Some highlights from the Chicago Trip:

• Hanging out with the lads: Great fun to see the usual suspects, plus Ben’s friend Ryan, Chris’ medical school roomie Gary, and some of Chris’ friends from his Navy days at Duke, Terry & Megan (and Claire, their lovely daughter).
• The Art Institute of Chicago: American Gothic! A Sunday on La Grande Jatte! The Old Guitarist! Holy cow, it was great art overload.
• Shoreline Sightseeing’s Architectural tour by boat: not only was our guide a veritable wellspring of knowledge and a living window into Chicago’s history, but in the last five minutes of the tour he whipped out a harmonica and sang the blues for us. Who says a degree in humanities can’t get you a job?
• Evil Dead: The Musical!: based on Sam Raimi’s cult low-budget horror film, the Boxer Rebellion Theater adds a variety of music to the original story. Very silly, quite fun, and featured a Q&A with some of the actors and crew from the original film afterwards.
• Pizzaria Uno: the original Chicago deep-dish pizza pie. Heart-stoppingly good.
• Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home & Studio: Great tour of the home & studio, plus the surrounding neighborhood, which features another 15 or so Wright-designed homes. A marvel.
• A Cubs Game: The Cubs conquered the Pirates, 4 to 3, accompanied by rabid fans, Old Style, and Hebrew National dogs slathered in mustard, onions, tomatoes, banana peppers, and other yumminess.