Category Archives: Family and Friends

Inspiration from family and friends

A History lesson with my high school BFF

Posted on by

“We’ll be Friends Forever, won’t we, Pooh?” asked Piglet.
“Even longer,” Pooh answered.
– A.A. Milne, English author and poet, Winnie-the-Pooh

Inseparable our last two years of high school, Kimi and I find that time and distance have not impacted our friendship.

Inseparable our last two years of high school, Kimi and I find that time and distance have not impacted our friendship.

When I first met David, I was impressed that he was still close to a friend from preschool and another one who used to live across the street from him and started kindergarten with him. His preschool friend served as one of the groomsmen in our wedding and is godfather to our son, and his kindergartener friend was our best man, who infamously toasted us at our reception with a quote from The Godfather – “May  your first child be a masculine child.” Both named John, they are wonderful people and more importantly friends you can count on no matter what. After first meeting them and discovering how long they had known one another, I held such respect for David. To me, having made and kept life-long friends showed me that he valued genuinely good people and he worked at relationships that were important to him.

In Room T6, we are serious journalists our junior year, 1978-79.

In Room T6, we are serious journalists our junior year, 1978-79.

This is not to say that how long people have known their friends is a measure of their character. But nowadays when everything is so fleeting and many people only see others who intersect in their lives because we’re all too busy – I’ve been guilty of that – it’s touching to recognize when you do have good friends who have seen you through the highs and lows of important times in our lives. It takes a lot of work to maintain those friendships, especially when distance is involved, so to invest in that time and emotional energy is a tribute to them and a testament to friendship.

Graduation, June 1980.

Graduation, June 1980.

Last week I had a short-notice visit from my best friend from high school, Kimi Yniques, who now resides in Boise, Idaho. My good friend Kathy Brackett Verschoor moved away early in our junior year, and Kimi and I were left to being a geeky twosome, inseparable as we sold ads for the school newspaper that year and worked our way to writing and editor positions our senior year. Kimi wrote about sports, having been on the diving and gymnastics teams, while I was an alto in the concert choir and served as the managing editor. Kimi was in the Bay Area for a very brief visit, and we spent hours looking at old pictures and filling in the blanks in our lives for one another. It’s a minor miracle that we became best friends in the first place, as Kimi was and still is a boisterous, outgoing person and I was a painfully shy, quiet, way too serious, bookish person. Somehow we found in one another a kindred spirit. We shared lyrics that meant something to us: For Kimi it was Billy Joel’s “The Stranger” from the 1977 album of the same name, while for me it was Supertramp’s “Take the Long Way Home” from their album Breakfast in America – “Does it feel that your life’s become a catastrophe? Oh, it has to be for you to grow boy.” Such high school angst! But we had each other to work through our angst.

Porterville Junior College graduation, June 1982.

Porterville Junior College graduation, June 1982.

The last time we saw each other was when I was in town for our 30th reunion nearly three years ago. Whereas few friends of mine attended the 25th reunion, which I attended, everyone showed up for the 30th, except for me. While I visit my hometown every Labor Day weekend, David and I celebrate the anniversary of my cousin Janet and her husband, Tim, with a big home-cooked dinner. I missed the raucous reunion party, but a handful of us, including Kimi, got together for breakfast the next morning. And before that? Kimi came out when David and I had a big party at our house after returning from our honeymoon. She was a first-time mom, bringing her infant son Benji, nearly 15 years ago.

Still crazy after all these years.

Still crazy after all these years.

That’s a long time in-between the years and we certainly have flitted in and out of our lives. Once we transferred to four-year universities – Kimi to Fresno State to major in agriculture so she could figure out how to solve the hunger issue and me to UC Davis to write – we pretty much went our separate ways. But a sure sign of good friends is the ability to ignore time and distance, so that when they do get together, the conversation picks up again, effortlessly and comfortably.

