I put "everyone" in quotes because, to my frustration and in some cases embarrassment, I did not see everyone I wanted to. Thanks to a college-era alumni newsletter, word had gotten around that I was coming to town, and people I haven't seen in 20 years contacted me. As a result of a volatile travel schedule, and also of eventual burnout, I didn't get to connect with all of them. If you're one of them, my apologies. Next time, I hope!
JAY THE TOURGUIDE IN DC. I had two, thoroughly enjoyable, touristic voyages. First, I had the unique pleasure of playing tourguide to four Dakar Academy alums and their father (my former English8 team-teaching colleague) during their 12-hour layover in Washington, D.C. We perused the National Mall between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, taking in numerous memorials and some International Folk Festival exhibits and foods. I may become a docent when I retire.
JAY THE TOURIST IN CHICAGO. Later, in Chicago, I went to Millenium Park--built since my last visit, entirely with private money--for the first time. I didn't know what to expect, but I wasn't really expecting much. I was wrong! It's a destination! Sculpture, indoor and outdoor theaters, gardens, plazas, and more!
The sculptures looked odd or downright silly in tourist brochures, but were, in fact, terrific. The shiny silver "Cloud Gate" (shaped like a huge pinto bean) is both fascinating and fun. One side yields a dramatic, bowed reflection of the Chicago skyline. Up close, you see yourself and other gawkers in humorous distortion. Underneath, you're lost in a magical and indecipherable kaleidescope of reflections.
Though I missed the open orchestra rehearsal at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion, the outdoor theater designed by Frank Gehry, it was a visual blast. I'm not a fan of his abstract, seemingly * style, but it is striking. And the creation of a distinct audience "space" through use of a grid of widely spaced arches over the lawn seating, is both interesting and impressive. (Alas, I missed the wandering BP Bridge, also by Gehry, which looks cool in photos on the Park's website.)
Jaume Plensa's Crown Fountain--twin glass-brick monoliths spouting water into a sloped plaza, and projecting huge video close-ups of Chicago residents--is quirky, but worth the visit just to see the screaming children vying for a position under the foot-wide streams of water coming from the mouths of the citizen videos.
The one disappointment was the Lurie Garden. Entirely walled off by tall firs or junipers, it's invisible from the outside, and it's a good thing. A gently sloping plot perhaps half the size of a football field is criss-crossed by sunken, walled paths. In the remaining patchwork of plots are planted the homeliest weeds and grasses, in the least aesthetically pleasing arrangement imagineable--Nature has never done so poorly on its own. The tallest plants were often next to the sunken paths, obscuring the vegetation further in. My main color recollection is gray, though I was there at the height of summer.
I see from the park's website, http://www.millenniumpark.org/, that I missed a lot. It's on my list for more attention next time I'm in Chicago!
JAY THE ALMOST-TOURIST IN CASABLANCA. Finally, on my return trip to Dakar I had a 12-hours layover in fabled Casablanca, Morocco. Alas, I can neither deny nor confirm rumors that the city does not live up to the romantic reputation it's earned in the US from the movie of the same name. The airline, I had been told, would provide a hotel or a tour of the city. I was going to choose the tour, but it wasn't being offered anymore, so instead I spent the day in a very decent airport hotel in the middle of brown scrubby no-man's-land, with no city in sight. I watched part of the Olympic opening ceremonies on TV (Mini-Review: fantastically creative and clever in places) and ate a lunch of delicious Moroccan food at the hotel's buffet.
* The missing word in this sentence is one of my favorities, but also one
of the hardest for me to remember. I used to keep it written in my wallet to
keep me from being frustrated to the point of distraction in conversation. I'll
fill it in when I finally think of it again.
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