Category Archives: Places to See

Destinations worth the journey

Portland, Maine: my summer home

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I share the best
thing I can make – this stitching
together the memory
and heart-scrap, this wish
– Wesley McNair, Poet Laureate of Maine, from “Reading Poems at the Grange Meeting in What Must Be Heaven,” collected in My Brother Running

Beautiful downtown Portland, Maine.

Beautiful downtown Portland, Maine.

I’ve been coming to Portland, Maine, in August for the last eight years. My company is based in New Gloucester, Maine, and one of my dearest friends and later boss lives in The Pine Tree State. Jack and I met at Syracuse University when we were fiction writers in the Creative Writing Program back in 1988. Yes, I know, that was a long time ago. Jack and his business partner started a publishing company in the early 2000s, and he took me on as a freelancer shortly thereafter.

I was still a freelancer at the time when I started coming to the summer summits, which commenced two years before, but have been an FTE in the last three years. Ever since that first summer summit, I have stayed with Jack and his family – he met his wife, Fay, our second year at Syracuse – for the weekend and then the company summit would begin that Monday and Tuesday. In August 2010, my family came with me, and we explored the wonderful islands in the Portland area before heading to Boston for the rest of our family vacation.

Best bakery in and out of Portland.

Best bakery in and out of Portland.

I still remember the wonder of looking out the window of the plane for the first time before landing in Portland and seeing all the quaint but sturdy New England-style homes on the waterfront and the boats with their beautiful, billowy white sails in the still water. Jack and Fay’s three kids – Genny, Nick, and Camille – taught me the proper way to eat a lobster. There is nothing like fresh Maine lobster, such that I heed Jack’s warning to never order lobster at a restaurant lest I wish to be disappointed. It’s true.

Baked goods at The Standard Baking Co.

Baked goods and customer service with a smile at The Standard Baking Co.

Through the years, I’ve been lucky enough to take advantage of my downtime to dash to downtown Portland and enjoy the brick sidewalks and storybook shops, and take in the fresh salt air. This year, the grandmother of one of Jacob’s baseball teammates who hails from Boston recommended that I go to The Standard Baking Co. (75 Commercial Street, Portland, ME, 04101, 207.773.2112), which is well-known not only in Portland but in New England and beyond. We stopped on a Saturday afternoon, and the small shop was hopping as people came in and out on a continuous basis (no exaggeration here). I had to try the chocolate chip cookies, which did not disappoint. I’m told that their breads and pastries are equally delicious. Definitely a destination if you’re ever in Portland.

The well-curated Second Time Around.

The well-curated Second Time Around.

I hit Second Time Around (28 Exchange Street, Portland, 207.761.7037), a consignment shop that has several locations on the East Coast. The Portland shop is small but well curated, which means you can swoop in and out fairly quickly. Although supersize vintage and consignment shops can produce the thrill-of-the-hunt adrenalin, oftentimes and lately they overwhelm me. In the past, I have found a Nanette Lepore brocade jacket and a vintage 1940s jacket for a song. This stop, I snagged a Marc Jacobs embellished cropped cardigan. Other favorite shops in the downtown area include Abacus Gallery (44 Exchange Street, 207.772.4880), which features Elizabeth Ng jewelry made of antique buttons; Se Vende Imports (4 Exchange Street, Portland, 207.761.1808), which has beautiful imported jewelry ranging from inexpensive to $$$; and Wyler’s (92 Exchange Street, Portland, 207.775.0751), a gift shop featuring unusual greeting cards, jewelry, clothing, shoes, and everything in inbetween.

A plaque on Exchange Street highlights the historical importance of second-hand clothing stores during the Underground Railroad and for African-Americans.

A plaque on Exchange Street highlights the historical importance of second-hand clothing stores during the Underground Railroad and for African-Americans.

I didn’t make it to the vintage shops Encore, Material Objects, or Pinecone+Chickadee, with the latter two also offering locally crafted goods, on Saturday, but we’ll see if I can slip it in before I return home. The other thing I failed to do is take a picture of a beautiful home typical of the area with the caption of “my next home.” There is always a next time!

