state by state speak your mind about...illinois

[TlalocW]

2. Illinois Nazis... I hate Illinois Nazis...

However, Chicago is my kind of town.

I really do like Chicago. I visited several times in college/grad school with a club I belonged to for an annual convention. First time sucked because I got in a group of people going sight-seeing, and some really passive-aggressive, clothes-horse jerk insisted that we visit all the hoity-toity famous name clothing stores so he could get catalogs (which he could have gotten on the net), but then years later on various trips, I came during the years the cow statues and the ping pong table programs were going on.

One year at the convention, we stopped in at the Chicago Museum of Modern Art and had a good time making fun of all the exhibits. My favorite was the pile of 2 feet by 1 foot pieces of paper (with a black 1-inch border on each sheet) on the floor. The sign next to it invited visitors to take a couple of sheets of paper, turning the pile into a dynamic "work of art." I proposed to one of the museum workers that they buy pads of post it notes and draw black borders on each sheet and sell them in the gift shop. My under-appreciation of what is truly art was not appreciated.

One year, I arrived early for the convention, got a cheap motel room downtown and just went out walking for the day. I aimlessly strolled around until I came to the Field Museum (had the Star Wars exhibit going on) so I went through that. When I left, I meandered in the general direction of the Sears Tower and went in there. Great time.

Another year, I took a night off from the convention to meet up with three college friends (2 living in Chicago and one who came in from DC) to go out to dinner and see a Penn and Teller show. The DC friend and I wanted something traditionally Chicagoan, but one of the residents decided we needed to go to an overly fancy restaurant where an appetizer costs $25 and can be eaten in one bite. The DC'er and I spent the entire dinner making fun of the restaurant (the waitress joined in) while the food snob blushed and begged us to stop, and the other one laughed at his expense.

Two years ago, I drove there and stayed with a college friend while I went to Twist and Shout, the world's largest balloon twisters convention. Great fun.

TlalocW