FLW Home 1909Chicago Trip / TTOS Convention 2009
Friday, August 7th 2009
Up at 4 AM, shower breakfast and Taxi ride with windows open because of the smoke smell, loud Greek? Persian? travel music to Bob Hope at 5 AM. Our Flight is from Burbank to Chicago hubbing through Dallas. We got to Chicago ok luggage didn't. I love it American Airlines (AA) charges $15 for each checked bag. $15 to lose our stuff great! Luggage showed up at 9 pm. There was much rejoicing.
Saturday, August 8th 2009
We slept well last night. We bought 7 day Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) passes, $46 for passes for both of us. We have not rented a car here. We went to Oak Park today. Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) first home and studio. It’s hot and muggy here in Chicago. I took lots of pictures. We got to spend 10 minutes in the Unity Temple. The Temple is a Spectacular place. We found a good Mexican Restaurant. They served six different salsas with the chips. We had a great dinner there then headed back to the hotel. Two showers a day are going to be my norm for this place.
FLW Home 1909
Unity Temple
Sunday, August 9th 2009
Today is the hottest in 3 years for Chicago. We just finished the architecture boat tour. 1 1/2 hour on the top of a boat. We had a Great tour guide. My camera quit for a while because it over heated. First time I have seen that. The CTA is very easy to use. Trains are very frequent. The station is 200 yards from the hotel. No car to park it is ideal. The convention starts in earnest Wednesday. The trains are air conditioned as well. We are spending some of the money we saved on a rental car in an upscale place called the China Grill in the Hard Rock Hotel. Pretty good spell checker in this blackberry.
Came back to the hotel and stayed inside the rest of day. Watched the last 4 holes of the golf tournament and saw Tiger win again. Big thunderstorm came through. It rained very hard for 20 minutes. Glad we got back before it started. We had Dinner in the bar then TV and bed.
Chicago Skyline
Monday, August 10th 2009
We did the Chicago Institute of Art today. After breakfast we rode into town and our first stop was the theater to purchase tickets for "Jersey Boys". A musical Berni has wanted to see. We then went to the Chicago institute of art. It is the big art museum in Chicago. It has been built in stages and is not user friendly. The map is not easy to understand and hard to find the exhibits. It has some great pieces if you can find them. Their impressionist collection is extensive and wonderful. They also have Edward Hopper's "Night Hawks" one of the most iconic images in American modern art. This picture is worth the price of admission all by its self. Some rich lady got interested in miniatures so she hired several artisans to fabricate small rooms typical of historic furniture and settings. The rooms are boxes 2’ by 2‘ illuminated through the windows with landscapes, fascinating. After that we went over to the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Very neat model of the entire city scaled 1"=50 feet. We had a big breakfast so we skipped lunch and had an early dinner. We ate at the “Russian Tea Time”. The food was great. I had stuffed mushrooms and Berni meat filled dumplings. For main courses I had Beef Stroganoff and Berni had crepes with smoked salmon and caviar. It was a great meal in a unique restaurant. Train back to the hotel and we are in for the night.
Miniature Room
Tuesday, August 11th 2009
This was the "Jersey Boys" day. A very relaxed morning. We had a late breakfast, lounging around the room, watching Sports Center, naps. We registered for the convention. Berni did some laundry. We left for the city at 3:45 and walked into the Palmer House one of the oldest hotels in Chicago. We had a great meal. We both did the prix fixe. You got to chose between 3 appetizers 3 main course and 3 deserts. I chose mussels, skate (a fish) and crème Brule. Berni went with mushroom soup, free range chicken and a chocolate brownie. She had a glass of champagne and I had a glass of Riesling. The meal was fantastic and we had plenty of time to enjoy it. The hotel and the theater are about 300 feet apart. We got to the theater just as they were starting to let people in. We had very good seats in the orchestra. Berni had a little trouble seeing over the person in front of her so she rested her head on my shoulder. That was nice. The music was great and the story was like a Greek tragedy. The mob, Joe Peshi, kids who die from drugs. The show was very dramatic. The Four Seasons were a group we both listened to. It was really a great time for both of us. The train stop was only 2 blocks from the theater so we are back on the train and should be in our room in another 30 minutes. This was the mildest day so far. Convention stuff will start in the morning.
Palmer House Hotel
Wednesday, August 12th 2009
Early morning jets woke us up for some reason. The hotel is in the landing pattern for O’Hare. We wanted to get up early anyhow. Bus was supposed to leave at 8 am. Breakfast, then Berni helped a little bit with registration. Bus didn't show till 8:45, no big surprise. They are seldom on time. The tour was to the Illinois Railway Museum. This is a very large place out in the middle of corn country. Only a little less than an hour out from the hotel and it looks like you could be in Iowa. This is a big facility with several interesting pieces. They have a GG1 , The “Little Joe “ a famous electric locomotive, Nebraska Zephyr among others . Great trolley rides with very informative conductors. Nice box lunch, nice rides and a relaxed schedule.