When we were island hopping back in 2010, the area reminded me of Robert McCloskey’s wonderful children’s books – Blueberries for Sal, A Time of Wonder, and One Morning in Maine – and Barbara Cooney’s Miss Rumphius. It reminded me of the wish to have given my kids an annual summer vacation on an island, where they could hop on their bikes and take off, fish, and play in the water while I read novels under the cumulus clouds and brilliant sun. In the evenings we would eat leisurely dinners on a deck under the stars, where it is warm with a slight breeze. The days stretch on seemingly without end. And the water, the water is all glass.

The quintessential summer in Maine.

The quintessential summer in Maine.

Plant a tree, have a child, write a book

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(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: Vintage love in Wicker Park

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Hipsters: A subculture of men and women typically in their 20’s and 30’s that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. The greatest concentrations of hipsters can be found living in the Williamsburg, Wicker Park, and Mission District neighborhoods of major cosmopolitan centers such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, respectively.
– The Urban Dictionary

The Vintage Underground beckons patrons to "Come down...it's fun!"

The Vintage Underground beckons patrons to “Come down…it’s fun!”

Our vacation to Chicago would not have been complete, in my estimation, without the thrill of a vintage hunt. I didn’t have time before our trip to conduct research, so I did a quick Internet search of antique and vintage shops while in town, trying to narrow it down to walkable places within the Loop. If I had my way, I would have set aside an entire day, ideally two days, to hop from one vintage shop to another. As is, I only had a precious three hours on our last day in Chicago. My strategy: Curate and find two shops near one another that had stellar reviews. Given my time constraint, I figured I would spend quality time in a couple of places.

Not knowing which neighborhood was my destination, I struck out for W. North Avenue. It took some effort to find the Blue line train, but once I did, I was on my way to the thrill of the hunt. It turns out I was in Wicker Park, a neighborhood described as hipster not only by the Urban Dictionary but by Forbes and Nextdoor.com, which ranked Wicker Park fourth in its Top 10 “Hippest Hipster Neighborhood” in the U.S. And it turns out, as a hipster place, Wicker Park was at the epicenter of vintage shops.

Strands of pearls at Vintage Underground.

Strands of pearls at Vintage Underground.

My first stop was Vintage Underground (1834 W. North Avenue, 773.252.4559), an unassuming basement establishment. When I reached the last step, I was greeted by a friendly young sales assistant who, upon letting her know of my vintage love and blog, happily let me take pictures of the 3,500-foot shop, which housed a dizzying number of mirrored display cases dripping with vintage costume jewelry, ranging from mid-century on up. This was not a vintage basement, it was vintage heaven, like Twentieth Century in Boston.

Display cases are brimming with mid to late 20th century costume jewelry.
Brimming with mid to late 20th century costume jewelry, display cases are organized by color or type of jewelry.

But Vintage Underground had jewelry whose price tags range from very affordable to I’ll just admire longingly from afar. The shop has more than just jewelry. It carries purses, shoes, clothes, and other accessories, but I don’t look at clothes when I’m in a time crunch or when there is so much inventory that I am overwhelmed, as was my case today. I can quickly scan display cases and see what catches my eye. Despite the amount of jewelry on display, they are grouped by type of jewelry – rhinestone, pearls, colored rhinestones, and so on – which enables efficient scanning. I completed my once-over and then honed in for the kill.

Unusual vintage purses are also on display.

Unusual vintage purses are also on display.

I wish I had asked the sales assistant for her name, so I could do a shout out on her behalf by name. She was incredibly helpful and cheerful. I had spied a tall display case with unusual jewelry. It belonged to the owner, Carlos, who fuses steampunk-style parts such as watch gears to vintage or antique jewelry and accessories to create original pieces. The sales assistant showed me gleaming wide silver cuffs with watch parts and a necklace with a silver bullet. Carlos appeared, and I had a great conversation with him – so great that it will be a blog topic on Wednesday! One of the things I love to do in vintage shops is get a feel for the shop and a sense of the owner and/or the people who work there.

Rhinestones, anyone?

Icy rhinestones, anyone?

Carlos and the sales assistant recommended that I check out their sister store, Vintage Underground Boutique (1507 N. Milwaukee Avenue, 773.384.7880), a curated vintage shop styled as a boutique just a few blocks away. The sales assistant was kind enough to escort me there. I loved the boutique concept and enjoyed looking at their jewelry, though I didn’t have time to check out the great selection of dresses. It was back to the Underground, where I settled on two unsigned pieces – an etched sterling silver tiny purse on a long sterling silver chain and an ornate chocker locket. I’m told that both are Victorian, but I’d love verification. I have not been able to find similar pieces online, so if anyone can shed light on these pieces, I’d appreciate help learning more about them. My neighbor, an eBay veteran, thought the chocker was a mourning locket. Regardless of their age, among the many wonderful pieces at Vintage Underground, those two were the ones I kept coming back to, which meant they were coming home with me.

