Chicago - Day 3, Downtown Fun and Cozy Noodles

On Monday I had most of the day to myself. Matthew and Suz both had to work, but I knew what I wanted to do. The new Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago opened in May and I was looking forward to seeing what it had to offer. It was designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano (who is also doing an addition on Harvard's Fogg Museum).

I actually got there early (I thought it opened at 10, but actually it opens at 10:30) and had a chance to explore the outside a little bit and then get in line with the other folks who were there before it opened. Once I got in I headed to the top floor to work my way down. For about half and hour I was the only person up there besides the guards and it was a great way to see the art. The spaces are really beautiful and well suited to modern art: crisp white walls, tons of natural light, high ceilings. I felt that the flow worked well, too. You kind of knew where you were supposed to go and once people started filling the galleries everyone seemed to be following the same path, which was nice. The one thing I will say is that I was frustrated that not every piece had it's label right next to it. I had to search sometimes to figure out what piece was what. An interesting curatorial choice.

After finishing the Modern Wing I headed into the older part of the Museum and was shocked by how dark it felt after being in the new part. It was also interesting to see how things have shifted in the older parts of the museum. I'm happy with how it's turned out, and there is so much more art to see! The only disappointment is that the Chagall Windows are not on display, but the woman I spoke to at the info desk said they would be up by 2010.

One of the features of the Modern Wing is that there is now a bridge between the Museum and Millennium Park. Here is a little panoramic view of the city from the Museum end of the bridge, which is on the highest floor of the museum. The right side of this photo is looking South, the left is looking North toward the bridge and Millennium Park:

Here is a view of the Modern Wing from the bridge:

And the bridge practically dumps you out at the Pritzker Pavillion where there was live music playing and folks enjoying their lunch on a beautiful, sunny day:

Another popular spot was the Crown Fountain which encourages folks to jump right in and enjoy it. It was hot enough that I took my shoes off and walked through the inches deep water. There were tons of kids cooling off and having fun. Here are my footprints back to the bench to put my shoes on:

After wandering around downtown for a little longer and grabbing a quick bite for lunch, I took the green line out to the Garfield Park Conservatory. This is one of my favorite places in Chicago and it always acted as an oasis for me, if I just needed to get away from the bustle of the city for a little bit. And in the winter it is such a treat to be in a hot, humid greenhouse with blooming flowers!

It was far from feeling wintery when I was there. It was a hot day, but I was looking forward to walking this labyrinth, which is one of my favorites. I like its natural flow and the grass in between and just the peacefulness of the surroundings. I was one of only a few people in the whole park that day, so I walked it twice. It was perfect.

And this is the sign they have posted about walking labyrinths, which I think is a good description. You can click on it to see it larger:

After a day of wandering through the city on my own, I was happy to meet up with Matthew, Suz, my friend Nisara (we went to high school and college together!) and her husband Ryan for a lovely al fresco dinner at Cozy Noodles in Wrigleyville. I got one of my favorite dishes - Rama Tofu!

One of the things I like about Cozy Noodles is the crazy decor. You can kind of see through the window the huge amount of tchochkes they have on the walls. And the walls in the bathroom are covered in Pez dispensers, and robots are an ongoing theme. Here are Nisara and I in front of the restaurant:

After dinner we went to Scooter's for frozen custard and it was amazing! I got Banana's Foster and Vanilla with rainbow sprinkles. I had never been to this place before, but it is on my list to visit again the next time I'm in town.

After gorging ourselves at Scooter's, we decided it would be nice to take a walk, so we headed up to Andersonville to walk around the old neighborhood. Many of the shops were closed, but it was good to see many of my favorite haunts still standing and some new additions to the scene.

After saying goodbye to Nisara and Suz (who are neighbors and never see each other!), Matthew and I walked back to his place and called it a night.