O Chicago, I’ve missed you (your good traits, anyway). It’s fun that I can navigate Chicago like a local, but on this third trip back, it still feels odd to be a visitor in a metro I once called home. In the summer of 2006, I lived across from the Chicago Theatre and would see the marquee’s neon lights dance off my window to announce the latest show. Today was a reunion of social media peers and friends, and we went whole hog for a dinner feast of roast beast at Frontier in West Town.
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A look down the street near where I live. (LaSalle Ave from 12th Street looking south.) I thought the sign was appropriate, since there will be many comings and goings over the next week.
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Quite literally, this is the view of a rear window of my apartment building unit.
Note: I am a week behind on this blog, but I’ve still been keeping up the daily photo. Watch for a stream of posts in the coming days!
I like how the afternoon sun created shadows and accentuated the pillars circling LaSalle Plaza. And, it’s a different view than the Stripes.
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I love magic, and I love the arts. So, it’s probably no surprise that I love the magic of the theater. Hennepin Theatre Trust, which manages the Orpheum, Pantages, State and New Century Theatres, offers tours on the 2nd Saturday and last Monday of the month. You’ll be able to see whatever theaters aren’t currently featuring a production. Summers have a slower schedule, so I was excited to see the big three on Hennepin Ave.
The Pantages–which now seats 1,014–opened in 1916 as a vaudeville house and part of Greek immigrant Alexander Pantages’ renowned consortia of theatres. The Pantages’ first show was a vaudeville lineup that included singers, comedians and a banjo player.
The State Theatre–which seats 2,181–opened in 1921 and was then considered the most technologically advanced and elaborate U.S. theater. The opening night program included a silent film, newsreel and travelogue.
The Orpheum Theatre, originally known as the Hennepin, opened in 1921 and seats 2,579. Its first performers included the Marx Brothers with more than 70,000 guests attending the opening week run. The largest vaudeville house in the country when opened, the Orpheum was major outlet for entertainers like Jack Benny, George Burns and Fanny Brice and big bands including Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie.
Pantages Theatre
Historic State Theatre
Historic State Theatre
Orpheum Theatre
Lighting and rigging, Orpheum Theatre
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It was Food Truck Friday with coworkers, and we dashed out early to beat the noon rush at Smack Shack. Last year, Bon Appetit named it one of the 6 best lobster rolls in the U.S. The split butter toasted bread bookends a generous serving of tender lobster mixed with a crunchy cucumber and lemon sauce. You can usually find the food truck on Marquette Avenue in Minneapolis on Wednesdays-Fridays or the full menu at 1029 Bar. Smack Shack also plans to open its own restaurant in the North Loop soon.
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I’m not exactly sure what she’s looking for, because I didn’t find the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles there either. #TurtlePower
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After work, I picked some flowers from my “garden.” I’ve never had flowers nor arranged them before, made more obvious by the improvised vase (below).
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For all the wonderful music my iDevices can pump out, there’s no replacement for live music, especially outdoor music. I was excited to soak up the summer sounds of the 70-member Medalist Concert Band from my lawn chair near Minnehaha Park. My former Pride of Minnesota Marching Band director Jerry Luckhardt directs this ensemble, and one of my buddies has long held a chair in the band. Great work guys!
This past week, I’ve been thinking about the sounds of our lives. When you pause to listen, you realize there are many hundreds of sounds during one’s daily routine–tones, rhythms, sound effects–that confirm life is humming along. Aside from the obvious ones, here are some I’ve noticed lately:
What subtle but recognizable sounds have you noticed lately? If you don’t recall anything notable, better keep your ears wide open!
Don’t Stop the Music, performed by Jamie Cullum
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Eat Street is a commercial district in Minneapolis, formed in the late 1990s to promote the international variety of restaurants along Nicollet Avenue South within three blocks of 26th Street.
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