Victorian chocker with locket.

Victorian chocker with locket.

Sterling silver miniature etched purse on a long sterling silver chain.

Sterling silver miniature etched purse on a long sterling silver chain.

While walking back to the Blue Line train station, I retraced my steps to N. Milwaukee Avenue and found Store B Vintage (1472 N. Milwaukee Avenue, 773.772.4296) and Eskell (1509 N. Milwaukee Avenue, 773.486.0830), which were on my original list. I didn’t find anything at Store B Vintage. Eskell was also on my list. This boutique carries contemporary brands and its own line, which is vintage inspired. Happily, I managed to find a couple of pieces of jewelry here by local jewelry designer Laura Lombardi, who was profiled by Refinery29 back in April.

It was time to head back, though I am sure there are probably other vintage or unique shops on this busy street that I didn’t see. As I waited on the platform for my train back, I saw a street faire going on below. Oh to have one more day in Chicago! Under three hours – including subway and walking time – is not adequate time to explore vintage shops in any city – let alone Chicago – but I think I made a pretty good go of it.

Laura Lombardi's necklaces are made from reclaimed vintage brass findings.

Laura Lombardi’s necklaces are made from reclaimed vintage brass findings. The necklace on the right is a vintage locket hung on a six-inch single strand and then attached to the loop that goes around the neck. Both necklaces from Eskell.

The Purple Pig
We finally made it to the Purple Pig, which is downtown, on the Magnificent Mile (500 N. Michigan Avenue, 312.464.1744). Our strategy was to get there right at five, when dinner is served, and we had no problem getting seated at a communal table this time around. The Purple Pig – whose tag line is “cheese, swine & wine” – was voted one of the 10 best new restaurants in America by Bon Appétit Magazine in 2010. We know why! The kids told us they weren’t hungry at all when we were seated, but once we looked at the menu and our waiter answered our questions, suddenly the kids were hungry – and they had no trouble eating.

The Purple Pig is starting to fill up and the servers are whizzing by.

The Purple Pig is starting to fill up with customers and the servers are whizzing by.

We started off with antipasti – Broccoli with Roasted Garlic & Anchovy Vinaigrette and Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Pecorino Noce & Parmigiano Reggiano. Then on to the a la Plancha: Isabella downed her Razor Clams with Oregano, Lemon & Olive Oil, Jacob and I ordered Scallop Spiedini with Chickpea Aioli, and David had the Prosciutto Crusted Cobia with Manila Clams & Sea Beans. David and I shared a bottle of Pasion De Bobal 2010, a Spanish varietal of the Valencia grape. We had to order a plate of cheeses, since it was one of their specialties, and while we were stuffed, we couldn’t pass up the dolci – Grandma D’s Chocolate Cake with Almond & Orange Marmellata and Bread Pudding with Marsala & Citrus. We were very content when we waddled out and we were happy we made it to the Purple Pig. We didn’t have another opportunity to try Fontina Grill, so we’ll have to try the next time we’re in Chicago. It was a great trip, but I have to add – which has become my mantra – I wish I had another day or two.

The Purple Pig is tucked away from N. Michigan Avenue.

The Purple Pig is tucked away off N. Michigan Avenue.

Chicago: The Art Institute and Willis Tower

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Technique does not constitute art. Nor is it a vague, fuzzy romantic quality known as ‘beauty,’ remote from the realities of everyday life. It is the depth and intensity of an artist’s experience that are the first importance in art.
– Grant Wood, American painter, Midwestern Regionalism

The iconic lion appropriately sporting a Seahawks helmet.

The iconic lion appropriately sporting a Blackhawks helmet.

Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago (111 S Michigan Avenue, 312.443.3600) was established in 1879, although the museum moved to its current location after the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition closed. The massive Beaux-Arts style building is one million square feet, making it the second largest art museum in the country next to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Once again, here is a museum that you can spend an entire day and not see it all. The two bronze lion statues flanking the museum were sporting Chicago Blackhawks helmets, as the Stanley Cup Finals were being held while we were there the week of June 17th [they won after we left].

