Our second day in Chicago
Jan. 16th, 2006 12:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xiphiasWe got up on the early side, got showered and dressed (the hotel soaps are Rusk soaps, by the way, which turns out to be one of the few brands I can use, so I got to have the rare pleasure of using the HOTEL soap instead of the soap I brought with me), and went down to the corner to The Corner Bakery to grab a something light for breakfast. At a couple minutes before 8 AM, we met up with Josh, Missy, and Nate to drive up to Milwaukee -- we picked up our cousin Barry at his apartment on the way. Barry lives in Chicago, but his parents were the folks we were visiting, so, as long as we were driving up there, there was no reason not to have Barry along. Especially since we like him and all.
Nate was somewhat shy with Susie and Steve (Barry's parents, the folks we were all visiting), but he came out of his shell eventually, and had a good visit. Susie put out an impressive spread for brunch, including blintzes, bagels, and a fantastic quiche, and we had a good time. Nate played outside on a climbing structure that the neighbors had (all the backyards on that side of the street are connected and are just used by everyone as one huge uber-backyard, so all the kids can use the climbing structure, and there's enough room to play (American) football or soccer on a just-about-full-sized field. Once again, although he was shy initially, he only threw a temper tantrum when he had to LEAVE his family. And he totally calmed down about forty-five seconds after we drove off.
On the drive back to Chicago, I noted with amusement that Lis, Barry, and Nate all fell asleep. As did I. I know that the three of them were just totally adorable. No idea if I was.
We dropped Barry back at his apartment, and then went off to Skokie to visit Aunt Paula, who is Grandma Rose's sister. Her son Michael was there, too.
Lis pointed out who Michael reminds her of -- he has a lot of the same outlook, attitude, and mannerisms of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bikergeek. Kind of cynical, sardonic, maybe even pessimistic, but a lot of fun. He's a good guy.
Aunt Paula also wants to see you again,rebmommy, and sends her love. Also to you, father-who-has-no-livejournal, and the rest of the family. She loves you, and wants you to come out to Chicago to visit her.
She also, of course, fed us, really good deli meats.
When Nate started falling over asleep, we all piled back in the van, and drove back downtown. Josh and Missy dropped Lis and me off in front of Grandma Rose's apartment, and we took up a bag of deli meat, potato salad, and chopped liver to her, then walked back to the hotel, while Josh and Missy worked on putting Nate to bed, and packing their room up.
We printed out our boarding passes (both for Josh, Missy, and Nate, and for Lis and me), dropped off the Ribas' passes at their room, and went back to our hotel room. We idly poked through some of those "What's happening" magazines that they stick in the room, and Lis pointed out that one of the local theaters was doing a production of Shakespeare's "Pericles." We groused a little bit that there are not generally Sunday night performances, and that we would therefore not get to see the play, which was one that neither of us have ever seen.
We figured, though, what the heck, we can at least look at their website and SEE if there was a show we could squeeze in. http://www.goodman-theatre.org/pr_111405PericlesRelease.asp showed me that there was a 7:30 showing, with $20 tickets. It was 7:15, so it looked like there was no way we could get there in time. But, what the heck -- if we didn't TRY, there was DEFINITELY no chance. So I gathered our jackets and stuff while Lis went down to the lobby to ask the concierge where the Goodman theater was.
I got down, and she said, "It's five blocks away. And we have ten minutes."
We walked briskly, and we got to the box office before the curtain. But the lobby was REAL crowded, so it was pretty clear that it would be very unlikely that they had seats available.
We got two tickets in Box 9, on the right side of the theater. And, because we bought them right before curtain, they were half-price. Two tickets for $20, TOTAL.
It was a fantastic performance. First time either of us had seen the play, and we enjoyed the heck out of it. It's a total melodrama, and the company had such fun with it.
It was directed by Mary Zimmerman, and it's a production she developed at the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington D.C., which is, I believe, the company with which our friend Akiva works, so I should ask him if he knows her.
It was a blast. It used minimalist sets, using lighting more than props to set the stage -- and did so AMAZINGLY well -- every different country had a different lighting effect, a different light quality, so you COULDN'T get lost. This country had a warm golden tone to its light, and to the costumes which its people wore; this one, a regal, cold, and elegant silver; that one, deep and threatening red and gloom.
Anyway, after the play, we came back, and I wrote this up, and now I'm going to bed. Look, I still miss all you guys at Arisia, but, you know, YOU didn't get to see a production of "Pericles" tonight. I think I'm feeling less bitter about the whole "not going to Arisia" thing. Nyah, nyah.