Had we gone out that evening, I would have pulled out this floaty gray dress and accessorized with vintage crystals and red accents - shades, lipstick, and purse.

Had we gone out that evening, I would have pulled out this draping, asymmetrical gray dress and open-toe booties, and accessorized with vintage crystals and red accents – shades, lipstick, and purse.

What makes for an enduring friendship is knowing that trust and honesty will always be valued and shared. Kimi was there for me during those emotionally volatile teenage years; we spent countless long nights just talking. We never tired of talking and sharing. She always believed in me. She is one of four friends who read every draft of my novel, including the 1,000-page “ottoman,” and gave straightforward assessments. In fact, she reminded me of the reason I’m in need of one last revision, and now I’m re-energized for that final round.

Kimi is back in Boise. Who knows when we’ll see each other again, but we know we’re a phone call or a keystroke away. I’m lucky for our friendship through the years, but it’s not luck that we are friends. Being open in heart and mind enabled us to find and recognize a kinship. That recognition helps us to honor our friendship, in the face of time and distance.

Crystals abound: End of Century (NYC) necklace made of reclaimed vintage chandelier crystals.

Crystals abound: End of Century (NYC) necklace made of reclaimed vintage chandelier crystals.

Just missing the red lipstick!

Just missing the red lipstick!

Summer family reunions

Posted on by

Rejoice with your family in this beautiful land of life.
– Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist

The Rossi cousins, sans cousin Morgan, at Black Bear Diner in Hanford, CA.

The Rossi cousins, sans cousin Morgan, at Black Bear Diner in Hanford, CA.

When couples have children, they often move back home or closer to home to be near their parents. Luckily, at the time we had children, David and I already lived near our families. Both sides were just an hour and a half away. Beyond their immeasurable help with parental advice and support, we understood how important it was to have our children get to know their grandparents. I never met my dad’s parents, who had passed away long before he had even met my mother. And I never felt that I had gotten to know my mother’s parents very well. My kids never met my father, who passed away months before David could meet him. I’m grateful that they were able to know and spend time with my mother. And they have spent family time and know David’s parents well. Especially now that my mother is gone, it’s so important that they – and David and I – spend more time with his family.

The Rossi clan's summer reunion - sans cousin Morgan - at the Black Bear Diner in Hanford, CA.

The Rossi clan’s summer reunion – sans cousin Morgan – at the Black Bear Diner in Hanford, CA.

You don’t choose who your family is, but if you are lucky, you rejoice in your luck and you take advantage of having a wonderful family by spending time with them and really getting to know and appreciate them, and to be there for them in times of need. You may not always see eye to eye with every sibling or parent, but if both sides are open in heart and mind, you aren’t lucky; you are generous, and you will be rewarded with generosity.

Jacob jumping off of the "rock" at his cousin's pool in Lemoore.

Jacob jumping off of the “rock” at his cousin’s pool in Lemoore.

David’s family gets together at Thanksgiving (with the exception of one of his sibling’s family), Christmas, and one weekend in the summer. We switch hosting Thanksgiving with David’s sister, who lives in San Diego. Last year we hosted in El Cerrito and were joined by David’s aunt and uncle and cousin. And then we all congregate in Stockton where David’s parents live for Christmas. The weekend of the Rossi reunion in the summertime, which David’s brother hosts in his family’s hometown of Lemoore, varies because we have to schedule around travel baseball and volleyball tournaments, family vacations, and work. Last year I didn’t make it because of work deadlines. This year it was all about the family.

David and Isabella enjoying some time in the pool.

David and Isabella enjoying father-daughter time in the pool.

Lemoore is in the Central Valley of California. It is hot – into triple digits temperature wise. There is not much to do there; but that’s not the point. So long as there is a pool – check – and good food and libations – check, check – it’s all about enjoying one another’s company under the shade and watching the kids swim 24/7. Uncle Pat takes the kids to a movie during the hottest part of the day, and when it’s time to retire for the evening the kids crash on air mattresses in the family room. We had food to feed an army: salmon, tilapia, sausage one night and short ribs and sausage the following night, with plenty of peaches and watermelon – the perfect summer food, in my opinion.

