Chicago!
Chicago!
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My trip takes me to Chicago for two primary reasons. First, my last seventeen years with Kelco, then Monsanto, NutraSweet Kelco and finally CP Kelco, have taken me to Chicago on many occasions. During the time, I enjoyed the many people that I had the pleasure to work with. I want to renew some of those relationships during this visit. My second reason is the two big gay gatherings that happen in Chicago every Memorial Day weekend. I've made a number of friends over the years at these events, and I hope to renew some of them as well. So really, the extended visit to Chicago is about relationships -- a fact I had not identified until I typed this paragraph.
Chicago
itself is a good reason to visit. This is surely one of America's
great cities. Physically, one can not miss the impact of Chicago.
This is literally the birthplace of the skyscraper and a sensitivity
to interesting architecture 
pervades
the city. The city also has a broad variety of cultural outlets from
outside street festivals, entertainment venues, theaters and museums.
The Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's preeminent art
collections. Chicago has the shopping along the Magnificent Mile and
many other locations in the city. And last but not least there is the
food. This is one of our country's most serious food cities with good
restaurants and a broad offering of cuisines. These are my reasons
for visiting Chicago.
I set out for the two gay events. I barely get across the street and decide to duck into Drakes for a drink. I've never been to this gay bar even though it is just across the river from The Loop. I'm surprised that there are so few patrons out on this evening. After a while, four guys come in and we start talking. Three of them are from Louisville, Kentucky and the fourth is visiting from New York City.
The guy from New York City has come prepared to make a debut of sorts. On the other side of the bar, in another room is a piano lounge. It is open mike night and he wants to make his first public performance tonight.
We all tag along to check out the competition. The piano player is a jovial woman who has brought her elderly mother along for the night. In honor of IML, singers are encourage to show all piercings to Mom before they take the mike. The piano player is actually quite accomplished. Every singer is bringing their own sheet music and she is sight reading as she plays sometimes transposing as she goes. She is also a good judge of both the competence and confidence of each singer. Some singers get extra flourishes while others get a sturdier framework of music to safely get them through their song.
The first singer has the repertoire that makes me hate these kind of piano lounges. Obscure music (to me) that is not even singable. His voice is solid and he carries it well. The audience is not terribly appreciate of his efforts. The next woman is very nervous. She has the mike in a death grip and doesn't make eye contact with the audience. Her voice is not bad and perhaps she will overcome her stage fright.
Our friend from New York wishes for a poor singer or two to make him sound better. Apparently he has been making his offerings to the goddess as the next man up is pretty bad. He is often flat and his voice is poorly supported.
New York is up next. He has instant chemistry with the piano player and she goads and teases him to show ALL his piercings. Mother is not amused. Turns out the guy can sing! He is also confident and interacts with the audience. His first piece is not my cup of tea but the second is a nice novelty song. The song tells the story of a little boy telling his father how he wants to be a Rockette.
After singing the foursome shove off for a trip out to Boys town and I decide I need to sleep -- it was a long ride. On the way back to the hotel, I notice a delivery truck setting out large decorative furniture along Michigan Avenue. Later I collect some photographs after learning that this is year's answer to last year's Cow Project.
I head off to spend some time at IML. IML is a gathering of leather aficionados, not a gay event as many bisexual and straight folks also attend. While most of their activities are well outside my bounds, it is a fun gathering with an excellent marketplace. I spend about four hours there meeting up with a couple of friends.
I talk at length with a commercial Realtor from Manhattan. He is very curious about my trip and we play the usual twenty questions. Kind of neat -- now I have a friend in Manhattan and an standing invite for a place to stay.
I also talk at length with Roger and Ben from Kankakee. Two really nice guys, they offer a place to stay if it makes sense later in the week.
IML takes place at a major hotel (having usually 2,000 attendees) this year the Parker House Hilton. The lobby is really ornate and there is sweet classical music playing in the background. Meanwhile, leather men, dominatrixes and all manner of other folk work the lobby. It is great fun to watch. Every now and then, someone arrives that is not aware of the tone of this group and it is fun to watch them take in the happening.
