third of the original investment, and post WWI, when put up for sale again, there were no takers at all and the building was taken over by the City of Chicago and rented to a charitable organization. Apparently the transition of the area from an exclusive residential neighborhood to a major commercial zone (on the edge of the magnificent mile) played a big part in the decline in value. In this century, Philanthropist Richard H. Driehaus purchased the building and commissioned a five-year restoration effort to preserve the structure and its magnificent interiors. The museum was opened only a few years ago. Today the galleries feature surviving furnishings paired with elegant, historically-appropriate pieces from the Driehaus Collection of Fine and Decorative Arts, including important works by such celebrated designers as Herter Brothers and Louis Comfort Tiffany. A special exhibit of Tiffany Glass is currently featured on the third ballroom and guestroom floor.

That afternoon we travelled to Rogers Park (North Chicago) to join Lily and Nir for the weekend. We were very impressed by their new 2 bedroom apartment and how they’ve arranged it. After a quick “Chicago pizza” supper, we went off to Israeli folk dancing a few “el” stops away, at a less spirited group than in San Diego, but nonetheless, very enjoyable.

On Friday, we explored Evanston and Northwestern University. The el stop is a short walk from Lily and Nir’s apartment and the university is only a few stops away, but a change from the Red to the Purple line (named after the university colors) takes time. Lily usually rides her bike to the university, taking about the same time as the alternative route via public transportation.

Overlooking Lake Michigan (and student graffiti on the rocks on the shore)

Memorial garden in Northwestern purple Original college hall

Entrance gate to the university The historical communications building

The original university hall was built at the same period as the Nickerson house at considerably cheaper cost. Of course it didn’t have marble coated walls or gold ceiling fixtures!

We brought good weather with us- this whole weekend was gloriously sunny and warm, but not too hot, and it seemed the whole city was out basking in the sun after a long and very chilly winter. Saturday, the four of us devoted to viewing architecture – first on a Chicago River boat tour run by the Chicago Architecture Foundation and then at Oak Park, Frank Lloyd Wright’s home during the early part of his career.

Some views from the Chicago River boat tour”

And from Oak Park –most of the houses are of Wright’s design.

Frank Lloyd Wright designs Around the neighborhood

Most definitely NOT a FLW design!

We took a guided tour of Frank Lloyd’s house and studio. This was the house he lived in during his first marriage to Catherine Tobin, and with their six children. Everything was carefully designed to meet the needs of the growing family. The boys’ and girls’ rooms were separated by a partition that didn’t go all the way to the ceiling, and the kids used to have pillow fights through the gap. A later addition – ball room size – was an elaborate second floor family/playroom. The studio was also a later add-in, as his career developed. The first floor addition contained his office and a drafting room for the many architects within his practice. The second story, an open loft, was assigned to the many craftsmen who worked with him – all this to encourage interaction between the architects and the various crafts. However, after nearly twenty years, Wright fell in love with the wife of a client and left his family. Catherine agreed to a divorce only more than a decade later. In the interim, he set up housekeeping with his mistress and her daughters, at an elaborate cottage, Taliesin, of his design in Wisconsin, where they, and another four people, were murdered and the house set to fire by a disgruntled cook while Frank was back in Chicago on a business trip. (Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan, is an interesting fictionalized version of this story). Frank had another two marriages and another two children (one adopted). Quite a busy man! However, he apparently maintained close relationships with the children of his first marriage, and all of them were involved in the arts and/or architecture.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Grove home And his office (to the right)

One of numerous sculptures in the house Front view of entrance to studio

We enjoyed some great meals at some of Lily and Nir’s favorite restaurants and one upscale dinner Saturday night at a restaurant recommended by one of their friends. The most memorable, without a doubt, was Susy’s – a storefront, 6 table breakfast/lunch restaurant, run totally by a slight 80 year old Korean woman, who does all” serving, cooking, dishwashing and “guarding” (a reliable witness reports that she has a gun behind the counter).

We look forward to getting back to Chicago and to seeing Nir and Lilly there next year!