The temps may be rising, but you can still look and stay cool with clothes made of natural fibers.

The temps may be rising, but you can still look and stay cool with clothes made of natural fibers.

Sunday morning we head to the Black Bear Diner in Hanford, the next town over, for breakfast for our party of 16. We are a force to be reckoned with, given our numbers. Black Bear Diner, where any meal provides you with a week’s worth of your caloric intake, is for those with big eyes and enormous appetites. I try to choose from the “Lite is Less” section of the menu. After we finish breakfast, the summer reunion comes to a close.

This year, my cousin Janet and her husband Tim dropped us off in Lemoore and then picked us up to take us back to the Bay Area, where the temperatures dipped to the 70s. On the way home, I watched the endless stream of cars in both directions on Interstate 5, everyone going home and ending their vacations and holiday. I was sad for a moment, thinking that the long weekend was coming to a close. But then I felt heartened. I made it to the reunion this summer, and while I still can’t handle the heat of the Central Valley, which makes me lethargic, my heart was light, hearing the kids laughing and chattering and splashing in the pool, catching up with David’s family over grilled food. Family matters, especially as the years go by. Take advantage of your luck and be generous with your family.

Summer is all about bright colors and patterns (purse and silk blouse from Anthropologie).

Summer is all about bright colors and patterns (clutch and silk blouse from Anthropologie).

Creating a Fourth of July tradition

Posted on by

Freedom is the oxygen of the soul.
– Moshe Dayan, Israeli politician

Fourth of July fireworks after the Oakland A's game on July 3rd.

Fourth of July fireworks after the Oakland A’s game on July 3rd.

When I was growing up, though my parents, especially my father, were patriotic, the Fourth of July wasn’t a big holiday for our family. Occasionally we went to Porterville Junior College for the fireworks show at Jamison Stadium. In high school, hanging out with my friends was more important than watching the fireworks, which never interested me as much. As a result, I came to view July 4th as a day off from work as an adult. When you have kids, however, it becomes a different story. Once Jacob began playing youth baseball, we were guaranteed spending the 4th at a baseball tournament in San Bruno, which is down the peninsula.

Jacob, David, and Timbuktu at the Oakland A's game.

Jacob, David, and Timbuktu at the Oakland A’s game.

Play ball!

Play ball!

About five years ago, my cousin Janet and her husband Tim – affectionately known as Timbuktu to our kids – started coming up to visit us. The first year they came up we were invited over to one of our friends’ home up in the hills to have dinner and watch the fireworks, though that year it was too foggy to see the fireworks from Chrissy Field in San Francisco across the bay. Since then, however, we’ve created our own little Fourth of July tradition. Janet and Tim come up to watch Jacob play in a summer baseball tournament. On the 4th we walk over to Cerrito Vista Park for the El Cerrito City’s annual celebration, which includes World One’s music festival. Each year the celebration gets bigger. Then we have an elaborate dinner that David makes, which is always a treat, given that he loves to cook and is a great cook. I’m just the sous chef and the “busgirl” at the end of the evening. The past two years we have invited friends over for dinner on an impromptu basis.

Fans head for the field for the fireworks show.

Fans head for the field for the fireworks show.

An important component to Janet and Tim’s visit is science experiments, which the kids especially look forward to. Tim is an independent science instructor who provides staff training and runs after-school programs, science nights, birthday parties, and summer camps serving the Central Valley, although he runs several summer camps in various towns up and down California such as Ojai and Paso Robles. His company is called Science-Dipity (P.O. Box 801, Porterville, CA, 93258, 559.779.4821). One summer, Janet and Tim came up and did a science birthday party for Jacob in the park. This visit, after the festivities at Cerrito Vista Park, they had a corn starch explosion and shot potatoes from rockets from our balcony, among other experiments.

