10.18.2005

Going, going, gone

Wanna know what it’s like to do a whirlwind trip of Chicago museums in a span of a few hours? I’ll tell ya …

The assignment was for me and a photographer to attend today’s media preview of the new ‘Pompeii: Stories From an Eruption’ exhibit at the Field Museum for our entertainment section and then, while we’re down there -- and to save as much company time and money -- hit as many of the other hot exhibits as we could.

So I awoke this morning to the sound of my ‘Fuer Elise’ alarm clock at 5 a.m. and left the house an hour later, exiting our house under the early morning pallet of stars and full moon beginning to set over our garage. I met my photographer in the news office parking lot, we drove to the train station, boarded the train and then rode it to Chicago, tracing a perfectly still Lake Michigan as an orange sun rose over it …

Pompeii -- it’s a remarkable exhibit, full of valuable artifacts, jewelry and furniture buried when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., but unearthed only within the last century. The artifacts, illustrations and restored frescoes provide a glimpse into how established and wealthy the people of Popeii were. But what puts this exhibit over the top are the dramatic casts -- made by shooting plaster into the holes left behind when the volcanic ash and rock hardened and the corpses decomposed -- showing entire families crouched together in an attempt to shelter themselves from the storm of ash, or frozen in time as they tried to flee the devastation. Most of them, the exhibit told, died when ash filled their airways and prevented them from breathing …the exhibit is $19 and runs through March 26, 2006.

We left the Field onto a sunny pavilion that overlooks Lake Michigan and provides striking views of the colorful Chicago skyline and Millennium Park. The sight left us breathless for several seconds as we gazed at the view and then laughed in unison and remarked on the beauty of it all …

Moving on. To the Shedd and the ‘Crabs!’ exhibit -- which I took interest in mostly because of our hermit crab pets at home. At the Shedd, however, we’re talking more than 30 different species of crabs ranging from the size of your fingertip to the giant Japanese crabs that weigh about 40 pounds, look the size of tire and move with their 3-foot long legs. Amazing creatures …

A short cab ride later, we were at the Museum of Science & Industry to review the rebuilt and restored U-505 Submarine. Beginning in 2004, after years of being exposed outdoors to the harsh Chicago weather, the museum dug an underground a new, climate-controlled exhibit hall, lowered the giant sub into it and covered it with a roof. … The result is an astonishing new exhibit that transports patrons through a long, winding hallway of artifacts, archived newspapers, photos, films and finally, a balcony that provides a breathtaking view of the 33-foot high, 250-foot long, 750-ton ship… And for $5 more you can walk through the ship, ducking and dodging through every nook and cranny from the diesel engine room to the cramped sleeping quarters. …After the tour, walk the ground floor underneath the ship, take in more displays of artifacts taken from the captured German sub and several short films, including a fascinating account of how a Naval crew towed the sinking ship back to the U.S., conducting the highly classified operation without any protection in U-Boat infested waters …

Before we left the museum we also wanted to check out the Robots exhibit. But I say, unless you’re REALLY into robots, don’t bother. It was a bust … it’s two small rooms of glass-enclosed robot toys made during the ‘50s and ‘60s. The first few are pretty intriguing to look at, but they get pretty old pretty quick.

A train ride back and our assignment was complete …three museums, four exhibits, in four hours and a reminder of the unique experiences and people that make me want to continue practicing journalism. Not bad.

But my day wasn’t done …

70s degrees and sunny. A crisp, colorful, fall day made for the movies. The kind of day that begs you to cruise around in your car, listening to some eclectic music and holding your open palm outside the car window for the air to rush over it. … So that’s exactly what I did.

For the third night in a row I went down to the harbor and sat silently watching the orange moon rise beyond the lake. Trying to capture the scene as closely as I could with my camera, sucking in every bit of the fish-smelling water, crashing waves and cool breeze …

* * *

Just another reason to love baseball …

Game 5 of the NLCS ...

Last night, lying with Kates as the two of us count down the innings and watch the Astros come within two outs of their first-ever World Series, ironically 45 years to the day MLB officials met in Chicago and designated them as a franchise …

The crowd was so loud I wondered out loud how any of the Cardinals players could concentrate …

Then, one of my all-time favorite gamers, David Eckstein pokes a single through the left side …

Jimmy Edmonds walks …

And Albert Pujols absolutely crushes a pitch to left field. ‘Oh my goodness,’ was all I said when the ball hit the bat. You knew it was gone … Make that long gone, as it sailed over the Crawford boxes in left field to the part of the stadium where the retractable roof’s track meets the stadium supports. It was a shot that would have landed in the upper deck of most ballparks.

It was unblievable. And memorable.

The Astros fans were suddenly, and humorously, quiet. St. Louis wins the game 5-4 and lives to see another game, not to mention Busch Stadium, which is set to be demolished as soon as their season ends …

Talking baseball, the Cardinals win was huge. It puts them back in the exact situation they found themselves in last year when they came from being down three games to two, and sent Houston back home before losing to the Red Sox in the World Series. So I wouldn’t be surprised, as much as I found myself rooting for the Astros last night, if the Cardinals do it all over again …

Want more?

a So quiet, you could hear a pennant drop

a With one magical swing, Albert Pujols brought the dead back to life.

a Pujols's Homer Soars To Legendary Heights

* * *

Cleaning up ...

...Back and forth on the train today, I read my newest copy of Paste and was fascinated by the cover story about Cameron Crowe. ... I adore every one of his movies, the way music fuels his imagination and, at this point, can only dream and aspire to the type of artistry he exemplifies ... And I'm totally pumped to see 'Elizabethtown' now.

...I got this link emailed to me from a friend. You could spend hours playing this -- and make sure you have the volume on your computer turned up ...

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