UP Turbine
Main Line Trolley
We were back at the hotel at 4:45. I'm going to a Cubs game. We are leaving at 5. Quick run to the room then back on the blue line. CTA guy says take the bus at Addison. The CTA people have been tremendously helpful. I cannot say enough good things about them. Chicago has been a helpful friendly place. The bus was packed Tokyo full. I met Ken and Yvonne Flory. Ken wants me to bring the "Timesaver Layout" to the OC TTOS and show it off. He's the OC TTOS president. We stopped at a “By the Slice” pizza place for a quick nosh before the game. Nobody wanted to pay stadium prices for food. We were in the last row on the first base side. Glad I went but Wrigley is over rated in my opinion. There was an I-beam in the way and I couldn't see 2nd base or the right field line. The Phils blew out the Cubs. When I left it was 12 to 3. Berni was planning some hot tub time and a quiet night without male disturbances. Thursday should be relaxed. We don't have a plan yet.
Wrigley Field
Thursday, August 13th 2009
We had another relaxed day. After breakfast we found out where movies we're playing using the Blackberry. We went back to the room until about noon. We boarded the CTA to go one stop down the line to go to a new multiplex. It was about 4 blocks from the station. The Blackberry Google maps is proving very helpful. The Theater was very new with lots of amenities. We wanted to see "Julia and Julie." What an enjoyable 2 hours. Merle Streep did a fantastic job. The performance was Oscar worthy in my opinion. Back to the hotel, then to the welcome party. They served heavy hors d'oeuvres, certainly enough for dinner. Lots of conversation met some new folks and took one car home from the silent auction. That was it for the night. We go on the Chicago tour tomorrow.
Friday, August 14th 2009
This was the Chicago tour day. After breakfast we boarded a bus and off to the museum of Science and Industry. This place is one of the finest of its type. We spent 2 1/2 hours and still had lots to see. Next was the Navy Pier. They have a stained glass museum there. It is amazing. Chicago is a Mecca for stained glass fabrication. There was FLW art glass and lots and lots of Tiffany. Berni could have spent 4 hours there. We only had 2 1/2 or so and we wanted lunch. We sat in a bar and watched some of the PGA tournament. Tiger was ahead. The Air Force Thunder Birds were practicing for their Saturday air show and shook loose a ceiling tile which hit a lady on her nose. Not too serious, but painful and probably lawsuit worthy. The last stop was the Shedd aquarium. The building was spectacular. They had fish from all over the world. The place was very popular and busy. We got back to the hotel and were not able to find anybody to go with on the home layout tour so we went to dinner at the hotel, to the room watched a little TV then lights out.
Stained Glass Art
Saturday, August 15th 2009
This was our Mead day. After breakfast we met up with Karl and Sherri Mead and their 3 kids Taylor, Keagan & Makayla and their Minivan. Sherri was one of Berni’s students at PCC. They have passes to the Museum of Science and Industry. They got us all free admission so we got to see what we did not see on Friday. One of the displays was an Eco-Friendly house that we toured. LED light bulb and lots of Eco-friendly features. The boys want to see the Harry Potter display. This turned out to be great fun. Berni, Sherri and Makayla went to see the Fairy Castle which she said was great. We had a great day with them then came back to the hotel for the TTOS farewell banquet. The banquet lasted to 11 PM. We ended up with a couple more cars. Berni’s first experience with a train action, she found it interesting. We got to bed late but no need to get up early.
Mead Family
Sunday, August 16th 2009
Today is going home day. We had a relaxed breakfast the lazed about the room watching the early part of the PGA championship. Phil's having a rough day. Had lunch at the hotel and then headed to the airport. Raining hard at times hope this does not delay flight. Paid AA another $15 to get the big bag home. The bartender at the sports bar does not know how to run his TV so I'm spared buying Coke for $3 to watch Tiger. Still raining plane is in a holding pattern. It looks like we will be late leaving Chicago. The plane got off at 5 PM CDT 1 1/2 hours late. The connection for our 7:45 flight may be dicey. We are out of the airplane at Dallas at 7:05 we should make the flight. We hit the bathroom once we get to the departure gate; we buy a beef sandwich and some chips and board. Woo Hoo we will make Burbank tonight god willing. The baggage maybe not. Email Erik to let him know our status. Plane is on the ground at 8:45. We are glad to be on the ground. I wait for the luggage while Berni waits for Erik. Alaska airlines flight first at the baggage carousel. About 20 boxes of frozen fish come off the plane. Big boxes 4' by 2' sports fisherman bringing home halibut and salmon from Alaska. The BAG shows up!!! They lose it when they have 2 hours between flights and they deliver when they have 40 minutes????? Go figure. Erik got us home and we caught up on his family. Watched a little news and off to bed. We had a great vacation but always glad to be home. There is so much to see and do in Chicago I suspect we will be there again sometime in the future.
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