Fireworks with the Oakland A's.

Fireworks with the Oakland A’s.

Sun-soakers listen to great reggae music at Cerrito Vista's Fourth of July World One concert.

Sun-soakers listen to great reggae music at Cerrito Vista’s Fourth of July World One concert.

Last year, the six of us attended an Oakland A’s game at the Coliseum and watched the fireworks after the game. It was freezing – but that is true Bay Area weather for night baseball. This year we were prepared, with sweatshirts and coats, but it was so balmy that we were comfortable in short sleeves. This year we were also smarter about where we got our seats so we could watch the fireworks without having to move. People are allowed on the field, but we preferred the comfort of our seats over the chaos of getting on and off the field. Whereas the A’s won last year with a 9th inning walk-off – characteristic of the team last year – they lost this year, 1-3. But the fireworks show made up for the loss, and the A’s came back to win on the 4th of July, giving them the series win over the Chicago Cubs. We’ll have to figure out something for next year, as the A’s will probably be on the road; we’ll be making baseball and fireworks a tradition when they are in town.

Janet and me at Cerrito Vista.

Janet and me at Cerrito Vista.

For dinner, David made Mario Batali’s chicken thighs with snap peas and garlic, Batali’s grilled waxy potatoes in red-wine vinegar, corn that Janet and Tim brought up from the Central Valley, and vanilla bean ice cream dusted with crushed English toffee with milk chocolate. It was a late dinner and we finished up dessert just as the fireworks festivities around the Bay Area began. We had one of the clearest evenings for the 4th that we’ve had in years. Lucky us! We saw multiple fireworks from different cities on our balcony. We didn’t see the fireworks coming from the Berkeley marina, but we watched the fireworks coming from San Francisco, Marin, and Richmond. We were also treated to some pretty impressive illegal fireworks. That was an amazing way to end our Fourth of July.

Shooting fireworks with the Oakland A's.

Shooting fireworks with the Oakland A’s.

Lucky again for me, I have Friday off. After a visit to Annie’s Annuals for plant hunting, we’ll play some rounds of Sequence, which is another tradition for our families and a game that Jacob is keen on playing. It will be a shorter visit than in years past, as we disperse later today for family matters. But as we wait for Janet’s blueberry scones to come out of the oven, I take inventory of our Fourth of July, and I’m grateful to have family and a meaningful tradition for this holiday. Our kids are growing up with a much different, richer Fourth of July than I had as a child, which warms my heart, and they will likely carry on such traditions when they have families of their own. If this is a holiday that is just another day off from work, create meaning for you. Create traditions. It makes life that much richer and deeper.

Create or keep Fourth of July traditions in your family.

Create or keep Fourth of July traditions in your family.

Plant a tree, have a child, write a book

Posted on by

(Every man should) plant a tree, have a child, and write a book. These all live on after us, insuring a measure of immortality.
– attributed to the Talmud and Jose Martí, Cuban revolutionary and poet

Vintage Underground's owner Carlos showing off his creations.

Vintage Underground’s owner Carlos showing off his creations.

On my last day of vacation in Chicago a few weeks ago, while on my vintage hunt, I met Carlos, the owner of Vintage Underground (1507 N Milwaukee Avenue, 773.384.7880), a shop that carries clothing, accessories, and jewelry dating from the mid-century. He was receptive to me taking pictures of his store for my blog, and when I finished making my way around the huge basement-level shop, he asked me what my blog was about. I told him it was my way of celebrating entering my 50s by living creatively, fully, and meaningfully. When I mentioned having finished my first novel back in 2006, only to be crushed by receiving 60 rejections from literary agents, Carlos scoffed.

Our ginkgo tree, which we planted in our backyard after we got married nearly 15 years ago.

Our ginkgo tree, one of my favorite kind of trees, which we planted in our backyard after David and I got married nearly 15 years ago.

