Tag Chicago

Chicago Cubs Win the World Series – Exciting Game!

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fireworks-cubsIf you watched the Chicago Cubs play against the Cleveland Indians in the World Series tonight, I am sure you’d agree that it was a VERY exciting game!  And I don’t normally watch much baseball, but this game had us on pins and needles the entire time. FANTASTIC! They deserved the win!

For those of you who want to share in the excitement, see this article from the Chicago Tribune, “Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win!,” written by Paul Sullivan – Contact Reporter.

We’re proud of you Chicago Cubs!  You broke the 108 year curse AND you have brought Chicagoans together united in celebration!  This is wonderful!

 

Chicago Cubs reach World Series. Have not won since 1908 (108 years ago) – GO CUBS!

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cubs-lionsHELLO Chicago — Are we excited! For those of you who do not know much about baseball, the Cubs are a Chicago baseball team. We have not won the World Series since 1908, which was 108 years ago. That’s a long time! So, you can imagine the excitement in Chicago right now.

In fact, The Art Institute of Chicago on Michigan Avenue decorated the two lions that are in front of the museum with Cubs baseball caps. This is a tradition in Chicago, when one of our teams (Cubs, Chicago Bears, White Sox or Blackhawks) goes to the finals, the lions are decorated with the team helmut. You can see how the lion looks with the Cub’s helmet.

I’ve heard that tickets for the World Series games are out of control. For example, standing room tickets are approximately $860 per ticket and stadium tickets are up to $6,000. Forbes.com’s article (October 23, 2016), “Chicago Cubs Ticket Prices At Wrigley More Than Double Previous World Series Record,” has more details on pricing, if you are interested in going. You’ll have to fork out a lot of money that’s for sure.

Well, after patiently waiting 108 years Cubs fans probably have a piggy bank full of $$ just waiting for this occasion.

Tune in Tuesday night (October 25, 2016, 8 pm EST) to see the Chicago Cubs play the Cleveland Indians. Now, the Cleveland Indians have not won the World Series since 1948 (68 years ago), so you can better understand the importance and excitement in this game. History will be made in the next two weeks.

Go Cubs!

Christmas Memories of Marshall Field and Company

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imageChristmas / Holiday traditions always seem to change every few years, because our family dynamics change. I was at Macy’s the other day and memories hit me when I saw Frango Mints. Suddenly, I was back in Chicago for Christmas. I felt like I was in a Hallmark movie!

When I was young, growing up in Indiana, we would take the South Shore Train from Indiana to Chicago to look at the Christmas decorations in the Marshall Field and Company department store windows on State Street.

Anyone from Chicago knows how special this was. We would trudge through the snow all bundled up, ears/nose and toes about to FALL OFF from the bitter cold, but that did not stop us. We were SO excited to see the window decorations, go up to the TOP floor to see all the children’s toys and hear the Christmas carolers singing. Marshall Field, for us, would be equivalent to going to Harrods in London — luxury shopping.

Here is a photo of the Marshall Field clock from Full Perspective Photos. Adam Dooley has taken some wonderful photos and kindly said I could share this one with you. Visit Full Perspective Photos website and read his article on “Meet Me Under the Clock!”

As you see, this beautiful clock is hard to miss, so it was often a meeting place for all of us. If you get lost, “stand under the clock.”

Of course, there are other memories. My mother brought us to see “The King and I” with Yul Brynner. A snow storm prevented people from attending the show, so we sat in the front. Wow — he was fantastic.

Rebecca V. Larkin has a wonderful video on YouTube called, “Marshall Field’s Incredible Impact on Chicago.” I didn’t realize Marshall Field (a brilliant business man) also created the “L” Train.

Chicago — I am thinking of you!

So, who knows, I might just receive a box of Frango mints this year! I admit, I might get a little choked up, memories do that to us.

By the way, I hear that Santa’s cut off for presents getting on his sleigh is around December 21st… there is still time (smile)!

Here’s to wonderful memories that come to us when we “least expect it.”

BE READY, smile and pull out your hanky when that memory hits you!

Chicago – Potholes become Mosaics

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Artwork by JIM BACHOR

Artwork by Jim Bachor

I grew up in the Chicago / Northwest Indiana area. Winters with snow and salt were tough on the roads. If you are from Chicago you know that road construction is a way of life. We seemed to never catch up with it.

We all cringe when we hit a pothole, our car jerks, and we immediately hope our axel survives and curse ourselves for landing in the pothole — bad maneuvering, right!

Photo: http://weburbanist.com/2014/06/06

Photo of Jim Bachor: Web Urbanist

As I live on the West Coast now, I am not always up on Chicago news. Thanks to Bon Appétit Magazine, I recently read a wonderful article about artist Jim Bachor who lives in Chicago and decided to add art and beauty to our city by covering potholes with mosaics that he makes. This was a brilliant idea!

Bachor has a passion for this art form, which he learned in Italy. He started out with flower mosaics for the potholes. As the cost is $70-100 per mosaic, and he wanted to do more, he raised $4,600 through a Kickstarter Campaign to create 10 more mosaics. He chose ice cream as his next pothole theme.

artist-bachor-fills-potholes-with-food-and-flower-mosaics-6Certainly this is a labor of love, each piece takes 8-10 hours to make plus 2+ hours for installation. As an artist, this allows him to be creative in a positive way making a lasting impression in Chicago and hopefully the world. Finland brought him there to install some pothole art for an end of winter festival they were having.

My mother was born and raised in Florence, Italy, so for me, it is a true pleasure to see this special art form being sprinkled around Chicago!

I can hear Pavarotti in the background while Bachor installs these pieces of art. FANTASTIC!