Labor Day is fast approaching and summer will soon be over. I'm glad I'm not a native of Illinois as they go through a painful transition this time of year. With each wonderfully cool evening or misty morning an apprehension grows within the native Illini. There is this nervousness, a sense of being on edge as the Illini silently wonder "Is this it, is summer over?" Despite the mild weather we had last year the specter of winter in Chicagoland looms. Memories of endless days with gun metal gray skies, below freezing temperatures, backbreaking drifts of wet snow and biting winds haunt and taunt.
The Illini put forward a brave front. Fall and Halloween are celebrated like nowhere I've been before with Septemberfests and Octoberfests, some of which are in September??? Still the barely disguised panic is there, bubbling below the surface, eating at the psyche of the native Illini as they assemble their elaborate display of pumpkins, scarecrow and spooky scenes. How much nicer it is to be new to the area and get a thrill at the thought of autumn leaves. I look forward to our first evening cool enough to merit a fire in the fireplace. I'll be happy to put summer behind me and pull out my sweats and sweaters. I miss my warm socks my flannel pajamas and wearing my jeans nearly all the time. I'm ready for the electric bill to go down and the gas bill to go up.
I would love to have snow in time for Thanksgiving but I'll keep that to myself and let my neighbors deal with the change of seasons without subjecting them to my private euphoria.
Happy Halloween everybody!
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Monday, August 14, 2006
URBAN ADVENTURE CRUISE or Another Bad Hair Day In Chicago
Our cruise in Chicago Saturday was really a great time and sort of an adventure. Jack wanted me to reserve a specific cruise but with boats leaving every half hour and not knowing for sure when Jack would arise I didn't. Jack had chosen a $27 90 minute river cruise that would include commentary on over 50 buildings and had a bar aboard.
Well, he sort of slept in, then of course we had to go to breakfast and we caught the 11:05 into the city. I selected the correct exit from Union Station for the first time ever and the bus we needed was waiting there as we came out the doors. Still we arrived at the cruise Jack chose shortly before it sold out for the day (while I was in line with only 3 people in front of me). I was at a loss and not sure what to do.
Jack said, "Get in line for this cruise instead", and I stepped right up to the Mercury "Urban Adventure Cruise". The cruise was a Lake and River tour with commentary on 17 bridges and 82 buildings and landmarks and get this cost only $19. The only down side was no bar on board (which had to save us another $10+) and it was leaving in 40 minutes. While we were in line to board I mentioned to Jack that the boat we would be on was like the one in the movie "The Breakup". Later during the cruise our guide told us it is the boat used in that movie.
I didn't know there was a locks for boats to enter and leave the lake (to control the amount of water going from the lake to the river. It was interesting entering the lake, the water level in the lock went up 3-4 feet and then decreased on the trip back. In the lake we learned about the "adventure" portion of the cruise. The seats we had chosen were near a large bumper hanging off the side of the boat. This bumper threw up amazing amounts of water which dowsed everyone seated nearby, especially Jack who had traded seats with me. Poor Jack was drenched and we both missed small portions of the commentary on the skyline, distracted by the occasional cold wall of water falling on us!
Soon we were back in the river and no longer being drowned. Chicago has an amazing array of buildings and landmarks and the information provided by the tour guide was fun and fascinating. We cruised all the way to the Sears Tower and got to see and hear about a great deal of the city. Just as I was getting concerned about possible sunburn our cruise was over an we were back ashore. Two boats had unloaded at the same time and there was a delay to get up the stairs to the corner of Wacker and Michigan. Everyone seemed to be going to the top and I suggested we only go half way up. I can't fully explain but there is an Upper Michigan Ave and a lower Michigan Ave and get this there is Upper Wacker, Lower Wacker and Lower Lower Wacker?????
Anyway this worked well too as we wanted to go to the original Billy Goat Tavern which was at Lower Michigan and Wacker. We walked across the lower level of the bridge and were there (with one short stop for me to try and wring some of the water out of the tail of Jack's shirt). The Billy Goat Tavern was nothing special but the beer and double cheeseburger were great. If you every come here don't even consider a single burger, get the double or even the triple, (or as they say "Cheezborger! Cheezborger! No fries, cheeps! No Pepsi, Coke).
http://www.billygoattavern.com/history.html
Refreshed we decided we could walk back to Union Station and talked about stopping for another beer if we passed a good spot. However, once I checked the time and saw that we could catch the 4:39 if we moved along smartly instead of taking our time and getting the next train at 5:39. Jack was highly motivated and hurried me along the 10 blocks in time to catch the train. I really think this was one of my best trips to the city. If you ever get to Chicago, I highly recommend this cruise followed by a triple cheeseburger.