“Sixty?” he repeated. “That’s nothing!” He proceeded to tell me that he would have stopped at 100, if that. “‘Plant a tree, write a book,'” he said. “Ever hear of that?” When I shook my head, he advised me to look up the Buddhist saying on the Internet. [When I came home, I indeed looked it up and found that there is disagreement about its provenance, but most references seem to give the nod to either the Talmud or Cuban revolutionary and poet Jose Martí. The order of the commandments is also varied. Carlos, as you can see, left out the part about having a child and the reason for doing these things.] For Carlos, the purpose of planting a tree and writing a book was not just about immortality but also expressing yourself, taking delight in these activities, and simply being.

Me and my kids, my heart and soul, downtown, along the Chicago River.

My kids – my heart and soul – and me downtown, along the Chicago River.

He showed me a turn-of-the-century handbag that sported two compartments. He had attached watch parts and gears to one side of the handbag. On the inside, he had inserted various things – a lipstick case and a toy gun – in the elastic straps. He also showed me a necklace and cuff he had made especially for a party he was attending. The watch hanging from a thick chain sprouted wings, while watch parts embellished the wide polished sterling silver cuff. All three pieces evoke a Steampunk aesthetic.

When Carlos told me making jewelry was his form of therapy, I laughed. But he was serious. Why pay someone money to listen to you talk about what’s troubling you and then you leave and that’s that? Here in his shop, he can create something beautiful and feel good about it. The act of creation is joyful, soulful, and meaningful. Other people also appreciate and purchase his creations, and he takes pride knowing they are wearing what he has designed. What he creates lives on. Carlos was on to something. And I fully agree with his philosophy on creation.

Leather and lace for summer.

Enjoy life! With cut-out leather and lace for summer (handbag from The Fickle Bag, Berkeley, CA).

Dress comfortably in the summertime, and dress with confidence.

Dress comfortably in the summertime, but more importantly, dress with confidence.

When I came home and found the full reference to the quote, at various times during that day and following days I pondered how it applied to me. Taken literally, I have done all three – we have planted fruitless cherry, ginkgo, and peach trees in our backyard and twin Aristocrat pear trees in our front yard; I have two children; and I’ve written my first novel, though it still needs one more round before I am ready to say that it’s done. But I realize having done all three is not the end of the journey. Our deciduous trees need their leaves to be raked and composted every fall. Their branches need to be pruned. They need watering. Our children, especially as they head into adolescence, will need just as much guidance, albeit with an invisible hand and eye, as when they were toddlers. And writing a book is a life-long process – one in which you get better as you get older and draw from your life experiences and wisdom. And then the next book is an extension, a growth of the first one, a growth of you. I am a better writer with each piece I write, whether fiction or nonfiction; I am a better writer than certainly seven years ago and even two years ago.

Reliving the nostalgic 70s with bell-bottom lace pants and floppy hat.

Be creative in all you do: Reviving the nostalgic 70s with bell-bottom lace pants and floppy hat.

For me, the original saying could not have come at a better time, when I’m going to be spending the next month and a half doing one last revision on my first novel and then figuring out how to set it free out in the world. There can be variations on the theme – plant vegetables or flowers, help birth babies or baby animals, adopt or mentor a child, write and record a song or design a building or paint a painting or choreograph a dance. Plant a tree, have a baby, write a book – such poetic, yet fierce words. Find your variation on a theme. Rejoice in the act. Become “immortal.” Simply be. Fully alive.

Novel almost done.

Novel almost done!

Chicago: Architectural boat tour and Museum of Science and Industry

Posted on by

What is the chief characteristic of the tall office building? It is lofty. It must be tall. The force and power of altitude must be in it, the glory and pride of exaltation must be in it. It must be every inch a proud and soaring thing, rising in sheer exaltation that from bottom to top it is a unit without a single dissenting line.
– Louis Sullivan, American architect, The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered, 1898

The few brave souls to take the river cruise on a cold June morning.