Renoir's Two Sisters, 1881.

Renoir’s Two Sisters, 1881.

The museum has impressive Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections. It was thrilling to walk into one of the rooms and see paintings I’ve seen in art books and studied in art history class. Such was the case with Mary Cassatt’s The Child’s Bath (1893), Toulouse-Lautrec’s At the Moulin Rouge (1892), Renoir’s By the Water (1880) and Two Sisters (On the Terrace) (1881), van Gogh’s Self-portrait (1887) and Bedroom in Arles (1888), and Monet’s series of wheat stacks (1890s). Unfortunately, we saw Grant Wood’s American Gothic (1930) from the entryway, as paintings were being installed and therefore the room was roped off.

Grant Wood's American Gothic, 1930.

Grant Wood’s American Gothic, 1930.

We didn’t see Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks (1942), and Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-1886) and Caillebotte’s Paris Street; Rainy Day were temporarily removed for the Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity exhibit (June 26 through September 22), which we were six days off from the opening. Of course, this means putting the museum back on the list of places to see on a return trip to Chicago.

The Print Collector, 1857-1863.

Daumier’s Print Collector, 1857-1863.

Resting, 1887.

Mancini’s Resting, 1887.

Amid all of the rock stars, the two paintings that stood out for me were The Print Collector (1857-1863), an oil on cradled panel piece by Frenchman Honoré-Victorin Daumier, for its haunting quality and use of light and dark, and Antonio Mancini’s Resting (circa 1887), an oil on canvas painting whose thick brushstrokes evoked glass, fabric, and skin. Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones’ Shoe Shop was memorable for me for her rendering of fabric, especially the white blouses of the women. Finally, I love how John Singer Sargent drapes the fabric of the curtains and his models’ clothes with his fine brushstrokes and intense colors, such as the brilliant whites and sparkling sapphires.

Sparhawk-Jones' Shoe Shop, circa 1911.

Sparhawk-Jones’ Shoe Shop, circa 1911.

John Singer Sargen's The Fountain Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy, 1920.

John Singer Sargent’s The Fountain Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy, 1920.

A Thorne miniature room.

A Thorne miniature room.

The Thorne Miniature Rooms delighted me because I have loved dollhouses and miniature furniture since I was a child. Mrs. James Ward Thorne – nee Narcissa Hoffman Niblack, who wed her childhood sweetheart, the son of the co-founder of Montgomery Ward & Co. in 1901 – came up with the idea of creating miniature rooms, with a scale of 1 inch to 1 foot, from Europe’s late 13th century to the 1930s and America’s late 17th century to the 1930s. The 68 rooms have been on permanent exhibit since 1954. The Indiana native, who lived in Lake Forest, IL, but had an apartment and studio in Chicago, sought master craftsmen to build the rooms in her studio from 1932 to 1940, which included textile masterpieces such as the room-size rugs, wallpaper, and paintings. One of the rooms is an impressive miniature of the inside of a European cathedral. They are mesmerizing to look at. I wish I had more time to inspect the craftsmanship, the painstaking details. How fun it must have been to watch them take shape and for the artisans to be asked to bring their craft to this project.

A closer look at one of the rooms. Note the details everywhere!

A closer look at one of the rooms. Note the details everywhere!

Looking down on skyscrapers from the Skydeck.

Looking down on skyscrapers from the Skydeck.

Willis Tower
No visit to Chicago, especially for kids, is complete without going to the top of Willis Tower (233 S Wacker Drive, 312.875.0066), formerly the Sears Tower, which is what native Chicagoans still call this architectural giant. In 2009, the Willis Group, which has offices in the building, got the rights to rename the tower. At 110 stories, 443 meters, or 1,450 feet, Willis Tower used to be the tallest building in the world. Dispute over counting antennae (Willis Tower stands at 1,730 if you include its antennae) and spires as part of the height aside, that honor belongs to Burj Khalifa at 2,722 feet tall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which was built in 2010. Willis Tower used to be the tallest building in the U.S., but that honor now belongs to the newest World Trade Tower that was recently completed, according to our architectural tour guide on our river boat excursion.

If you go down the south fork of the Chicago River you would hit the Gulf of Mexico in one week.