Nate was somewhat shy with Susie and Steve (Barry's parents, the folks we were all visiting), but he came out of his shell eventually, and had a good visit. Susie put out an impressive spread for brunch, including blintzes, bagels, and a fantastic quiche, and we had a good time. Nate played outside on a climbing structure that the neighbors had (all the backyards on that side of the street are connected and are just used by everyone as one huge uber-backyard, so all the kids can use the climbing structure, and there's enough room to play (American) football or soccer on a just-about-full-sized field. Once again, although he was shy initially, he only threw a temper tantrum when he had to LEAVE his family. And he totally calmed down about forty-five seconds after we drove off.
On the drive back to Chicago, I noted with amusement that Lis, Barry, and Nate all fell asleep. As did I. I know that the three of them were just totally adorable. No idea if I was.
We dropped Barry back at his apartment, and then went off to Skokie to visit Aunt Paula, who is Grandma Rose's sister. Her son Michael was there, too.
Lis pointed out who Michael reminds her of -- he has a lot of the same outlook, attitude, and mannerisms of
bikergeek. Kind of cynical, sardonic, maybe even pessimistic, but a lot of fun. He's a good guy.Aunt Paula also wants to see you again,
rebmommy, and sends her love. Also to you, father-who-has-no-livejournal, and the rest of the family. She loves you, and wants you to come out to Chicago to visit her.She also, of course, fed us, really good deli meats.
When Nate started falling over asleep, we all piled back in the van, and drove back downtown. Josh and Missy dropped Lis and me off in front of Grandma Rose's apartment, and we took up a bag of deli meat, potato salad, and chopped liver to her, then walked back to the hotel, while Josh and Missy worked on putting Nate to bed, and packing their room up.
We printed out our boarding passes (both for Josh, Missy, and Nate, and for Lis and me), dropped off the Ribas' passes at their room, and went back to our hotel room. We idly poked through some of those "What's happening" magazines that they stick in the room, and Lis pointed out that one of the local theaters was doing a production of Shakespeare's "Pericles." We groused a little bit that there are not generally Sunday night performances, and that we would therefore not get to see the play, which was one that neither of us have ever seen.
We figured, though, what the heck, we can at least look at their website and SEE if there was a show we could squeeze in. http://www.goodman-theatre.org/pr_111405PericlesRelease.asp showed me that there was a 7:30 showing, with $20 tickets. It was 7:15, so it looked like there was no way we could get there in time. But, what the heck -- if we didn't TRY, there was DEFINITELY no chance. So I gathered our jackets and stuff while Lis went down to the lobby to ask the concierge where the Goodman theater was.
I got down, and she said, "It's five blocks away. And we have ten minutes."
We walked briskly, and we got to the box office before the curtain. But the lobby was REAL crowded, so it was pretty clear that it would be very unlikely that they had seats available.
We got two tickets in Box 9, on the right side of the theater. And, because we bought them right before curtain, they were half-price. Two tickets for $20, TOTAL.
It was a fantastic performance. First time either of us had seen the play, and we enjoyed the heck out of it. It's a total melodrama, and the company had such fun with it.
It was directed by Mary Zimmerman, and it's a production she developed at the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington D.C., which is, I believe, the company with which our friend Akiva works, so I should ask him if he knows her.
It was a blast. It used minimalist sets, using lighting more than props to set the stage -- and did so AMAZINGLY well -- every different country had a different lighting effect, a different light quality, so you COULDN'T get lost. This country had a warm golden tone to its light, and to the costumes which its people wore; this one, a regal, cold, and elegant silver; that one, deep and threatening red and gloom.
Anyway, after the play, we came back, and I wrote this up, and now I'm going to bed. Look, I still miss all you guys at Arisia, but, you know, YOU didn't get to see a production of "Pericles" tonight. I think I'm feeling less bitter about the whole "not going to Arisia" thing. Nyah, nyah.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-16 06:06 am (UTC)um, if you're now confused and don't mind if i spoil it for you, i can tell you.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-16 09:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-16 09:42 pm (UTC):)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-16 06:59 am (UTC)But I did get drafted to do a panel at Arisia. And you missed that. And it was an LJ panel. SO
I still wish I had seen the play, did you see it well enough for me to see it also. ;) (giggle)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-16 10:59 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-17 03:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-17 03:27 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-17 02:36 pm (UTC)(Of course, he lives in DC, right? But on the plus side, we know I get along well with his parents...)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 12:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 04:01 am (UTC)???
Date: 2006-01-17 11:55 pm (UTC)It is the same theater where I work. I'm glad you guys got to see it! It's a show that was produced before my time, but I heard great things about it. Actually, we're restaging the production at our big outdoor amphitheatre this summer (it's free, the last week in May and first week in June). So if anybody's in DC, you should definitely come see it.
Gilly! Hi! Are you...is there an acceptable term for hitting on someone in blog form?
Akiva
Re: ???
Date: 2006-01-18 04:07 am (UTC)...off to blush quietly in the corner now...