The few brave souls to take the river cruise on a cold June morning.

A River cruise of Chicago architecture
Upon recommendation of friends, we booked a boat tour of Chicago’s riverfront architecture. The morning of the tour was cold and foggy, but we persevered. The sites were no less impressive. Victor, our tour guide, was well versed in the history of Chicago’s architecture, as was expected, but he was so passionate about sharing that history and being a voice in preserving the riverfront’s architectural integrity. We started at the Navy Pier and worked our way up two of the three forks in the river.

Chicago's riverfront skyscrapers on a foggy morning.

Chicago’s riverfront skyscrapers on a foggy morning.

It is amazing to learn about the history of buildings. For instance, the U.S. postal building was this massive building built in the early twentieth century to accommodate the Federal Reserve printing notes and stock certificates and the large mail-order business of Sears and other retail companies. Snail mail has given way to the Internet as a common form of communication, which has led to the postal building’s demise. It has sat empty for years, awaiting redevelopment plans to transform it into residential and retail use.

The riverfront is home to a mix of buildings – some post-industrial and massive, others tall and slender, and created out of green glass and steel. All rising to create a beautiful cityscape. While there are disputes as to which city had the first skyscraper, Chicago’s Home Insurance Building, completed in 1885 but no longer in existence, has been recognized for being the first to be framed in steel. One of my favorite buildings is the Tribune Tower, with its Gothic crown and flying buttresses. Interestingly, Colonel Robert McCormick, the head of the Chicago Tribune requested that journalists embed fragments of historically significant buildings from all over the world into the base of the Tribune Tower. Such fragments include the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and the Alamo in San Antonio, TX. Another favorite is the Wrigley Building, owned by the chewing gum tycoon, which was the tallest building in Chicago when it was built in the early 1920s.

A skyline of old and new buildings.

A skyline of old and new buildings.

Playing with shadows, magnetic magic, and falling colored chips on a screen.

Playing with shadows, magnetic magic, and falling colored chips on a screen.

Museum of Science and Industry
Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry (5700 South Lake Shore Drive, 773.684.1414), which opened in 1933, is the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere. It houses 35,000 artifacts and nearly 14 acres of scientific experiences, and is located in a massive building near the University of Chicago campus. We were there for five hours, and it wasn’t enough time to see everything that we were interested in seeing. At times overwhelming, the museum is best approached in small chunks; we slowly made our way around each section of the floor, though some exhibits were sold out or we had to make decisions about what we really wanted to see in the amount of time we had.

We saw the film The Last Reef in the Omnimax Theater, a five-story, domed, wraparound theater. The reef is near the Bikini Atoll, part of the Micronesia Islands of the Pacific Ocean. It was amazing to see marine life from the ocean floor, magnified. What stood out for me is seeing the abandoned decommissioned ships and stone statues that are deliberately sunk to encourage coral and other life to grow and create new “communities.” The stone statues are, ironically, people with their eyes closed. Many already were covered with algae and other life forms. The statues are haunting and mesmerizing.

A real German submarine is on display for people to walk through.

A real German submarine is on display for people to walk through.

Jacob’s favorite exhibit was the U-505 submarine, the only German submarine in the United States’ possession. This submarine was captured on June 4, 1944. There were 37 bunk beds in the submarine, but at one time 59 sailors were on the boat, which meant that while men slept in the lice-infested beds, others worked. They were often out to sea for roughly four months, with nary a shower or a washing of their clothes. Isabella’s favorite exhibit was Genetics and the Baby Chick Hatchery, which featured an incubator where new-born chicks had just chipped their way out of their shells. You could see many eggs with cracks, but we’re told that it can take up to 10 hours for a chick to get out of its shell, after 21 days of a hen laying an egg.

The massive Science Storms exhibit.

The massive Science Storms exhibit.