If you go down the south fork of the Chicago River you would hit the Gulf of Mexico in one week.

Willis Tower currently holds the distinction of being the eighth tallest freestanding structure in the world. It cost Sears, Roebuck & Co., then the largest retailer in the world with 350,000 employees, $150 million to build a structure that would enable it to consolidate its thousands of workers in the Chicago area. Work began in 1970 with 2,000 workers on site and opened in 1973. Skidmore, Owens and Merrill’s Bruce Graham led the architecture team, with Fazlur Khan as the structural engineer, which, of course, was of interest to David.

Stepping back for a more expansive view below.

Stepping back for a more expansive view below.

Supposedly you can see four states – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin – from the Skydeck on the 103rd floor, some 40 to 50 miles out, but unless you know what you’re looking at, you just appreciate that impressive fact. We went to the top when dusk was settling over the city, and met a bustling crowd. The elevators operate at 1,600 feet per minute! It figures that people would want to see the skyscrapers at night with their winking lights, and not surprising, given that 1.3 visitors come to the Skydeck every year.

We stood in line for one of the four glass balconies, called the “Ledge,” which extends out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper’s Skydeck, 1,353 feet in the air. Built to hold 10,000 pounds and withstand four tons of pressure, the Ledge nonetheless swayed, according to David. A confessed acrophobic, I was actually too busy trying to get our family in a pose and have the group behind us take a good picture. Thank goodness for my preoccupation! While not one to do these kinds of tourist activities, I admit that it was thrilling to have such an expansive view, which literally took my breath away.

On the "Ledge," with downtown Chicago below us.

On the “Ledge,” with downtown Chicago below us.

Chicago: Oak Park’s Frank Lloyd Wright and “Papa” Hemingway

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I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.
– Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect and interior designer, Truth Against the World: Frank Lloyd Wright Speaks for an Organic Architecture

The front of Frank Lloyd Wright's first home and studio.

The front of Frank Lloyd Wright’s first home and studio.

When traveling with children, adults have to find the balance between visiting sites that children will enjoy and doing things they will enjoy. On our third day of our Chicago vacation from last week, it was our turn: We took the train to Oak Park, which is 10 miles west of the Chicago Loop, to tour Frank Lloyd Wright’s first home and studio and the other homes that he designed. While our kids weren’t thrilled to walk to 20 sites, they retained some of the information from the audio portion of the tour, which I consider a small victory.

Exterior detail of Wright's home.

Exterior detail of Wright’s home.

Oak Park became a destination for Chicagoans who fled for wide open spaces after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which killed hundreds and destroyed more than three miles of the city. So just in case the house next door went up in flames, one’s property line would be far enough away to be safe from catching fire. Our touring day could not have been any better – warm but pleasant, with low humidity and a slight breeze. Led by a guide, we saw his home and attached studio first, which had beautiful stained-glass and leaded-glass windows, built-ins, interesting ceiling lines, and sconces that showed off a house wired for electricity.

The beautiful children's room.

The beautiful children’s room.

Wright’s mother, to whom he was very close and who bought the house next door to his home, knew he was going to become a famous architect. His mother, who was a teacher, fostered this belief by hanging photos of buildings around his crib. The top floor of his home features a very large open room that was called the children’s room. He didn’t believe that children should be seen and not heard – the prevailing Victorian attitude. An interesting piece of information: His mother and wife developed the concept of kindergarten – no doubt in that great room – by letting their children play with building blocks, which was the foundation for the kindergarten curriculum. In addition, Wright’s son created Lincoln Logs.

The Frank Thomas House, 1901, 210 Forest Avenue.

The Frank Thomas House, 1901, 210 Forest Avenue, Oak Park.

Wright had to borrow money from his mentor and boss, Louis Sullivan, whom he called Lieber Meister for beloved master, in order to build the house for his wife and growing family. Sullivan helped shape Wright’s career and influenced what became known as the Prairie School of Architecture. They parted ways when Sullivan discovered that Wright had designed a number of homes on the side, which was a violation of his contract. The many homes we saw on the tour were in fact Wright’s early bootleg homes. They all represented the Prairie School of Architecture’s philosophy of being close to Nature. The style is characterized by earthy interior and exterior colors, horizontal lines, obscured front doors, rows of vertical windows, and integration with the landscape. The massive Unity Church was an artistic breakthrough for Wright, who realized while designing and building this church that “the reality of the building is the space within” – in other words, the walls and roof don’t define the building.

