This week, it felt good to be standing on MSP carpet after a long absence: I’d last seen the inside of an airport back in March 2020. It felt even better to be on an early morning flight to Chicago. 1. ‘L’ from Chicago Midway Airport to the Chicago Loop From Chicago Midway Airport, I… Continue reading Chicago Day Trip
Tag: Chicago
An Atlas Obscura Walk in Chicago
Guide books often funnel people to over-loved places. Atlas Obscura, “the definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders,” is a good resource to locate uncrowded, off-beat places to spice up a walk. The information is crowd-sourced, so it needs to be treated with caution. For example, a “machine gun nest” near our home is simply… Continue reading An Atlas Obscura Walk in Chicago
An All-Expense-Spared Trip to Chicago
On Sunday I submitted my 2018 tax return. I’m eagerly awaiting a $2 refund from the Feds. The tax refund got me into a parsimonious frame of mind. I decided to assemble an inexpensive trip. Incentives for a cheap trip The stars were in alignment: An email from Hyatt Hotels warned me that a bunch… Continue reading An All-Expense-Spared Trip to Chicago
Don’t Touch the Concrete
Last week my partner and I walked along a Chicago residential street to Wrightwood 659, a brand new exhibition space designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The Antithesis The previous day, a wonderful volunteer docent, an elderly woman, went silent when I said that Ando walks on water. Maybe I had offended her religious sensibilities,… Continue reading Don’t Touch the Concrete
Transit Apps for a Short Trip
We’re just back from a few days in Chicago. Smartphone apps made travel by train, plane, and bike a breeze. I was able to purchase all transit using my phone. App Example Transit Use Cases Metro Transit –Buy tickets for light rail from home to MSP (Minneapolis airport). Fly Delta –Check in for flight.–Display boarding… Continue reading Transit Apps for a Short Trip
Iron Road to Gotham
This week I head slowly to New York City by Amtrak. In Life, Phase 3, you don’t have to rush or be perturbed by inevitable delays. Each night I’ll be in a hotel rather than a train, which gives me a chance to go walkabout in Chicago and Cleveland. My partner will join my in… Continue reading Iron Road to Gotham
Glass Houses and Buried Museums
The Farnsworth House A Glass House in Illinois Completed in 1951, the Farnsworth House, near Plano, Illinois, is widely regarded as one of the major architectural achievements of the twentieth century. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe took his belief that “less is more” almost to the limit by designing a steel-framed, glass-walled box. The box floats… Continue reading Glass Houses and Buried Museums