Science Storms was an impressive and expansive exhibit that showed how avalanches and tornadoes are created in large scale. The Great Train Story connects Seattle to Chicago through 1,400 feet of track and more than 20 miniature trains traversing across miniature mountains, valleys, and towns. We all love trains, especially older trains, so it was a thrill to pretend we were traveling on the Silver Streak, the Pioneer Zephyr, which was one of the country’s first diesel-electric streamlined passenger trains. Just like on the airplanes, cars were divided up into coach, business class, and first class, which was a private compartment that seated six in the last car. Farm Tech was a strange exhibit in that it was about the latest innovations in agriculture. Can you say genetically modified organisms?

Checking out how static electricity works.

Checking out how static electricity works.

After returning to the Loop, we attempted to catch dinner at Frontera Grill (445 North Clark Street, 312.661.1434), the Rick Bayless restaurant, well known for its Mexican cuisine. With two starving children, we couldn’t swing the two-hour wait. Another strikeout in terms of enjoying recommended Chicago food. We have not given up on making it to recommended restaurants. Stay tuned.

Airplanes from different time periods soar over a replica of downtown Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Airplanes from different time periods soar over a replica of downtown Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Chicago: The Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Millennium Park, and more

Posted on by

Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning…proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.
– Carl Sandburg, American poet and writer

The first and last time I was in Chicago was for an industry conference three years ago in early April. The first day of the conference at McCormick Place, I looked out the convention center windows with amazement as the snow came “down” horizontally, thanks to the cold and wind off Lake Michigan. Although I stayed a few days after the conference, I didn’t get to see much of the city, but I knew I would return.

The Chicago skyline from the Shedd Aquarium.

The Chicago skyline from the Shedd Aquarium.

So it is June: Here we are on family vacation and I have my check-off list for the week. We gave the kids a list of sites and told them to look them up on the Internet, tell us something about each site, and let us know which ones they were interested in seeing and why. At the top of Isabella’s list was the Shedd Aquarium (1200 South Lake Shore Drive, 312.939.24380) – it was Jacob’s close second. She loves animals and marine animals the most, next to dogs and horses. I admit that thoughts of going off to antique shops while they went to the aquarium came to mind. I figured if you’ve been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium there was no need to go to another aquarium. I was pleasantly surprised.

The tiger shark at the Shedd Museum.

The leopard shark at the Shedd Museum.

The Shedd Aquarium is huge – and not a crowded as Monterey. Isabella got to touch a sturgeon, we saw an exhibit of the marine life from the Great Lakes, we watched some amazing fish swim in the round tank that is the Pritzker Caribbean Reef, and we saw many sharks – including the leopard shark with its interesting tail fin – at the Amazon Rising and Wild Reef exhibits. We took in the aquatic show of beluga whales, penguins, and dolphins. I’m not usually a fan of watching these kinds of shows, but our emcee explained that they train the animals, which happens to be conveniently entertaining, in order to get them used to being handled for their medical check-ups. I appreciated knowing that piece of information. For the kids’ sake, I endured the Ice Age 4D mini-movie, which was also shown at the aquarium.

The impressive Field Museum.

The impressive Field Museum.

After the aquarium, we walked over to the Field Museum (1400 South Lake Shore Drive, 312.922.9410), Chicago’s natural history museum. We watched a 3D movie on the woolly mammoths and the other big animals of the Ice Age, saw a lot of dinosaur casts and original skeletons, including Sue, the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton ever discovered. Jacob used to love dinosaurs, and he and Isabella had a field day naming them all, which were housed in the sprawling and comprehensive Evolving Planet exhibit.

Sue the T-Rex.

Sue the T-Rex.

We had spent so many hours at the aquarium that we rushed through the Field Museum, which is impressive for its massive building and numerous exhibits. We’ll have to catch the Inside Ancient Egypt and the other exhibits another time. I recognized Bushman, the giant gorilla who was orphaned as an infant and lived the rest of his life in captivity at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo. I remembered reading about him when I was a child and being intrigued by photos of him, especially his human facial expressions. When he died on New Year’s Day 1951, his massive body was stuffed and is on exhibit at the Field Museum.