The Frederick C. Robie house in Chicago.

The Frederick C. Robie house in Chicago.

We also toured the Robie House (5757 South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, 312.994.4000), which is a U.S. National Historic Landmark located on the campus of the University of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Wright considered this house the crowning achievement of the Prairie style and ultimately the structure that he cared about the most in terms of preservation. Designed and built between 1908 and 1911 for Frederick Robie, a successful businessman, and his family, the house cost nearly $60,000, which is the equivalent to approximately $1.3 million today. Interestingly enough, the built-in dining room cabinets are made of plywood, which at the time was a new technologically advanced building material.

The Nathan G. Moore House, 1895/1923, 333 Forest Avenue.

The Nathan G. Moore House, 1895/1923, 333 Forest Avenue, Oak Park.

Robie only lived there for a little over a year; he was forced to sell to pay off his father’s debts when his father passed away and his wife divorced him after finding out about his mistress and his frequent trips to brothels. Two more families lived in the house, with the last family selling it to a seminary, which turned it into a dormitory for married students. Two plans to demolish the house were defeated, with the last attempt in 1957 bringing out Wright, at age 90, to protest via a press conference. The house was saved and donated to the University of Chicago in 1963, and has been undergoing restoration since 1997 by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. There is still much to be done before the house is returned to its former glory, but historians have been working painstakingly to ensure that the house reflects its original state.

Hills-DeCaro House, 1896/1906, 313 Forest Avenue.

Hills-DeCaro House, 1896/1906, 313 Forest Avenue, Oak Park.

I have long been a fan of Arts and Crafts, Art Deco, and Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, mostly for their devotion to simplicity and attention to detail. Seeing the intricate patterns in the stained-glass windows and rugs and lighting fixtures, the murals in his first house, and the built-ins was definitely a spiritual moment for me and a very moving experience – you truly feel close to Nature. If you’re ever in Chicago, touring Oak Park and the architectural buildings in the City is a must to fully appreciate the history of this great area.

Hemingway’s legacy in Oak Park
As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.
– Ernest Hemingway, American author and journalist

Paying homage to "Papa" Hemingway in front of the house of his birth.

Paying homage to “Papa” Hemingway.

By the time we finished up our Frank Lloyd Wright tour and walked to Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace (339 N Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60302, 708.848.2222), I only had an hour to do either the tour of his birthplace home or the museum. I could not do both. I stole a glance around the first floor of the three-story Victorian house, which was decorated in period style. When I was told by the guides that the tour focused on the first six years of his life in his grandfather’s house (his family moved afterwards to a house that his mother designed and had built) and that the museum, which is located in the Oak Park Arts Center (200 N Oak Park Avenue) a few blocks away, was comprehensive and focused on his writing career, I opted for the museum – while the kids grabbed a bite to eat. My appetite was literary.

The Oak Park Center, which houses the Hemingway Museum.

The Oak Park Center, which houses the Hemingway Museum.

I wish I could have done both, but the museum was a treasure trove of Hemingway memorabilia and had numerous artifacts that required more than an hour of one’s time to see and read everything, including two videotapes that were running in a loop. Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, and went to school through high school in Oak Park.

I took a seminar on Hemingway when I was an undergrad at UC Davis, and I loved reading his novels and short stories, sharing and discussing what was going on in his stories, and examining the structure and rhythm of his sentences and the choice of his words. One of the best pieces of advice Hemingway has given to other writers is his famous theory of omission, from Death in the Afternoon: If a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing. He also wrote, “Never confuse movement with action,” which is another great lesson for writers.

The crowded room that housed myriad photos and other memorabilia from Hemingway's life.

The crowded room that housed myriad photos and other memorabilia from Hemingway’s life.

I knew that he was an ambulance driver during WWI and was injured by trench mortar and machine gun fire while passing out supplies to soldiers in Italy in 1918. I knew that he fell in love with one of the nurses who cared for him and that she eventually gave in to his advances, but when he returned to the States, she wrote him a Dear John letter. It was fascinating to read Agnes Von Kurowsky’s letter. Little did she know that her letter would be displayed in a museum for all to read!

