Leap frog across the country
So this is about a week late, but that's life.
On my way back to Ithaca from Des Moines I stopped in Iowa City and Chicago.
Being in Iowa City was great as usual. I caught up with many friends and several professors. Lounged around coffee shops. The only downside was the New Hampshire primary...::shakes fist in the northernly direction::.
Thursday I arrived in Chicago and met up with Genna. That night we went to a Chicago Symphony Concert. On the program was an Overture and Piano Concerto No. 1 by Beethoven and Symphony No. 4 by Tchaikovsky. The piano soloist was very good. Expressive but also very clean and precise. The orchestra itself was also, of course, great. Especially the brass. Their reputation is well deserved. On parts of the Tchaikovsky they gave me goosebumps.
Friday I spent the afternoon walking around the Art Institute. It was really great. I was in the right mood to enjoy art, and the works there are first class. They have the original American Gothic! Not to mention at least a dozen paintings from Monet and many other great Impressionists.
Saturday was going to be Field Museum day, but by the time we managed to get up and miss the bus, we had little time and ended up going to the Science and Industry museum. This one's a mixed bag. Several displays were old and somewhat out of date, but the newer displays were well done. Afterwards we spent a couple hours wandering around Michigan Ave. Chicago at night is so beautiful.
In fact the whole trip reminded me how much I like Chicago. Personally I'm torn between an attachment to big cities and rural areas. There's something about the feel of cities that I enjoy. Walking by row houses and riding trains makes me feel like part of something larger. But it can also be expensive, loud and unsafe. On the other hand open land is quieter and lets me feel more connected with nature. But then I don't get to walk and bus places. Maybe that's why I like Ithaca so much. It's impossible to escape from nature and open spaces are just a couple miles away, but at the same time I can travel by bus and walk to the dairy or store. If only it were a little warmer.
On my way back to Ithaca from Des Moines I stopped in Iowa City and Chicago.
Being in Iowa City was great as usual. I caught up with many friends and several professors. Lounged around coffee shops. The only downside was the New Hampshire primary...::shakes fist in the northernly direction::.
Thursday I arrived in Chicago and met up with Genna. That night we went to a Chicago Symphony Concert. On the program was an Overture and Piano Concerto No. 1 by Beethoven and Symphony No. 4 by Tchaikovsky. The piano soloist was very good. Expressive but also very clean and precise. The orchestra itself was also, of course, great. Especially the brass. Their reputation is well deserved. On parts of the Tchaikovsky they gave me goosebumps.
Friday I spent the afternoon walking around the Art Institute. It was really great. I was in the right mood to enjoy art, and the works there are first class. They have the original American Gothic! Not to mention at least a dozen paintings from Monet and many other great Impressionists.
Saturday was going to be Field Museum day, but by the time we managed to get up and miss the bus, we had little time and ended up going to the Science and Industry museum. This one's a mixed bag. Several displays were old and somewhat out of date, but the newer displays were well done. Afterwards we spent a couple hours wandering around Michigan Ave. Chicago at night is so beautiful.
In fact the whole trip reminded me how much I like Chicago. Personally I'm torn between an attachment to big cities and rural areas. There's something about the feel of cities that I enjoy. Walking by row houses and riding trains makes me feel like part of something larger. But it can also be expensive, loud and unsafe. On the other hand open land is quieter and lets me feel more connected with nature. But then I don't get to walk and bus places. Maybe that's why I like Ithaca so much. It's impossible to escape from nature and open spaces are just a couple miles away, but at the same time I can travel by bus and walk to the dairy or store. If only it were a little warmer.
posted by laura s at 9:23 PM
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