The peaceful Lurie Garden in Millennium Park, with the city skyline above.

The peaceful Lurie Garden in Millennium Park, with the city skyline above.

We walked back from the two sites along the waterfront. It was a balmy warm late afternoon, perfect for seeing the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain in Grant Park and the Lurie Garden – with its wooden walkways and shallow troughs of water that was home to coins and weary bare feet, including my daughter’s – at Millennium Park. From there we walked through a free concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, which was designed by Frank Geary, who – David tells me – is a famous contemporary architect who designed, among other structures, the Disney Opera House in Los Angeles. The kids weren’t interested in staying for the concert, but afterwards I ventured back to listen to the music of Daniel Lanois, who is a producer for artists such as Bob Dylan and Peter Gabriel but also a songwriter and musician, known for his pedal-steel infused music.

Millennium Park hosts terrific free concerts all summer long.

Millennium Park hosts terrific free concerts all summer long.

After a long walk, the kids were relieved when we finally came upon one of our destinations – The Bean. I’d seen it before, but it is such a mesmerizing sculpture that I don’t think I will ever tire of or be jaded seeing it again. I was also looking forward to showing them the Crown Fountain, with its twin glass towers facing each other and faces of local residents reflected on the glass. After a certain amount of time they open their mouths to spout out a stream of water. When I first saw it, nobody was around with a chill in the April air. But today the shallow pool between the glass towers was a noisy playground, with a bunch of screaming kids in swimsuits skipping and running through the water and then clamoring beneath the gushing water coming from the towers’ mouths. It was a quintessential Chicago summer scene.

The Bean in all its polished glory.

The Bean in all its polished glory.

We returned to Lurie Garden because The Purple Pig (500 North Michigan Avenue, 312.464.1744), which was highly recommended to us, was too crowded to get in. Dark clouds scuttled above us and soon sprinkles and then a light rain fell. We left our umbrellas at our hotel room, but I’m not sure we would have opened them if we’d had them, given that nobody seemed to notice the rain at all. It is the difference between hardy Midwesterners and Californians.

View of The Bean from underneath.

View of The Bean from underneath.

We ended up eating a late dinner at The Gage (24 South Michigan Avenue, 312.372.4243), which was recommended by local friend Maria Diecidue and not too far from where our hotel is. It’s a boisterous tavern restaurant. Jacob and I ordered seared sea scallops with Korean BBQ short ribs and Chinese broccoli with toasted peanuts and kimchi, which was nicely paired with a smooth Oregon pinot noir. After eating the tender scallops, I realized that all the scallops I have eaten before in my life have been overcooked. Isabella ordered chicken strips and fries. Being a French fry fiend, I couldn’t help reaching across the table to snag some fries. I couldn’t stop eating them. Crispy on the outside, the fries had a consistency inside that was like whipped potatoes – light and fluffy and like “buttah” – seriously. I have never had a better French fry, and I fear none will ever come close.

The Crowne Fountain spouts off.

The Crown Fountain spouts off.

We’re staying at the Congress Plaza Hotel (520 South Michigan Avenue, 312.427.3800), which is close to many of the attractions on our list. It’s a historic hotel, of which many former Presidents have been guests. David pointed out that it is old in the classic European way. And, in the classic European tradition, we have a room with a view. The “L” train rumbles through the Loop below us and the skyline is graced with the Willis (nee Sears to the locals and will always be referred to as the Sears) Tower and the rooftop of the Chicago Public Library’s Harold Washington Library Center branch, with its painted aluminum – to look like copper with patina – owls sheltered by acroteria at the corners of the building. The architectural history, the architecture overall, the Loop – it doesn’t get any better than this.

My blog tradition of posting my room with a view.

My blog tradition of posting my room with a view.