Some interesting things I learned: His high school teachers gave him a solid foundation for his writing. One teacher in particular had her pupils imitate the writing styles of well-known authors, which I think is a great exercise. Instead of going to college, Hemingway became a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star newspaper, which taught him to be the writer that he best known for: short sentences, short first paragraphs, and vigorous English. There were so many things to see and read that I could not get through in an hour. Another trip to Chicago warrants another trip to Oak Park, which is also a quaint, bucolic town by itself. After leaving the museum, I felt inspired and look forward to rereading some of Hemingway’s classic novels and short stories.

I leave you with this Hemingway quote: “My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.”

The Simpson Dunlop House, 1896 by E. E. Roberts, 417 Kenilworth Avenue. Not a Wright design, but just another beautiful home in Oak Park.

The Simpson Dunlop House, 1896 by E. E. Roberts, 417 Kenilworth Avenue. Not a Wright design, but just another beautiful home in Oak Park.

Chicago: Wrigley Field tour, rain delay, and a Cubs win

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Hello again, everybody. It’s a bee-yoo-tiful day for baseball.
– Harry Caray, American baseball broadcaster

The iconic red sign.

The iconic red sign.

We celebrated Jacob’s 13th birthday last Friday by taking the Wrigley Field Tour in the morning, enduring a three-hour rain delay, and watching the Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros, 3-1 – all runs scored by solo shots. All told, we were there almost 11 hours, much to the chagrin of our 10-year-old daughter who claims that she hates baseball (clearly not her mother’s daughter).

The hand-turned scoreboard doesn't include all the teams in order to retain its original form.

The hand-turned scoreboard doesn’t include all the teams in order to retain its original form.

After touring Fenway Park in Boston three summers ago, we definitely had to tour Wrigley Field, which is the second-oldest ballpark next to Fenway in all of Major League Baseball (MLB) and oldest National League ballpark. Wrigley Field was once a seminary, but when the train ran past it and it was no longer a quiet place to meditate, Charles Weeghman bought it, named the park after himself, and was home to the Chicago Whales as part of the Chicago Federal League. Weeghman Park held its first game in April 1914. The financially troubled league folded the following year, but Weeghman purchased the Cubs and moved the National League team to the 14,000-seat park to play its first game in April 1916. The Wrigley family purchased the team from Weeghman in 1920 and in 1926 it was renamed Wrigley Field after owner William Wrigley Jr., who was a chewing gum magnate. (Side story: Wrigley sold laundry detergent and other cleaning products and attached chewing gum on the bottles as a perk; when people started buying his products just for the chewing gum, he ditched the products and stuck to selling chewing gum. Smart businessman!)

Enjoying Astros infield practice.

Enjoying Astros infield practice.

In 1937, the bleachers and original, hand-turned scoreboard were constructed when the outfield was renovated to accommodate more seating. The park had no fence in the early days; Cubs fans held a rope that they lowered when the Cubs were up at bat and held it up higher and farther back when the opposing team came to the plate. MLB banned that practice, and the Cubs built a wooden fence, with ivy – which is original to this day – planted in three days in 1937. If a baseball lands in the ivy, the outfielder holds up his hands and the ball is a ground-rule double. If the outfielder decides to go after the ball in the ivy, the ball is live and he’d better know where that ball is. It’s not unusual for two balls to pop out of the ivy – as many balls are hit there during batting practice – at which time the ball is live. When the wind blows across the ivy wall, the leaves change color as they ripple in the wind; it’s a poetic and beautiful moment.

Wrigley rooftop seats across the park before game time.

Wrigley rooftop seats across the park before game time.

Because Wrigley Field is smack dab in a residential area, games were played during the day. The neighborhood opposed night games because of fear of mayhem at night but agreed to have lights installed in 1988 when the Cubs threatened to leave Wrigley Field. MLB would not allow the Cubs to play in their own park for post-season games because night games commanded more television telecast revenue. However, only 30 out of the 80 home games are played in the evenings, which was a compromise to residents. People used to watch the games from the rooftops on the outfield side of the park until the Cubs and MLB complained, citing safety reasons, but, of course, they also weren’t able to charge admission for those viewers. Local bar owners worked with the building owners to reinforce the buildings to support bleachers, which incited further anger from the Cubs because they still weren’t getting ticket receipts from the fans in those bleachers, which look quite nice from afar. After the Cubs installed opaque strips to the outer nets to obscure viewing, the bar and building owners came to an agreement with the Cubs, which allowed the team to receive a percentage of the rooftop bleacher ticket revenues.