Well, he sort of slept in, then of course we had to go to breakfast and we caught the 11:05 into the city. I selected the correct exit from Union Station for the first time ever and the bus we needed was waiting there as we came out the doors. Still we arrived at the cruise Jack chose shortly before it sold out for the day (while I was in line with only 3 people in front of me). I was at a loss and not sure what to do.
Jack said, "Get in line for this cruise instead", and I stepped right up to the Mercury "Urban Adventure Cruise". The cruise was a Lake and River tour with commentary on 17 bridges and 82 buildings and landmarks and get this cost only $19. The only down side was no bar on board (which had to save us another $10+) and it was leaving in 40 minutes. While we were in line to board I mentioned to Jack that the boat we would be on was like the one in the movie "The Breakup". Later during the cruise our guide told us it is the boat used in that movie.
I didn't know there was a locks for boats to enter and leave the lake (to control the amount of water going from the lake to the river. It was interesting entering the lake, the water level in the lock went up 3-4 feet and then decreased on the trip back. In the lake we learned about the "adventure" portion of the cruise. The seats we had chosen were near a large bumper hanging off the side of the boat. This bumper threw up amazing amounts of water which dowsed everyone seated nearby, especially Jack who had traded seats with me. Poor Jack was drenched and we both missed small portions of the commentary on the skyline, distracted by the occasional cold wall of water falling on us!
Soon we were back in the river and no longer being drowned. Chicago has an amazing array of buildings and landmarks and the information provided by the tour guide was fun and fascinating. We cruised all the way to the Sears Tower and got to see and hear about a great deal of the city. Just as I was getting concerned about possible sunburn our cruise was over an we were back ashore. Two boats had unloaded at the same time and there was a delay to get up the stairs to the corner of Wacker and Michigan. Everyone seemed to be going to the top and I suggested we only go half way up. I can't fully explain but there is an Upper Michigan Ave and a lower Michigan Ave and get this there is Upper Wacker, Lower Wacker and Lower Lower Wacker?????
Anyway this worked well too as we wanted to go to the original Billy Goat Tavern which was at Lower Michigan and Wacker. We walked across the lower level of the bridge and were there (with one short stop for me to try and wring some of the water out of the tail of Jack's shirt). The Billy Goat Tavern was nothing special but the beer and double cheeseburger were great. If you every come here don't even consider a single burger, get the double or even the triple, (or as they say "Cheezborger! Cheezborger! No fries, cheeps! No Pepsi, Coke).
http://www.billygoattavern.com/history.html
Refreshed we decided we could walk back to Union Station and talked about stopping for another beer if we passed a good spot. However, once I checked the time and saw that we could catch the 4:39 if we moved along smartly instead of taking our time and getting the next train at 5:39. Jack was highly motivated and hurried me along the 10 blocks in time to catch the train. I really think this was one of my best trips to the city. If you ever get to Chicago, I highly recommend this cruise followed by a triple cheeseburger.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Bad Hair Day In Chi-Town
I went onto the city yesterday to see the DiVinci exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. As the train neared Union Station I saw the city was cloaked in the sort of fog you expect of Chicago but rarely see. I was standing at the corner of Adams and the Chicago River and could not see the top of the Sears Tower. Although there was a cool mist hanging in the air and occasional drizzle it was also warm and humid. I took a bus from near Union Station to the museum with no idea how far it was. The museum is just past Hyde park in the southernmost corner of Chicago. We drove past Soldier Field and the White Sox Cellular Field, got on an expressway for a bit and finally arrived near the museum.
Just as I entered the building a man with two children asked me the time and said something about the museum being free today. That struck fear in my heart. I had canceled this trip once before due to a "Free Admission" day sure to pack the place with children. The ticket lines were long and I wondered if I would even get to see the exhibit. Twenty minutes later I had tickets to enter in a little less than 1/2 an hour. I guess most of the crowd was getting general admission tickets or going to the Omnimax theater. I looked around a bit, got a Pepsi and waited for my 11:30 entrance time to the exhibit.
When my turn came I entered, saw a short film on the subject and got my headset for the audio tour. On clueless couple had their three children with them, the youngest girl was about 3 years old. Once she began to cry I found i couldn't hear the audio on my headset. So I slowed down a bit and allowed them to move ahead out of ear shot. As the group thinned out I was able to really see everything at my own pace and enjoy learning about all the devices DiVinci either invented or improved.
Near the end there is a "workshop" with lots of hands on items and two working catapults. A museum worker was there to explain how DiVinci improved the catapult and demonstrated it in action. Apparently DiVinci had attempted to make a name for himself as a weapons expert. When the Museum guide asked if there were any questions a woman asked "Why was DiVinci so interested in war". I had to bite my tongue not to answer "Because he was a genius not a pacifist" but the guide was even more of a realist and answered, "for the money". There is no way to know for sure what his motivations were but leave it to some people to assume that any great man must be anti war.
