Downtown Chicago

We're sitting in a coffee shop right along Columbus Drive, and there are 2 folks playing golf in the downtown street. Right now. Golf. Traffic is just whizzing by and the balls are bouncing along the street--must be some kind of putting challenge--like how to hit the manhole before a car hits you! Attracting a crowd, too.
A severe storm knocked out a bunch of windows in high rises downtown on Friday, so this morning a bunch of work crews are out replacing the glass.

Chicago--visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house and a wedding

Before the wedding Saturday afternoon, we drove up to Grandma and Grandpa Janson's house. The new owners were sitting on the front porch, and were glad to see us, as they had wondered about the house's history. The house still looked the same, except the basement had been completely redone into an office and a huge entertainment room. They still used radiator heat. The neighborhood was in good shape, and the house next door was actually redone. All-in-all, a nice visit.
Then we drove down Milwaukee Ave to their cemetary at Union Ridge. The drive back to Hyde Park to the wedding was monstrous, took over an hour to go 19 miles. The lake was packed with beachgoers enjoying 90 degree Saturday, and Soldier's Field was expecting 80,000 to see The Eagles and Dixie Chicks that afternoon. We passed Obama's house in Hyde Park on our way to the chapel of University of Chicago--it is huge.
The chapel was gothic, perfect for a summer wedding in red, white and black. The pictures do not do it justice as I was in a hurry. Then the reception was on the huge ship docked at the Chicago Yacht Club, until the wee hours of the morning.

Chicago Cubs vs. LA Angels

Friday morning, we arrive in downtown Chicago, at the fabulous Fairmont hotel, about 1 block from Lake Michigan. We left the car at the hotel, $51 per day for the car alone, thank you very much. That's the view from our 32nd floor window towards Lake Michigan. Took the subway to the sold-out game, along with thousands of Cubs faithful, and not a few Angel fans, since this was LA's very first appearance in Wrigley Field. In spite of 9th inning heroics, the Cubbies lost by 1, 7-6. We did not see any Cub mascot at the game, so had our picture taken with the statue of Harry Carey, which was close enough. There was a severe thunderstorm warning, with the storm expected to hit the field by 4:00, which was the bottom of the ninth inning as the Cubs were making gains on a 7-3 deficit. We made it to the covered area of the train landing just as it began to pour! By the time we got downtown, it was raining and blowing, stormwater drains were overwhelmed---but we had no choice but to sprint the 10 blocks back to the hotel. That was our exercise for the day!
Friday night, we were invited to the wedding rehearsal dinner on the 80th floor of the Aon center in downtown Chicago--the storm had passed and the view was spectacular.

More St. Louis Thursday

We enjoyed a gourmet breakfast during a morning thunderstorm in St. Louis, then headed down to the Arch and other sites downtown. We went to the top of the Arch, which was thrilling and a bit terrifying, after watching the documentary on how the Arch was contructed 45 years ago.
We tried to go to the Zoo, but Forest Park was so crowded, we figured we had a 2 mile walk just to get there from available parking, so we had to skip the zoo this time. The River was overflowing its banks after a series of storms northward, but we did walk across much of it on a bike/ped path made from the old highway, saved from the wrecking ball a few years ago. One major landmark we drove past quite by accident, was the world's largest Amoco sign--pretty cool.
No baseball today, as we headed into Illinois. We did stop for dinner at an historic restaurant in Litchfield, owned by 3 generations of the same family. We also drove by Lincoln Land Community College, a team that comes to Florida in the spring to play baseball--and one that Mark got the win against last year!

Green energy in Coal Country?

Driving along Illinois countryside, we saw an interesting juxtaposition. First there was an historic marker noting the gravesite of Mother Jones, who was famous for standing up for union coal miners during a bloody strike, and was subsequently buried in a union coal miner cemetery, as a show of solidarity and respect. A few miles down the road, a county had installed one wind turbine, out in a field, atop a hill that was actually a man-made hill called a coal "gob", or a pile of waste from a coal mine. Renewable energy, silently spinning atop coal waste, near the site of an epic battle between union workers and the mines.
Then further down the road, a massive installation of wind turbines, 185 of them, in an Illinois field, brand-new, 300 mega-watts, right alongside corn and soybean fields. Thesse things went on for a few miles, and there were more across the highway that weren't even on line yet. I think the news release said it was the largest in the MidWest, certainly the largest this year, and was done by a Spanish firm called Iberdrola. It was stunning to see them. I have read that some wildlife conservationists fear that these large wind farms can kill of otherwise affect migrating birds, but the turbines don't really move that fast. And I wonder what happens during tornado season--like the 61 that just hit Minnesota. Sorry my photos aren't that good, but this farm went on for a mile or so.

St. Louis

I'm a couple of days behind with updates--we had no Internet access for a few days. Our hotel in Chicago is very luxe, but wanted $19.95 to connect to Internet. Parking was $51 per day as it was!
Anyway, St. Louis saw an end to our winning baseball streak. Cards lose, but not before a controversial call where Albert Pujols hit a homer onto the outfield wall, ONE SECTION OVER FROM US! The ball bounced back onto the field and after review, was called an double. Cards lose by 1 run, so it coulda made a difference in the outcome. I could tell it was going to hit and bounce somewhere, so I was waiting for the ricochet to catch it and did not see it hit the top of the wall. The fans down there said it was a home run, but alas. We almost did not get the picture of the mascot, FREDBIRD, as he was running away from a large group of parents and kids who wanted his picture. Ken spotted him and we chased him into a corner and got a shot.
We stayed in Lafayette Park, a beautiful historic district, in a bed-and-breakfast. The other couple staying there was headed to Belgium for a 3 year assignment with NATO Command.
We walked downtown to the game, yes it was 105 degrees! It was about 2 miles, and the walk back was challenging. We got to stop at a micro-brewery, Square One, voted best bar in St. Louis, where they not only had crafted beers, but cask ales and even distilled spirits made right there.

Route 66 stuff

Wednesday 6/16, we travelled along Route 66 into St. Louis. We first stopped off at a huge pedestrian bridge over train tracks--purported to be one of the longest such bridges in the country. Connected a once-toney neighborhood with the shopping district, now a pretty walking street with art stores, fun junk, and several "art alleys" and gardens.