I go back to the hotel for a rest. In the afternoon, I head out to the gay neighborhood of Chicago. A closing party is underway at a bar called Sidetracks. Sidetracks is a video bar and sing-along is part of the scene. Its not karaoke sing-along but high camp sing-along. So we watch the Green Acres theme and sing-along. We watch the Gilligan's Island theme and sing along. We watch period footage of Sonny and Cher and sing-along. Ditto for Elton John, Bay City Rollers, Captain and Tenille etc. etc. Its a lot of fun.
Near the end of the evening, I hook up with two locals for dinner. They want to know about my trip and I get to hear about all the gossip and goings on here in Chicago. They are also both active in the local gay square dance association and get some information that may prove useful when I get to San Francisco.
I'm feeling tired and the beginnings of a head cold.
I get to spend today with my friend Loree from my time with Monsanto. When we worked together, the Monsanto offices were located at the Merchandise Mart. The neighborhood around the Mart is filled with interesting shops - mostly furniture and design. When you work, you rarely get to just look at the interesting things you notice as you walk or ride past. We had planned on going to the Art Institute but instead ask if we can just walk around and lick the windows.
Its a lot of fun giving us time to talk about all manner of things. There is one store, Sawbridge Gallery, that is filled with some of the most handsome handcrafted furniture either of us have ever seen. While every piece was not to my taste, every piece was carefully crafted and stunning in the attention to detail. We both agree when we get our next $500,000 per year job we will come here to do some shopping.
We take a lunch break so I can indulge my lasagna craving. Maggiano's has some of the best and so we have lunch. After lunch, we continue shopping. One stop is an Australia gallery with many aboriginal works. It is amazing how diverse aboriginal art can be.
In the evening, I meet Chris and Randy for dinner. Chris and I worked together at Kelco for many many years. We completed several major projects together and came to know one another very well. In fact, Chris had graciously offered a place to stay while in Chicago. Randy and I worked together on the SAP implementation project at Monsanto. I always enjoyed Randy's wit, intelligence and confidence. It is so nice to see these two again. The sushi is a nice treat -- another craving satisfied.
Loree and I meet up again just before noon on Wednesday. Today we make it to the Art Institute. I want to go to an exhibit called 2001, Building Space. She wants to have a walk through the Impressionists.
The space exhibit shows the links between science fiction, actual buildings, space and aerospace artifacts and movies how they mutually influenced each other as man made his first tentative trips away from the ground. A graphic of the atmosphere is particularly interesting to me. It was published in the late 1950s but many things are listed as mysteries: the aurora borealis, the Van Allen radiation belts for example. Its hard to believe that science or popular understanding of science has come so far. And yet we know so little.
When I was in Columbus, I had purchased a film magazine that included a long retrospective on the film 2001, A Space Odyssey. The focus of the article were the techniques used by the animators and filmmakers to create the stunning look of that seminal science fiction film. This exhibit nicely complements this exhibit.
We head further into the Art Institute to see some of the impressionist paintings. We are rewarded with Wheat Stacks by Monet, Houses of Parliament, and on and on. So wonderful to see these great masters in person.
With our minds happy, we head over to The Berghoff for some German food to fill our stomachs. I have a nice sauerkraut and wurst platter.
Late in the afternoon, I meet a few people that I used to work with at Rock Bottom Brewery. We have a very nice time catching up on old times. It is good to see all of you: Marie, Patty, Karl, Steve. I'm shocked by the surprise arrival of Julie from the UK. She is over for the week doing some consulting for Merisant and joins the party.
A few of us dawdle and have a nice supper at PF Changs.
My cold continues to worsen but my pleasure at being in Chicago
and seeing so many friends is unabated.
(c) 2001 Thomas N. Engler Revision Date: 06/03/2001