Filling up with fans.

Filling up with fans and a view of the iconic ivy walls.

Posing with Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks, who dubbed Wrigley Field "the Friendly Confines."

Posing with Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks, who dubbed Wrigley Field “the Friendly Confines.”

Wrigley kept the team in the family for more than six decades but the latest heir sold it to the Chicago Tribune for $21 million in 1981, which turned around and sold the team and the field to the Ricketts family, whose father began Ameritrade, for $900 million in 2009. Our tour guide put the cost of owning a Major League baseball team in perspective: Second baseman Ryne Sandberg’s contract in the 1980s was approximately $24 million – more than what the Wrigley family sold the team for just years earlier. The latest dispute with the Cubs owner and neighbors is over erecting a Jumbotron in left field, which would obstruct the view and erase the old-time feel of the park, which currently has approximately 41,000 seats. At first blush, you don’t get an immediate sense – like you do at Fenway – that the park is old, but the exposed steel structure and the columns, which were constructed in 1927 to uphold the upper decks and as a result obstruct the view of some seats, and the original manually operated scoreboard, ivy wall, and minimal electronic signage retain the charm of an old ballpark.

Wind and rain descend delaying the game for three hours.

Wind and rain descend, delaying the game for three hours.

Rain delay, then let’s play ball
I’ve never experienced a rain delay of a ballgame, having gone to many Oakland A’s and SF Giants games for years. Amazingly, after a quick nap, the time didn’t drag, even for Isabella. We spent the tour panting in the heat and humidity, and then donned our sweaters and jackets when we got to our seats after watching the Astros infield practice and the temps dipped and the wind whipped. Thankfully, we were under the overhang in Section 209 in left field. We observed the 30-man crew roll out the tarp, listened to the organist play song after song, people watched, and then cheered along with the rest of the approximately 33,000 people in attendance as the crew came out, peeled away the tarp, and raked and chalked the infield.

A little rain doesn't stop the fans from waiting it out.

A little rain doesn’t stop the fans from waiting for the first pitch – three hours later.

Play ball!

Play ball!

The Cubs lost 101 games last year, but they were still 10th in the majors in home attendance. This year they are 15 games out of first place in the National League Central division, tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for cellar honors, and their average home attendance is 11th in the majors. Go figure, but good for them. Too bad the Oakland A’s fans aren’t coming out to support their fabulous team. As fate would have it, the Cubs hosted the Houston Astros, who are also in the cellar of the American League Western division. Despite both pitchers having ERAs close to 5, it was a pitchers’ dual. We witnessed a ball lost in the ivy for a ground-rule double, and all four runs were scored by solo home runs. The food fare was minimal, I’m assuming in keeping with the old-time feel. Because of the rain delay, we ended up eating hot dogs for both lunch and dinner!

Beautiful Lakeview district with its turn-of-the-century triplexes.

Beautiful Lakeview district with its turn-of-the-century triplexes.

Lakeview district and Julius Meinl
Afterwards, we met up with my friend, Maria Diecidue, whom I wrote a profile about her volunteer work in India. Maria lives three blocks from Wrigley Field. Although the neighborhood is also known as Wrigleyville, the district is called Lakeview. It’s a beautiful area that has a Brooklyn vibe to it – unique shops, lots of restaurants and bars, neighborhood feel to every corner, and wonderful architecture from the turn of the century. Many triplexes have been turned into single-family homes, but most, if not all, still retain their architectural integrity.

A taste of Vienna: Tea with chocolate mousse cake and carrot cake.

A taste of Vienna: Tea with chocolate mousse cake and carrot cake.

Maria took us to Julius Meinl (3601 North Southport Avenue, 773.883.1862), a Viennese-style coffee and pastry shop, a few blocks away. We were serenaded by a violin and bass duet. I had ginger tea with my carrot cake, while David enjoyed a mousse-like chocolate cake. It was the perfect way to erase our hot dog fest. We had a nice if short visit with Maria, which culminated in a quick tour of Lakeview. So, I have found yet another place I wouldn’t mind living. I will have to check out Chicago in January and stay for a while….

A violin and bass duet at Julius Meinl.

A violin and bass duet at Julius Meinl.