I had lunch and wandered around the museum for a while checking out lots of interesting stuff then walked to my bus stop at about 2:45. There I learned that the bus I took to the museum wouldn't be running again till afternoon rush hour. I took another bus planning to go to Navy Pier and catch the bus there to Union Station. Instead I got off at Adams and Michigan and walked from there. Back at Union Station I had time for a cold drink and made the mistake of seeing myself in the mirror in the ladies. The brush in my purse has been missing since Camp Auntie and the long walk in the heat and the steam had taken it's toll, oh well the anonymity of the big city is very liberating. I caught the rather crowded 4:50 home. I might not have walked the 10 blocks in the city if I had remembered that my car was parked 1/4 of a mile from the station. I guess the higher gas prices have more people using the train and a Grandmother managed to beat me to the last parking slot in the more convenient lot.
Tomorrow Jack and I plan to take one of the Architectural cruises and have lunch in the city. I plan to see the King Tut exhibit at the Field Museum also, but will wait until all the kids are back in school. Summer heat will be gone soon, and fall is fabulous here. Come visit if you can!
Just as I entered the building a man with two children asked me the time and said something about the museum being free today. That struck fear in my heart. I had canceled this trip once before due to a "Free Admission" day sure to pack the place with children. The ticket lines were long and I wondered if I would even get to see the exhibit. Twenty minutes later I had tickets to enter in a little less than 1/2 an hour. I guess most of the crowd was getting general admission tickets or going to the Omnimax theater. I looked around a bit, got a Pepsi and waited for my 11:30 entrance time to the exhibit.
When my turn came I entered, saw a short film on the subject and got my headset for the audio tour. On clueless couple had their three children with them, the youngest girl was about 3 years old. Once she began to cry I found i couldn't hear the audio on my headset. So I slowed down a bit and allowed them to move ahead out of ear shot. As the group thinned out I was able to really see everything at my own pace and enjoy learning about all the devices DiVinci either invented or improved.
Near the end there is a "workshop" with lots of hands on items and two working catapults. A museum worker was there to explain how DiVinci improved the catapult and demonstrated it in action. Apparently DiVinci had attempted to make a name for himself as a weapons expert. When the Museum guide asked if there were any questions a woman asked "Why was DiVinci so interested in war". I had to bite my tongue not to answer "Because he was a genius not a pacifist" but the guide was even more of a realist and answered, "for the money". There is no way to know for sure what his motivations were but leave it to some people to assume that any great man must be anti war.
I had lunch and wandered around the museum for a while checking out lots of interesting stuff then walked to my bus stop at about 2:45. There I learned that the bus I took to the museum wouldn't be running again till afternoon rush hour. I took another bus planning to go to Navy Pier and catch the bus there to Union Station. Instead I got off at Adams and Michigan and walked from there. Back at Union Station I had time for a cold drink and made the mistake of seeing myself in the mirror in the ladies. The brush in my purse has been missing since Camp Auntie and the long walk in the heat and the steam had taken it's toll, oh well the anonymity of the big city is very liberating. I caught the rather crowded 4:50 home. I might not have walked the 10 blocks in the city if I had remembered that my car was parked 1/4 of a mile from the station. I guess the higher gas prices have more people using the train and a Grandmother managed to beat me to the last parking slot in the more convenient lot.
Tomorrow Jack and I plan to take one of the Architectural cruises and have lunch in the city. I plan to see the King Tut exhibit at the Field Museum also, but will wait until all the kids are back in school. Summer heat will be gone soon, and fall is fabulous here. Come visit if you can!
Monday, August 07, 2006
Where Have all the Hurricanes Gone
Last year when a record number of hurricanes hit densely populated areas we were told by everyone (except the hurricane experts) that "Global Warming" was responsible. Today is August 7th and we are all the way to the letter "C" and there hasn't been a real hurricane yet. So, what's the explanation? Did "Global Warming" stop, reverse, peter out? I recently read a report that stated "Global Warming" stopped in 1998. This is "Global Warming" season, previously known as "summer" and we keep hearing about "record high temperatures". However, most high temp records still belong to 1936. What exactly was causing the "Global Warming" way back then? Why did it stop so completely that by the 1970's we were reading frantic warnings of the coming ice age?
Well the earth may be warming. Personally I'm not positive that even today we have the ability to determine the temperature of the entire planet. I am positive that it is not logical to assume that if the planet has been warming for the past 30 years it will continue to do so, indefinitely. Especially when we have every reason to believe that the earth has been warming and cooling for hundreds of thousands of years.
Well the earth may be warming. Personally I'm not positive that even today we have the ability to determine the temperature of the entire planet. I am positive that it is not logical to assume that if the planet has been warming for the past 30 years it will continue to do so, indefinitely. Especially when we have every reason to believe that the earth has been warming and cooling for hundreds of thousands of years.
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