Preparing for Chicago in May!

Another spring trip - this time with 21 Avila students.  I will miss my old teaching partner, Susan Lawlor, who is on sabbatical - creating, refreshing and reinventing. But I have a new partner, Professor Marci Aylward, for this trip (fresh meat? maybe Susan gave Marci a heads-up on what to expect from living with me for five days)  Well - Marci and I have hotel and train reservations set up - now we'll be meeting to map out great things to do and learn in Chicago surrounding the course themes of urban living through art, architecture, film, music and theatre.  Look forward to another great learning experience with a new group of students.

What a skyline!

Dim Sum and Tour of Chinatown

Folks had a good time trying something different

On our last morning we ate Dim Sum together in Chinatown and took a brief walk around the area before returning to the hotel to catch the bus to Union Station for the long train ride home.  

David's special order - I liked it.  Sort of a soft gummy worm texture with heavy sesame taste.

That's it for this year - on to planning Montreal

Million Dollar Quartet at the Apollo

Our last night in Chicago we went to the Apollo Theatre to see Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis)  Very entertaining - an enthusiastic, talented cast that gave an exurberant performance.

Chicago Cultural Center and Millennium Park Tours

I had to make this photo extra large - it's the Tiffany stained glass dome in the CCC.  Took a tour to start our morning in this magnificent building - then listened to a West African Dance orchestra - check them out below.

After this lunch hour concert, we headed on over to Millennium Park to walk among the sculptures and fountains - folks had fun playing in the water.

Chicago Art Institute and Sky Deck

We toured the new modern wing of the Art Institute, getting an overview of some of the CAI's collection of paintings, sculpture and photography from a wonderful docent.  Then we zipped over to the Willis Tower (old Sears Tower) for a trip to the top - the Sky Deck.  The elevator takes 60 seconds to ascend 103 stories.  Here's a view from the top:

Thursday Morning

Started the day at the Museum of Contemporary Photography.  Although it's a small space, I always love the exhibits - great work and thought provoking.  Two videos provided interesting contrasts - aerial footage of an enormous oil refinery in Dallas and a Chinese video documenting a damn that required the destruction of 12,000 cities.

Had lunch at Buddy Guy's Legends while listening to a blues musician.  Can't think of a nicer way to eat a bowl of gumbo in this laid back atmosphere.

Here's a short excerpt from the lunchtime concert:

Second City on Susan's Birthday

Chicago's Second City is great place to explore a fun and entertaining part of this city's history.  On the second night of our trip, we ate dinner at Corcoran's, across from Second City.  They always treat us well and serve generous portions of food.  We can't take photos during the Second City performance, but here's a look at the group singing happy brithday to Susan just before the show.

Architecture Tour of Chicago on River

A drizzly, foggy morning did clear up enough for us to see most of the buildings on the river tour.  Chicago skyscrapers, in a variety of architectural styles, always impresses.   Here's our view of the skyline.  

Museum of Contemporary Art

At MCA enjoying the tour

Started the morning with a museum tour of Art is a Way of Thinking show at MCA.  Great variety of interesting work and conversation about what it meant.

Students looking at Chuck Close portrait of Cindy Sherman

A fiber sculpture titled Rosemary

Arrived

Susan and I are back in Chicago with 18 students.  Arrived by train.  Took a bus to the hotel.  Everyone unpacked and explored a bit before heading off to Gene Siskel Film Center to see a French animation - Mia and the Migoo.

Taking the bus from Union Station to hotel