Sunday, November 13, 1988

1988 Chicago (11/10-13/1988)

Thursday, November 10, 1988
After work I did some final chores before driving to the airport for my 19:44 flight to Chicago. It was delayed 15 minutes because the plane was late coming in from Chicago. Once underway, the pilot used the PA system to introduce all of the crew, and explained in detail our itinerary, and gave weather updates and pointed out landmarks along the way. An hour before landing we were told we were in a holding pattern and might land an hour late. But we were given permission to land and were only 10 minutes late. After deplaning I ran to the bathroom, and when I came out I hear a Mr Tamiko Stumpe being paged, and was told to go to counter 27. Kent met me along the way and he thought the plane was on time and they were late. They being Kent and Stuart T, whom we were visiting after Kent’s business in Chicago. Stuart drove us to Barrington, IL and I met Cheryl before going to bed at 23:00, or midnight my time.

Friday, November 11, 1988
Happy Veteran’s Day!
After breakfast, the kids (Michael, who will turn 4 in December, Sonja just turned 6, and Cecelia, 10) went to pick up Cecelia’s friend, Brooke, and we all drove within a half hour to Long Grove, a quaint village of a few cross streets that you entered through a covered bridge.
Entering Long Grove
The shops were full of crafts and gifts. There was a bakery, and we window-shopped at a wonderful confectionary.
Apple Haus with Brooke, Sonja, and Cecelia
Clock
A pewter shop, bridal shop, and toy stores. There were horse-drawn carriages.
Horse-drawn carriage
Kent and Stuart
Robert Parker Coffin Road shops
A neat place. Hunger was proclaimed, so we returned to their Dodge Caravan to drive in search of food. Stopped at a Burger King. We then went to the Lake County Museum where we forewent the museum with a mastodon bone, in order to feed the Canada geese. The kids went off to collect cattails and came back covered with prickly seeds. Then they broke open the cattails to release thousands of fuzzy airborne seeds.
Cecelia, Sonja, Michael, and Brooke
surrounded by cattail seeds
We cleaned them up as best we could and drove home. A babysitter arrived about 16:00 so the adults could go to Bob Chinn’s Crabhouse. We were there early enough for the Early Bird special of unlimited salad and raw bar. Kent and Stuart took advantage of the deal, and went first to the raw bar for clams and oysters, a half dozen of each at a time. Kent went three times and Stuart five. Cheryl and I shared a blue crab claw appetizer, about 20-25 bite size claws in a garlic butter sauce. My hands smelled like garlic for days! I also had the salad bar (no raw bar for me!). Then I had the shrimp scampi, seven jumbo shrimp in a buttery garlic sauce. Kent had Chinese pasta primavera, large noodles in a dark sauce with small shrimp and fish, and Chinese vegetables. Cheryl helped eat Stuart’s entrée of grilled grouper. We also had parsleyed potatoes. I ate all of my dinner, but the others took doggie bags.
We next headed downtown to the School of Folk Music after being given brief directions. Harder was finding a parking space and we eventually took one in a residential permit area. Arrived just before the start of the 20:30 show at the school’s auditorium called Mr Coffeehouse. The first half of the program was presented by the staff and students of the school. A banjo player with a corny song, a former student and songwriter sang one of his songs, an uninspired “changes,” and lots of folksy dialog. Then an Irish music ensemble with some good jigs. They needed longer songs to get it together and the fife player was drooling through his instrument at the end.  There were two flutes and a fiddle. Next was a very good picking guitarist with a decent voice, but not enough confidence in his guitar playing. He also did a duet with a staff flautist. The second half was presented by the headliners, Peter and Lou Berryman, with fair voices, decent guitar playing, good accordion playing, and clever lyrics. Funny for a while, but soon got old, and all that folksy dialog!
There was lots of traffic coming into Chicago, but we breezed out, paying 40 cent tolls to return home just after midnight.

Saturday, November 12, 1988
After breakfast everyone dressed up, and we drove into Chicago with lots of traffic. Rapid transit trains kept passing us! Cheryl and I were dropped off with the kids, and we found if we paid a donation of $4, we could enter to get the kids to the Junior Museum. But we missed the 10:30 class for children. We waited for Kent and Stuart to arrive after parking the van. They had bought tickets to the Paul Gauguin exhibit, and Stuart gave me his ticket. We went to wait in line for the 11:30 group. Finally crowded in, and mostly peeked over shoulders at a chronological viewing, showing a variety of works with some classical painting styles, a Van Gogh-like style, and then his own style. Not all island girls! Lots of self-portraits, plus sculptures, woodprints, and some of his collection of native carvings. We then wandered around the museum, passing many Impressionists and through some medieval art. Saw the Marc Chagall stained-glass windows. We returned to the Junior Museum much earlier than the 13:00 timetable, but although they were keeping busy, the kids were glad to go and eat. We got in the van and headed to the Ed Beveken’s, a 1950s type diner, but there was a long line. Not as long as the line at the Hard Rock café! So we went to the Ed Beveken’s in Skokie, IL. I had a barbecue chicken sandwich with coleslaw and water. Kent had the chili with macaroni, beans, onions, cheese, and crackers. The kids’ meals came with tokens that could be traded in for small toys. The waiters/waitresses were purposely loud and obnoxious. Back at the T’s, I had a nap, and later we played Trivial Pursuit. A family friend, Jerry M, stopped by.
Another babysitter was brought in at 19:30, and the adults went to Lake Zurich to find an Italian/pizza restaurant. Decided on Baldino’s on the Lake, which didn’t have pizza. I had salad and a huge portion of lasagna, and a pitcher of water! Kent and Stuart had the antipasto and Cheryl had potato skins, and they shared a pitcher of beer.
Back at the T’s we watched a tape of the show where Geraldo Rivera gets his nose broken. Then watched the movie “Wall Street.”

Sunday, November 13, 1988
Played Pictionary. We had leftover seafood pasta primavera for lunch, and headed for the airport at 13:15. Our 15:48 flight was delayed, and the gate was changed. Left about 16:15, and were given a snack. Arrived in Providence at 19:30, picked up our baggage, and got the car to drive home.