It was great being a tourist downtown without a set agenda this weekend. It was not muggy, as I feared. The weather was perfect and the evenings were even comfortably warm. I made the mistake of starting out my day this morning with jeans, but it was way too hot to let that continue, so back to the hotel I went for a change of clothes.
I have been coming to Chicago for various events since at least 1996. This was probably my 11th time there.
It was wonderful to spend time with friends Leo and Keith, who moved to Chicago several years ago. It was nice to meet their friend Jonathan, who himself is also from the Bay Area. He was kind to guide me to some Barbrabilia and other things that facilitated my trip at the queer-health-owned thrift store that he works at. For example, he helped me find a man purse for my long walks around town, another sailboat shirt, another tie for my summit, and most importantly a pair of tennis shoes that helped me deal with my very sore feet from overdoing the tourist spots the day before. We had dinner at a vegan restaurant and then went to a Boba Tea Lounge in Boystown.
I took the long way to the Bean. I made the mistake of wearing long pants, which I regretted almost immediately since it was so damn (comfortably) warm. You can see my pants in the shot of the ground, which I included to show how the joint between the sections of the overpass on the Chicago River had enough space for a mobile phone to easily fall through and go directly into the water, which was nerve-wracking since I had my phone out at all times.
I went to the Adler Planetarium, which, of course, could not compete with my memories of the HAYDEN Planetarium.
I calculated that I walked at least 15 miles that day. Every time I thought I couldn’t walk the next leg and had to call a cab, I pushed myself. I was constantly hydrating. Even though it wasn’t muggy, I was smart enough to never run out of water. I also refilled my refillable water bottle whenever I passed a fountain.
I was very impressed with the people in the water, on the beaches, and on boats. I had never been to Chicago in summer in the previous 11 or so times I was there. The beaches look so inviting. I’m so glad that they get use within the city, much like I’ve only seen before in Barcelona and other smaller cities in Europe.
I thought the statue of Jane Goodall and a Chimpanzee was very cool. Next time I’d really like to try to get into the aquarium, even though I think I’ll have to compare it to the one in Monterey, which literally interacts with the local water 24 hours a day.
I’m constantly impressed by the landscaping, but I realize a lot of the flowers are grown in greenhouses and strategically placed all over the city. I like the planning that goes into that.
Walking by trees, I heard screeching so loud I was shocked not to see huge flocks of birds. I later found out that the high-decibel sounds were from cicadas!!! I don’t think I ever heard that noise in my life!
The executive board had an errand to run at the bank, so we decided to have an impromptu lunch/meeting.
Shea and I were in the Sacramento area for a pool party, so we stopped by to hang out with my sister and brother-in-law, who just adopted a second dog to keep their dog Ricki company. Meet Phil. They have a habit of giving their dogs human names. Pete was their pit-bull mix from years ago. After he died they got another dog named Pete, although they also referred to him as REPETE.
Carlene, Dean and Wendy invited us to have an al fresco dinner with them on a lovely summer night with live jazz music.
We did another neighborhood walk with Bonnie, Snoopy and the fosters Millie and Dolly.
The rental that we’re still stuck in while the house is being renovated is in another part of the Glen Cove neighborhood of Vallejo. We enjoy some of the walks in the area, although the foxtails this time of year are still a big worry, as well as burrs, which seem to be ubiquitous.
Pictures I took:
Pictures from other attendees:
