First Visit to a New City (Milwaukee) and a New State (Wisconsin) to see the Basilica of St. Josephat and the Milwaukee Art Museum

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

First Visit to a New City (Milwaukee) and a New State (Wisconsin) to see the Basilica of St. Josephat and the Milwaukee Art Museum

We started early, and by car, for what we hoped would be a lovely day out in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was excited as I had never been to WI before and certainly not to Milwaukee. In fact, there is not much of the Midwest I know—so I was keen to tick one more state off my Visited List of 50 US States

I showered and dressed and we breakfasted on ML’s home made granola with yogurt and milk and had a slice of toast with cheese which we washed down with decaff coffee. Then, it was time for us to get set for what promised to be another brilliant day. The weather was perfect—the sun was out, the skies were blue and cloudless and the plains of WI spread out before us, on both sides of the highway, as we made our way to Milwaukee—a journey of approximately one hour

Visiting the Stunning Basilica of St. Josephat:

Our first port of call today was a visit to the Catholic Basilica of St. Josephat—we could see its stunning dome from off the highway as it was very easily located, close to one of the exits. We drove there, parked very easily in the Parking Lot and made our way to the Main Church. It is a massive structure that took about twenty years to be build, entirely from the contributions of the local community

As it turned out, the main component of European immigrants into this region of America at the end of the 19th century were Poles, seeking a better standing of living in the New World. They came here in droves and began working hard at making a new life for themselves, using the skills they had been trained to acquire in Poland. As it turns out, Poles are fervent Roman Catholics and on discovering that Milwaukee had no Roman Catholic Church, their pastor, one Fr. Baran, decided to put his mind to building a church—and not just any church…it would be the most spectacular church they could afford to build, both inside and out. The question of raising funds for the venture rested solely with the congregation and they pooled in their resources, steadily, over the decades, to build the church (which was later declared a Basilica)—only the third one in America at the time (in 1909—when it was completed). In keeping with the style of church they were accustomed to in Poland, it was designed as a Renaissance Italian Baroque Church—so you can just imagine how visually striking it is.

ML and I went down to the basement in the Visitors Center to pick up an audio guide which provided us with 17 stops along a self-guided tour route. We followed the signs, beginning down below and then working our way, one floor up, to the main church, And my oh my! What a staggering sight it was! Entirely adored with murals, religious sculpture, mortuary monuments, etc. this church is truly a masterpiece of design and execution. The most arresting feature is the soaring dome which is fully decorated in the style of Brunelleschi’s Dome in Florence. There are rondels depicting scenes from the Bible as well as small stained glass panels (in the Dome reflecting the life of Mother Mary. Meanwhile, in the nave of the church, there are so many gorgeous stained glass panels (all of which were made in Austria and shipped to the USA). The altar follows the Badalchino style of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome (designed by Michelangelo). We paused at each stop and took in the splendour of the decoration, the grandeur of the ornamentation and the many features that might not have caught our eye, but for the tour pointing it out to us. There is also a grand and stately organ at the back of the church as organ music is an essential part of the liturgy of this church. Of course, there is a shrine to Pope St. John Paul II who was actually invited to come and consecrate the church as a Basilica. As the Pope (now a Saint) was from Poland, it meant a great deal to the descendants of the original worshippers who still live in the neighborhood and are parishioners of this church. They were delighted to have a visit from the Pope-Saint and have commemorated him in many significant ways in the church. Indeed, it was a wonderful opportunity for us to pause and pray and marvel at the devotion that brought such fantastic religious monuments to the New World. We were struck also by the number of tourists and visitors who make their way to this church as it is renowned in the Midwest.

So, with one item struck off our list, we were able to turn our attention to the other major sight. We got into our car and drive to the waterfront—where on the banks of beautiful and vast Lake Michigan stands the outstanding and most unique Milwaukee Arts Museum.

Parking and Beginning our Visit to the Milwaukee Arts Museum (MAM):

I had never even heard of the Milwaukee Arts Museum—so I was really excited when ML suggested we visit it. As it turns out, it is a stunning building, designed and executed so expertly as most contemporary art museums are. It is an architectural landmark designed in collaboration by three of our greatest living architects: Eero Saarinen, David Kahler and Santiago Calatrava. Built on the banks of the vast Lake Michigan, the turquoise of the water bounces off the stark white walls and roofs of the building. The architectural novelty is that it resembles a bird whose wings open and close by the control of a mechanism that is indeed unique. When we were entering, the wings were open and we were able to get great pictures.

Inside, the Museum has a small collection. And although there are none of the world’s known masterpieces of art or sculpture here, there are some noteworthy pieces such as a Tabletop piece by my favorite glass artist, Dale Chihuly, as well as works by significant names from the Renaissance to the Modern era. For example, there were large altarpieces by artists like Luca Giordano (Madonna), Francisco de Zurbaran (St. Francis of Assisi), Edward Landseer (Terrier), Chuck Close (Nancy), Claes Oldenburg (Typewriter Eraser—a sculpture), Roy Lichtenstein (Lily Pads with Mirror Reflections), Cornelia Parker (On the Edge of England—an installation with wires and chalk chunks from the White Cliffs of Dover), and a huge work by Anselm Keifer (with whose work I am only now beginning to get acquainted). There was also sculpture by Rodin against which we posed and a hanging mobile by Alexander Calder and a LOVE installation by Jeff Coons.

We stopped to have lunch in the café as we were very hungry when we arrived: we shared a Buffalo Chicken Wrap and a Peach and Hot Cider Drink which was really wonderful. Yes, at every stage, I am getting sticker shock in America, but I guess inflation has hit this country, big-time, and we need to roll with the punches. We continued our tour of the museum after lunch, deciding to keep the Modern Wing for next time. And when we were leaving the museum, the wings of the building had closed—so we were able to get completely different pictures on the way out.

Visiting the Milwaukee Public Market:

At this point, ML suggested we go to the Milwaukee Public Market which we had passed by as I really wanted to buy magnets of Milwaukee and Wisconsin for our collection. She felt sure we would get it in this venue as it is a popular tourist hangout. Accordingly, we parked our car in the parking lot and made our war way inside. It gave me an opportunity to see the inside of the place which was very reminiscent to me of the Covered Market in Oxford, if much smaller. There were a lot of prepared meals and ingredient counters inside and they were all very beautifully decorated. And although there were no magnets in the Market itself, a salesgirl suggested we walk out and find two or three shops on the same block that carried them. She was right—I did find them. One was quite nice, the other very blah, but it was the best I could find.

With these buys safely in my bag, we walked through the Market to the Parking Lot and began our drive home. But we had one more item that ML wanted to show me: Maars Cheese Castle, as we were in Wisconsin, America’s Cheese Bowl.

A Kitschy Visit to the Maars Cheese Castle:

Maars Cheese Castle can easily be seen from the highway as it is just off it. It is rather reminiscent of Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk, Connecticut, which is a working dairy farm and milk bottling plant. But it has been turned into an amusement center of choice to keep kids amused as their parents shop in peace.

So, in we went, into a vast space that is a huge warehouse-like market. Although Cheese is the star attraction (and particularly cheese made in Wisconsin where dairy-farming is a major industry), there are a lot of other counters that sell items associated with cheese: beer, crackers, nuts, wooden cheese boards and other implements, etc. We enjoyed browsing through the various sections, sampling some of the delicious cheese and cheese spreads as well as sausages and, overall, had a really nice time. Of course, we both bought cheese and finding a cheddar that was studded with cherries, I decided to buy a chunk for Chriselle as she really loves cherries.ML also bought a Peach Melba Pound Cake.

Oh and, of course, we could not leave the place without trying out the famous Wisconsin ice-cream which is supposed to be made with 100% full fat cream. I had the chocolate and salted caramel ones and ML had strawberry. Yes, we did enjoy them and then it was time to get into our car and leave.

A Bit of Shopping Before Dinner at Home:

A little after we arrived at ML’s place, her sister Sharon-Ann arrived to take me shopping as ML had dinner to fix. She has been taking the trouble to make me really splendid dinners every night—for which I am very grateful. So Sharon and I went off to Marshall’s where I found a lovely pair of boot-cut jeans and two nice tops. I was quite pleased with my finds. But we did not stay long as I was really tired after our long but very fulfilling day.

Back home, ML had dinner ready. It was delicious chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and ricotta in a tomato sauce that we ate with a salad of zucchini. ML’s homemade vanilla ice-cream formed our dessert, served with the Peach Melba Sponge cake she had bought and grilled peaches—a sort of Peach Melba. with that, it was time to say bye to Sharon and make our ways to bed.

Indeed, it had been another incredible day and we were thrilled that the weather held up beautifully and we were fully able to enjoy the day.

Until tomorrow, see ya’…

Today was All About Frank Lloyd Wright and his Prairie-Style in Oak Park, Illinois

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Chicago

was All About Frank Lloyd Wright and his Prairie-Style in Oak Park, Illinois

In this age of instant gratification, it is rare to come upon a situation in which one revels because one has waited a very long time to enjoy it. Today, I was in such a situation. My friend, Marilou, with whom I am staying in Chicago, made it possible for me to tick off another Travel To-Do Item from my Bucket List when we spent the day in Oak Park, Illinois.

Breakfast of Kings:

But my day began at 5.30 am when I awoke to teach my classes online in India. Two classes later, i.e. at 7.30 am, I was done and ready to go in for a shower. But first, I fixed myself a cup of decaff coffee as I was starving. Then, I did have my shower and returned to the kitchen to help ML fix what promised to be a right royal repast! We were having Avocado on Toast with a tomato garnish and then get this…smoked salmon with scrambled eggs on toast! Washed down with Illy Decaff Coffee (ML actually ground the beans she had purchased yesterday), we had such a filling breakfast that we would not be hungry until diner-time.

Then, it was time to take all the stuff we needed with us (Phone, museum addresses, etc.) and we were off.

Cruising on the Highway:

Yes, it is understandable that I am would doze on the highway as ML drove us to Oak Park, Illinois, about a 45 minute ride away. I am jetlagged (still on London time) and I wake up really early in the morning to continue to teach students in India. Good job all my work is over early in the day so that I have the rest of it to enjoy as I please. We were headed to Oak Park, Illinois, a really exclusive suburb of Chicago and one that has built a reputation for having the largest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright houses in the world. So, yes, I was asleep and awoke just before we arrived in the town of Oak Park. ML had very thoughtfully used an app called Spot Hero to help find us a parking spot (as it is apparently impossible to do so in the town which is notorious for not offering Visitor Parking). We used GPS to arrive at the Parking Lot of Unity Church on Superior Street, just a couple of blocks away from the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio which we had driven out to see. By the time we walked to the venue, it was just ten minutes before 12 noon and since tours of the house are given once on the hour, it made sense to buy our tickets ($25 each) and join the one that would be leaving shortly This gave us five minutes to browse in the gift shop with the idea of returning later to browse some more.

A Word About Frank Lloyd Wright (And My Interest in Him):

Frank Lloyd Wright was born in 1867 in rural Wisconsin. He realized that he had a penchant for drawing and drafting rather early in life and so trained first under an architect named Silsbee and then under the famous Louis Sullivan in nearly Chicago. Although his formal training in Architecture at the University of Wisconsin did not last more than two years, his apprenticeship under established architects sufficed (in those days) to enable him obtain his license—and so he began is independent career. He designed more than 1,000 structures in the United States and endowed each with a distinctive style that came to be known as the ‘prairie style’. In general, this style is characterized by straight lines and sharp angles (no exterior curvatures, although he did have arched fireplaces inside) and dark colors in paint (inside and out with a particular fondness for sage green and amber). This makes the structures seem to rise from the earth itself and become congruous with the landscape surrounding it. FLW believed very much in blending the outdoors and indoors seamlessly. Hence, large windows opening out into the landscaped gardens was one of his traits.

I got to know about FLW during my training as a docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City where we have a FLW Living Room (which I used to show on my Highlights Tour of the Met). This was a home that belonged to the Towle family and was originally on the banks of Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota. It was removed and brought to the Met where it exhibits almost every one of the characteristics that denote this style. I also learned that this brilliant visionary, architect, designer, artist, interior decorator and landscape designer, had a concentration of his work in the Midwest although there are quite spectacular homes he created for his privileged and wealthy clientele in various parts of the USA. Of these, a house called Falling Water in Pennsylvania, is one that Llew and I had visited, several years ago. Its beauty and individuality have always remained with me.

So, when I realized that Oak Park, Illinois, has the largest number of prairie-style homes designed by the Master, I put it on my sight-seeing cards and had a willing partner in ML to explore them with me—as she had never ‘done’ these venues before or visited this town. How lucky was it to have someone who was equally eager to learn and discover about FLW as I was? When you have studied the work of an artist and start teaching people about his work, you are always enthusiasm about learning more about him, about walking in his footsteps and learning more about him. Hence, this excursion.

Discovering the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio:

Accordingly, we joined a group of about 20 visitors to see FLW’s Home and Studio and learn about it in the company of a docent named Susan. She has been giving tours at the House for a very long time and seemed to know a great deal. She began the tour in the garden in the front of the house so that we faced the sharply pedimented V-shaped roof (another characteristic of thi style). There, she gave us a brief bio-lesson on the architect and then invited us into the House.

As in the case of many of the world’s greatest and most distinctive architects (Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, Spain, for instance, or Jean Nouvel in France, Le Corbusier in Switzerland or Charles Correa in India), there are many influences from which FLW drew—among them, Nature, the Arts and Crafts Movement, Ancient and Medieval History, Eastern art, especially Japanese, etc. Hence, as soon as we entered the little vestibule that leads to the rest of the home, we spied a plaster model of the Venus de Milo sculpture (the original is in the Louvre in Paris) and a sculptural frieze that runs along the ceiling line (this was inspired by the Temple of Pergamon in Greece which I had seen in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany, where it now resides). From this space, we moved onto the Living Room where the first evidence of the unique furniture he designed was in evidence. These pieces were always huge (as his rooms were spacious), served multiple functions (for example, long and wide arm-rests on chairs to place drinks, books, etc.). We also saw the minimalist accessories that decorated the home—metallic or ceramic pieces, his fondness for Eastern arts very much in evidence in ceramic vases, statues of the Buddha, etc. Plus, there are scattered examples of ancient, classical art in evidence too—in addition to the model of Venus de Milo, there is the Winged Victory of Samotrace (also in the Louvre) which adorns another room in the house.

And so we went from one room to the next and ended up seeing the bedroom, the library, the childrens’ nursery—he had six children with his first wife--the bathroom, the dressing room, etc. (all upstairs) and the kitchen (downstairs). Everywhere we went, we were struck by the stark straightness of the lines (except for the fireplaces that were arched in red brick), there were no curves at all. There were also an abundance of woodwork—he had a fondness for oak, a very expensive building material—that is carved or cut in classical dentil molding patterns all around the public spaces. Colors on the wall are quiet, neutral with an emphasis on darker shades of green (sage, for example) or other earthy shades such as brown. This is the influence of Nature on his work. Floors are generally wooden or tiled. Furniture in each room was also designed by him--they show the typical Arts and Crafts style that one also finds in the work of the Pre-Raphaelites with whom FLW had much in common. There are also straight, angular designs in stained glass on the windows and above our heads in the tray ceilings that he lit from above so that they formed very Modernistic designs in keeping with the work of the artist Mondrian by whom he was also inspired.

The tour lasted a little over an hour by which time we had been made aware that there were other FLW Houses in the area that we could easily see from the outside. We could not enter any of them as they are now all privately owned. We decided to walk towards them and then stop for a little snack.

Little Walking Tour of the FLW Houses in Oak Park:

And so, we began our walking tour of the houses in Oak Park that surround this showpiece home of their creator. Suffice it to say that every single one of them is a masterpiece. They stand very close to each other—I suppose the idea of sustainability (even though it was not called by this name) at that time, did not allow even wealthy people to have sprawling property parcels unless they were deep in the rural areas. The gardens are also glorious and filled with the late blooms of summer (loads of gorgeous hydrangea, black-eyed Susan, red roses, hosta) and perfectly manicured in the small parcels of lawn that were visible in front. They all have sharply tapered roofs, woodwork on balustrades or railings around small Juliet balconies, trellised windows with small triangle-shaped stained glass panes, etc. They were enchanting and we took many pictures as we simply could not get enough of them.

Cake Lunch at Broken Tart:

By this time, we needed a sit-down and decided to walk towards the little market area of Oak Park where ML had found out about a bakery called Broken Tart. We took our rest there, selecting a wedge of Olive Oil Cake and a large slice of Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake with a Passionfruit Glaze. We shared both pieces and had ourselves a tasty and very handsome little ‘lunch’. In fact, we had plans to follow this up with an ice-cream sundae next door at an old-fashioned ice-cream parlor called Peterson’s—but both of us were too full and decided to skip the ice-cream and enjoy it tomorrow in Wisconsin.

Off to See Hemingway’s Home:

ML had also found out that Ernest Hemingway’s home was also in Oak Park and was open to the public. This was his birth pace—he was born in 1899 and lived in this home till he was nine years old. It was just a couple of blocks from where we were and we found it on a quiet street with a large board proclaiming its pedigree. However, when we went up to the porch, we found that it was only open from Thursday-Sunday—so we were unable to get in. However, I peeped through the window and discovered that it was very much in the prairie style with a staircase in the lobby that went upstairs. The entire area is called the Hemingway District and after we picked our car, we drove a bit around it. This gave us a sense of the exclusivity of Oak Park, its small-town feel and its sense of general prosperity. Sadly, we will need to leave a tour of Hemingway’s Home for next time.

Getting a Private Tour of Unity Church:

We could well have picked up our car and gone right home, but we were told that FLW also designed the Unitarian Church—we were in the compound of Unity Church and we thought this was it. In fact, this church was designed by FLW’s contemporary, Gustav Maar, as private home for the Jacksons, a wealthy couple. We learned this from the Minister who opened the door to us after we’d rung the bell and gave us a tour of the place. Seriously, not much to see, but it was very kind of him indeed.

Back to Chicago To Do Some Shopping:

It was an uneventful drive back to Chicago. I’m lucky because it was only 6.30 by the time we got back and Marilou had called her sister, Sharon, to find out if she would drive me to the shops while ML got dinner organized. Accordingly, Sharon arrived and took me to Marshalls where I found great-looking Levi jeans that I thought I would buy. I also looked for clothes but found nothing that really grabbed my attention.

Dinner at ML’s:

Dinner at ML’s was ready and waiting for us, by the time we arrived home. All of us decided to have gimlets and with ML going out into her garden to pick basil and rosemary from her bushes, I fixed everyone very botanical gimlets with herbs and lime. They were incredibly delicious and refreshing and we sat down to do justice to ML’s Shepherd’s Pie and Thai Mango Salad—both of which were absolutely fabulous. In fact, we did such justice to it that among the three of us we finished the whole thing. Dessert was ML’s homemade vanilla ice-cream with a tablespoon of limoncello poured over it—what luxury!

VAnd on that happy note, we went off to bed. I had some work to deal with and with Llew on the line, I took care of it all. Our US taxes, our India taxes, issues to do with signing our new tenancy lease, etc. I managed to do it all and then go to bed, knowing I had to wake up early, the next morning, to teach a class.

It had been another amazing day and I have to say that I am having simply the best time in the company of really old friends.

Until tomorrow, see ya’…

All About Architecture in the Windy City, Chicago

Monday, September 22, 2025

Chicago

About Architecture in the Windy City, Chicago

Today was devoted to seeing, appreciating and understanding the astounding Modernist architecture of Chicago. Indeed, the city has landmark buildings each of which competes for attention with the other. The Chicago river, as it winds its way through the city, makes the perfect mode by which to take in the towering sights of skyscrapers like no other. But to begin at the beginning.

Off on the Commuter Train (the Metra) to Downtown Chicago:

I awoke at 5.00 am to start teaching my classes in Bombay—with the alarm, of course. I taught two classes from 5.30 till 7.30am, then had a half hour break during which time I had a decaff coffee and a small bowl of overnight oats. Then, I taught another class from 8.00 to 9.00 am. By 9.00 am, I was done, showered, dressed and got ready to leave the house with Marielou for a day out in the Windy City. We were blessed with an exceedingly beautiful day—the sun shone warm and golden upon us (perhaps too warm for late-September) but we were happy to take it (rather than the promised wet spells).

We carried a canned strawberry smoothie with each of us and had it while awaiting the commuter train (the Metra) to Chicago city. The journey took 45 minutes on a slow train and reminded me in many ways of our Metro-North journey from Southport to Grand Central Station in New York City. Marielou had purchased online return tickets for both of us and so off we went, sipping our smoothies during the 20 minutes that we waited in the Waiting Room for the train to arrive.

Once at Union Station, a really grand architectural masterpiece (similar to Union Station in Washington DC or Grand Central in New York), filled with Baroque decoration, Neo-Classical columns and much Amtrak information and posters all over (as Chicago is a very active hub for cross-country rail service in the USA), we paused to take pictures in a vast concourse that dwarfed us. I was struck to see the place absolutely filled with Amish folk. Apparently, there is a huge settlement of them in neighboring Indiana and since they reject flying as a means of travel (too highly technological), they only travel long-distance by train. I was sharply reminded of the film, “Witness” with Harrison Ford as I took in the sights of so many of them.

on the Water Taxi to Michigan Avenue:

Marielou, who knows Chicago really well (she has lived here for over a half-century and has worked in the city) suggested that, in the interest of minimizing the amount of walking we would do, we take the Water Taxi to Michigan Avenue. It was a brainwave. For $8 a pop, not only did we save our energy but we had our first experience of being out on the river. It was exciting to use this mode of transport—we were only two of a total of four passengers in the taxi.

And it was fun as we passed by buildings that towered above us. We’d have much more of this on the First Lady Architecture Tour just a little later.

Taking the First Lady Architectural Tour of Chicago:

Marilou highly recommended the Architecture Tour of Chicago which is one of the most popular touristic items in the city. While there are many companies that offer it (Shoreline, for instance), she insisted we take the one offered by the Architecture Center as it would be most comprehensive. Accordingly, we walked to the Center and took a flight of stairs down to the riverfront. Chicago is interesting (like Edinburgh, Scotland) in that it is constructed on two tiers, each offering a wealth of shops, restaurants, etc. In fact, the city has developed a waterfront walk that runs almost the entire length of the river downtown and many famous restaurants and steak houses (Smith and Wollensky, Legal Seafood, etc.) have taken us spots along this route

We did obtain our tickets for the 1.00 pm tour which would last exactly 90 minutes. The ticket was a pricey $56 each—yes, I have to say that I am getting sticker shock at every point as prices in the USA seem to have soared since the time I lived here—and yes, that was pre-Covid).With really nice deck side seats, one behind the other, we were off and away.

Our docent was Susan and indeed she was brilliant. For the next hour and a half, we cruised gently along the river, passing by a million bridges (I certainly did not remember that Chicago had so many) with their 19th century impressive iron decorative work which makes each one unique. Every building, as we glided by it, has a story and we were told about its origin, its architects, its most distinctive features, etc. Susan’s knowledge was deep and impressive and there was tremendous clarity in her voice and commentary that made listening to and comprehending it a real pleasure. We saw several landmark buildings, such as the Gothic-inspired Chicago Tribune Building, the garish Trump Tower—the one with the largest letters proclaiming its name—the ‘Mart’—created by Marshall Field to be the warehouse of the world, a straight black box of a building (the handiwork of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe—which I found least interesting), right next to it, the ‘Corn Cob’ buildings that I found most interesting, the building that resembled a bottle of champagne (green length with real gold highlights at the very top) and the most famous Chicago skyscraper of them all the former Sears Tower (at one time the world’s tallest building—it is now the Burj-Khalifa in Dubai which I have also scaled), now known as the Willis Tower as poor Sears-Roebuck has faded into history. We passed by the famous Navy Pier (which apparently comes into its own at night and which contains the world’s first Ferris wheel—designed and created by a name with the last name of Ferris—who knew?—after whom it is named—and apparently Chicago’s answer to the Eiffel Tower in Paris). Of course, we passed by dozens of other significant buildings, but honestly, after a while, each one merged into the other and it was impossible for me to remember more than the ones I have listed above.

Ninety minutes later, after taking in the most astounding sights, in terms of design, height and engineering of modern urban masterpieces, we alighted. I was hungry and felt as if we needed lunch.

Lunch at Chipotle:

Luckily for us, a Chipotle was right across the road and sharing a burrito loaded with marinated, grilled chicken, brown rice, beans, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, salsa and cheese—how on earth do they manage to pile all of it on to the tortilla is beyond me—we found ourselves seats and sipping on tall glasses of lemonade (most welcome given the mounting warmth of the day),we split the burrito in half and enjoyed it fully. It was a terrific meal for a terrific day, but we did not linger too long over it. It was time to move on.

Off to the Architecture Center:

The Architecture Center that runs the Architecture Cruise on the river through a company called First Lady, has its office very conveniently located just one tier above the boarding pier. Marilou remembers a time when entry and a vist to this venue was free of charge—she has taken many visitors to the city to this spot. But post-Covid, everything costs money and a lot of it too! So entry is usually $8 each but with our tickets for the cruise, we were offered a discount and bought them for $5 each.

Inside, the biggest highlight is a model of the city of Chicago. I had seen a similar model of this kind featuring London at the Museum of Architecture in Bloomsbury, London, many years ago, so I am very familiar with the architectural genius of presenting such an item for viewing. Every building is done to scale. They are white clay structures that imitate and reflect the architectural design of the structures as they punctuate both banks of the Chicago River. You can also see Millennium Park (which, as its name suggest, was built to mark the start of the 21st century and a new millennium). It is also downtown, beautifully landscaped and features a few interesting structures like a classical Greek crescent of columns, a modern theater, a skate boarding rink, etc.

But its single, most popular feature is colloquially called The Bean. It is a massive sculpture, the brainchild of Indian-British sculptor, Anish Kapoor, shaped like a gigantic upturned bean. Its surface is covered with a silver, metallic, reflecting paint of sorts that captures the entire Chicago skyline as it acts as a mirror. The concept is simply ingenious and because people see themselves reflected in the mirror, you can see all of them sitting or standing and clicking pictures of themselves. You could spend an awful lot of time in this venue, circumnavigating it and taking in the sights of the many buildings. We did take out time but, ultimately, moved on. As we exited the Park, we saw another novel fountain that had images reflected on its sides which produced jets of water from strategic spots, eg. from out of the mouth of a man whose face was on the fountain’s sides. All these modernist aspects of contemporary arts and architecture are fascinating and it is hard to fathom how these effects are achieved.

Home on the Train to Northbrook:

And then, it was time for us (at past 4.30 pm) to think of returning home as Marilou’s dogs needed to be fed and walked. We had a longish walk back to the train station (about 20 minutes) as we walked along the grid that makes up the downtown area. Once we found our train, we hopped into it, found seats side by side in a Quiet Car (that did not allow us to talk at all—not even to each other, forget about talking on a phone) and then we were off. The return journey took another 45 minutes. We picked our car up from the parking lot and we were home where the dogs gave us an uproarious greeting before being let outdoors to tinkle.

Dinner at Home During a Relaxing Evening:

All that was left was for us to kick back. Marilou had chores, the dogs to walk and dinner to organize. I excused myself and took a nap as I was still jetlagged, had woken up early and not had my usual afternoon nap. Hence, I hit the sack and while believing it would be a mere 20 minutes, did not get up for a whole hour. Once up, I joined ML in the kitchen. She insisted I have a gin and tonic and she joined me in one as we loaded it up with sliced cucumber, freshly muddled basil leaves from her garden and plenty of lime. It was such a refreshing end to the day as we made our way to the dining table. ML brought the lovely Asian Salad she had prepared—a substantial affair with glass noodles, freshly sliced veg (beans, snow peas), bean sprouts galore and shredded chicken and a lovely dressing based on peanut butter. It was delicious with a squeeze of lime juice and with our gimlets, we had a really lovely meal. Of course, we chatted nineteen to the dozen and before you know it, both of us were fading away and were ready to call it a day.

Yes, we had covered an awful lot during the day—Union Station, a ride in a Water Taxi, an Architectural Cruise on the River, a Visit to the Architecture Center and a visit to Millennium Park to take in Anish Kapoor’s Bean. I also realized that the train fare was a skinny $2.50 one way—which made a return downtown most economical—so, of course, we would go there again, probably on a wet day when being inside a museum would provide the perfect antidote to the rain

Until tomorrow, see ya’ …

Staying Local in Northbrook, Illinois--Sunday Mass at Local Church, Vintage Car Rally, Dog Agility Training

Sunday, September 21,

Northbrook, Illinois

Staying Local in Northbrook, Illinois.

Today was all about recovering my breath after 10 hectic days in London. I am now safely ensconced at the Northbrook home of my college classmaate, Marilou. This is a suburb of Chicago and it has all the small-town feeling of a typical American hamlet: there is a small railroad station, a library, a village green, a post office, as well as all the community centers you could desire.

Mass at the Church of St. Norbert and Our Lady of the Brook:

I did not sleep too badly, all things considered. Yes, there is a wee bit of jetlag but we have only five and a half hours of time difference between London and Chicago. Benign blue skies smiled upon me when I awoke at 6.30 am to find ML in the garden with her dogs enjoying her first cup of coffee. As it was Sunday, we discussed going to Church and opted for the 9.30 am Mass—and so there I was sipping my own decaff coffee too, then dressing and driving off for Mass.

The Church was like any one of the churches we see in Canada—modern, 1970s-built, a large space that begins with a spacious vestibule. It is always great to return to the West for the simple reason that the sermons sound sane again. I have often said that one of the few things I miss while living in Bombay is the superb sermons that the Jesuit theologians would preach at my church in Fairfield, Connecticut. Ditto with the Anglican churches in the UK which are actually my favorite churches in the world—you can be assured that you will get a heart-warming, stirring sermon with a lesson that shall live with you for the rest of the week. And that was pretty much the case here too in this Chicago suburb. The priest spoke for about 10 minutes but it was a pleasure to listen to him.

Brekkie at Home:

done, we drove home and were ready for brekkie: it was overnight oats made by ML from her Noom Cookbook (they were delicious) and she gave me a taste of her own homemade granola (using Alton Brown’s recipe). All the while we chatted and she told me where things were kept—so that I can help myself to anything, should I feel the need. Breakfast done, we were ready for the next item on our agenda: a visit to her local school yard for the annual Vintage Car Rally—a small community event that attracts a number of car-lovers from near and far even as it brings owners of vintage cars to the venue from all over the States to exhibit their treasures.

The Vintage Car Rally in Northbrook:

In the end, we were really glad we went to the Vintage Car Rally as I really did not know what to expect. Many years ago, I had been to a similar one in Hyde Park in London, when I had been invited there by English friends whose American friend was exhibiting his Aston Martin car that he had transported from the USA to London for the rally.

This one was less upscale, but there certainly was a vintage Rolls Royce in the mix that garnered a great deal of attaention. Of course, everyone stopped to take pictures of it, but there were a load of other spiffy cars that were also grabbing deep attention. Among them, we were really lucky to come upon a Ford Model T from 1916 that had begun the process of assembly line manufacture that then became the blueprint for the production of every car in the USA. There were a few things I learned at the rally: for example, Henry Ford was forced to cave in and create cars in varied colors when his competitors (Chevrolet, Buick, etc.) began to produce cars in a range of shades. We felt very blessed when the owners of the Model T invited us to get into the car and take a picture. ML sat behind the wheel, I was in the passenger seat (of the two-seater) and he took our picture in it. Really, the history of cars is quite fascinating and motor buffs were having a field day (no pun intended) at the venue

We also saw a variety of T-Birds (as Chevrolet Thunderbirds were known) that brought to mind The Beach Boys song: And we’ll have fun, fun fun, fun, fun, Till your Daddy takes the T-Bird away”. Yes, we did pose by a number of cars.

Of special interest was a ‘Transporter’ vehicle from 1975 that was the start of the RVs that we now find becoming more and more sophisticated with every passing year. ML actually remembered going to school in a similar vehicle. What struck me was the bright colors of these vehicles: fire red, lipstick red, scarlet, indeed every shade of red. Plus royal blue, army green, mustards, oranges, etc. you name it. Certainly cars were produced in far brighter colors in a bygone era than today.

Oh and we did see a few cars that appeared to belong to the age of Downton Abbey, complete with seat at the back for the equivalent of a carriage footman—a servant, basically, who would jump up and down to open the door for you or hold out an umbrella above your head in the rain.

was also very interesting was that all of the cars had their hoods up so that motor lovers could closely inspect their engines. And boy, what engines they were! Gleaming for all they were worth, it is so clear that their owners lavish much time, attention, care and expense on them to keep them looking as good as new even though many of them are more than a century old. Talking to some of the owners, we discovered that they are still completely road-worthy and that their owners enjoy taking them for an occasional spin around town when passing strangers wave to them as if they are best friends. However, they are unable to wave back as these are all manually-operated vehicles and they cannot take their hands or feet away from the pedals of the steering wheel. In fact, the pedals control the brake, clutch and the reverse mechanism—so one has to really focus when driving these cars.

The weather was gorgeous and the car-lovers were lucky that they had the perfect day for such an event. We did not stay too long, although we saw all sorts of vehicles including pick-up trucks from a bygone era, before we decided to move on

Getting Back Home for Lunch:

Our day moved on rapidly as we reached home to rustle up a makeshift lunch. I helped mash up and season an avocado as ML prepared toast and fried eggs for us. Our lunch consisted of Avocado on Toast with sliced tomatoes and a fried egg washed down with herbal tea. It was a good, substantial lunch and with it filling our tummies, we were ready for the next item on our agenda: A drive one hour away to a place called Chicago Ridge for Dog Agility Training.

Off to Dog Agility Training:

So, Dog Agility Training is a whole new concept to me and one I have only just become aware of through ML. She has two dogs—Pixel (a little chihuahua mix) and Wiggles (a terrier mix). Over the last few years, she has been visiting this venue to formally train them in agility. This involves introducing the dog gradually to making low jumps, high jumps, walking across a low or high ramp, going through a tunnel, passing through a maze of poles, etc. Once the dog understands the concept of the route or the movement, he has to develop speed in going through all the stages (or obstacles) in his way. ML’s dogs have been doing this for the past few years and are proud winners of rosettes, ribbons and other such prizes. Now they are into Scent Training—the various elements of this training are numerous and, depending on one’s interest or dedication, one can decide how many of these training program one would like to put one’s dog through. ML is indeed deeply involved in this. She finds it relaxing, therapeutic, a great way to get away from the routine of her daily life, to introduce her dogs to various skills and to keep herself actively engaged herself (as the owner has to walk or run alongside the dog as he performs). ML’s sister Sharon also brought her dog Waffles along—a real gentle giant—he is a Bernaise Mountain and Poodle mix—and with three dogs and three ladies in the car going back and forth together, we made a strange lot.

For me, this was a very good introduction to the things dog-lovers do. I met a couple of the trainers, many beautiful prize-winning dogs and the general place where the training is held—a vast basement with all the equipment needed to train as well as large crates in which the dogs are penned until it is their turn to be trained.

When the training was done, all of us (humans and pooches) piled back into the car and we were homeward bound. It is lovely to be back on the American highways again and to see the many changes that are being wrought by changes in population demographics.

Off for Dinner to a Friend’s:

We had dinner plans at ML’s sister, Claudette’s home, which is not far away in Northbrook. Back home, we showered and dressed and got ready for our dinner. It is always a pleasure to see Claudette and her husband, Phillip, both lovely people. In addition to ML and Sharon and myself, they had two other people present, Aurelia and Wilbert—originally from Bombay, who now happen to live in the USA.

We nibbled on cheese and crackers and wonderful samosas (bought from an Indian store) and after chatting about current affairs, we adjourned to the dining room, where we sat down to eat appams with chicken curry, lentil salad, South Indian-style green beans and brinjal pickle. There was also biryani but I did not taste it at all as I focused on the appams that I love. For dessert, there were grilled peaches flavored with cinnamon and some Tinnamook Ice-cream with Dark Cherries in them that were really delicious.

By the time 10.00 pm came around, however, my eyes were glazing over as I was clearly jetlagged—it would be about 4.30 am in London and it was taking my body time to adjust to the new time zone. Not too long after, everyone said their goodbyes and we left to get back home to ML’s where, because I have a very early wake-up call (I will be teaching my classes from here online), I needed to get quickly into bed.

It had been the perfect day—not too much exertion gave my feet time to rest completely and get ready for a bout of heavy sight-seeing tomorrow.

Until tomorrow, see ya’...

Goodbye London, Hello Again USA--In Chicago After Ages!

Saturday, September 20, 2025

London-Atlanta-Chicago

Goodbye London, Hello Again USA--In chicago After Ages.

My last morning in London saw me awake at 3.00 am (I had set my alarm for 6.00 am) and unable to sleep a wink after. I actually sat on the phone and chatted with my friend, Maria, as it was mid-day in Bombay and she had just texted me. From then on, I kept thinking of my departure and somehow, butterflies somersaulted in my tummy and kept me awake. At 5.00 am, I simply gave up, decided to go down for a shower and got the last-minute elements of my packing done.

At 6.30 am, we found a car parked in the street and realized it was my Uber. Roz, who had awoken to say Bye to me, had made me a cup of decaff coffee and given me a wrapped madeleine to take for the way--I was so grateful for that coffee as it would not be until 10.30 am before I put the first morsel in my mouth and I’d have been starving. Anyway…I wished her a very sad goodbye and said Thanks before I left for the airport.

Journey to Heathrow:

It was my fault that I listened to Roz who told me that 2 hours before my departure would be plenty of time to leave for the airport (I usually give it three). As it turned out, although our departure from Battersea through several side streets went very smoothy (with London fast asleep on a weekend morning), about 20 minutes before we reached Heathrow, traffic had piled up and was simply not moving. The collection of traffic lights on the rotary circles just before the Terminals causes this pile up. I was very nervous as it was already about 7.00 am and my flight was leaving at 9.20 am. I ought to have been there by 6.20. Eventually, after all the slow stops and starts, we got to the Terinal at 7.30 am. Mamma Mia! I was really scared and already started praying that I would not miss my flight.

Chaos at Heathrow:

Imagine my anguish then, when I arrived inside the Virgin Atlantic Terminal (3) and found the place simply swimming with people. There were thousands of people around and chaos everywhere. It turned out that they’d had a “technical glitch” that caused the computers to stop functioning. All check-in had to be done manually and staff were helping people go to the machines and get their boarding passes. I was very fortunate to find a very helpful traffic assistant who helped me get my baggage tags and boarding pass. But then I had to pass through a barrier and get into a line for Baggage Drop-Off. This was a line with hundreds of people ahead of me, winding for many lengths through that part of the Terminal. One of the personnel had told me that if I was still in the line at 8.00 am, I ought to contact one of the Personnel who would take me up the line faster. And that was what I did. I called out to a passing assistant, who got me out of the queue and straight to the counter where my bags were weighed. There was a long conversation with the clerk and someone on a phone as he told them the weight of my two bags (one just 13 kg and the other 20 kgs—I was allowed 23 kgs in each bag—so I was well within my weight allowance). After keeping me waiting for ages, he did approve of my departure and told me all was well.

Funnily enough, after this terribly fearful start, Security Clearance went really well and quickly. I am delighted to find that Heathrow has abandoned its stupid practice of making passengers remove all liquids and creams form their carry-on baggage and placing them in tiny, transparent plastic bags. This practice (not seen at any other international airport—and a terrible result of 9/11) would cause an awful waste of time, unnecessary anxiety and a general feeling of irritation. Now, all we are told is to make sure we remove jackets and belts—everything else can stay in the bag including laptops!

Well, once I’d cleared Security, all that was left was to go through the gates. It was already about 8.40 and my boarding was supposed to start soon. I did not even pause to use the rest room but made the long trek to my gate. Yes, everyone was anxious and relieved to be in the holding pen for passengers and to find that the departure was not delayed.

This fact became extra significant since it turned out that the “technical glitch” was a major cyber attack on airports in Florence, Brussels and London which grounded hundreds of planes from Europe and caused major delays and cancellations at Heathrow. By the time I was at my destination in Atlanta, I had already received links from Llew and a friend, Bande, about the chaos that had engulfed Heathrow and how lucky I was to have escaped the confusion. Well…just about. This has taught me never to under-estimate the amount of time it will take at any airport—better safe than sorry (I really ought to know this by now, as a very seasoned traveler).

A Fairly Pleasant Flight from London to Atlanta:

I have to say that I had been misinformed by the same traffic clerk who had kept me waiting while he was on the phone checking out the weight of my baggage, that I’d have to pick up my baggage in Atlantic where I had to make a connection to Chicago. I thought this was rather bizarre myself as Delta was going to operate both sectors of this journey on behalf of Virgin Atlantic. However, who was I to argue with him—I asked him twice and he confirmed that I would have to pick up the baggage again in Atlanta after deplaning and would need to go through check-in again before embarking for the next phase of my journey. This was especially strange as I had already received boarding passes for both parts of my journey. Anyway…as I said, nothing went smoothly for me on this trip.

The flight itself was reasonably comfortable. I had a window seat and was thrilled—only to discover that it was directly above the wing—hence, I could not see a thing! Anyway, it did not bother me because within seconds, we were up in the clouds and all visibility vanished. I also had a very nice man seated by me who was super polite (Yes Mam, No Mam, etc. throughout the flight) and helped put my bag up. Fairly quickly, in fact, I needed to get it down as I wanted my laptop out of it to do some writing. I was starving by the time the breakfast trolley came around. They asked if I wanted Chicken or Pasta and I chose the first and gave myself up fully to the pleasure of eating a breast of chicken with (tasteless) risotto and a side of boiled beans—well, I would practically eat anything, by this point. There was a piece of focaccia with butter, a cold salad of mixed beans and barley and a sweet of caramel tiramisu which was actually quite nice. No alcohol was served at that hour of the morning, so I opted for a tomato juice. Later in the flight, while the Drinks trolley went around, I asked for a gin and tonic but was told they had no gin. I was given vodka instead and I had that with lime and ice. There were snacks at the far end of the aircraft, to which we could help ourselves and I ended up nibbling on cheese crackers.

Throughout the flight I watched Season Four of ‘Yellowstone’ as all five seasons were available. I was absolutely thrilled as I had watched three seasons at home and had tried hard to find 4 and 5 but without any luck. There are 11 episodes of approximately one hour each—so by the time I was landing at Chicago (with two flights to take me there), I had finished watching 8 seasons. It kept me completely absorbed and the time flew.

We arrived at Atlanta, by which time I was informed by everyone that my baggage would go through to Chicago and I need not pick them up at all. Phew! What a relief. In fact, since Atlanta was our first port of Arrival in the USA, we cleared Immigration here. I was able to go into the ‘Connecting Flight Global Entry Pass’ line which took only five minutes to clear up. I was happy to see that my Global Entry Renewal at LAX last year had worked (although I never received a new card in the mail

Out at Atlanta, a very large airport, I saw that my flight was not announced on the Departures board even though there was just 90 minutes in-between and in time for my next departure. I was advised to go the Information Desk where the clerk was equally foxed before he realized that Delta was going to opera the the Virgin Atlantic flight. I was advised to go two flights down to take a monorail train to Terminal D (we were at F) from where I would find my Gate (D9A). And from then on, it was indeed very smooth. I followed instructions, took the train and arrived at my gate with about 45 minutes to spare. This finally gave me the chance to send out texts through airport wifi to many folks that I had landed safely and was headed on a connecting flight to Chicago.

Our flight left on time and, in a much smaller plane, I had an aisle seat. The crew did a beverage service with crackers, but I was not hungry at all and gladly had just a glass of sparkling water. The flight landed on time but I did not realize that Chicago is an hour behind New York or Atlanta. So while I thought I would be there at 5.00 pm, it was actually at 4.00 pm that we landed. Still, it all worked out well. I was able to retrieve my baggage and follow my friend Marielou’s instructions for pick up from the Passenger Pick up outside. I realized that I’d made a mistake with the time as my phone clock’s GPS gave me the correct time of 4.30 while I had adjusted my wrist watch to 5.30 pm—always go by your phone’s clock—as it is always right!

I waited for about 15-20 minutes before Marielou arrived, placed my baggage into her truck and we were off. I did not realize that Northbrook, where she lives is only a 15 minute drive from the airport—so we were in her quiet suburb within 15 minutes and 5 minutes later, we were pulling into her driveway and being greeted by her very noisy dogs, Pixel and Wiggles. Yes, they are small dogs, but boy are they nois! It was an uproarious welcome for me, for sure.

First Evening at Marielou’s:

So, we had a very relaxed first evening together. I had made the awful discovery that the can of Cadbury’s Drinking Chocolate I had bought in London had popped its lid (a flimsy plastic lid and nothing like the old tins we used to get). It had spilled all over he contents of my bag. After sitting down with a mug of herbal tea with cheese and delicious fig and almond crackers for snacking on and watching Marilou dish up dinner (she refused to let me help this evening and said she would put me to work from tomorrow onwards), we were ready for dinner—ML picked up an eggplant from her beautiful garden together with some basil and with frozen pumpkin and lentil soup and wonderful quesadillas that she made with fresh veg like zucchini, eggplant and mushrooms with a sparse sprinkling of grated cheese, it was a very tasty dinner that we really enjoyed.

Dinner through, I dealt with the pesky task of getting my suitcase into my room (on the ground floor—so not many steps) and had the horrific discovery that every item from my strolley would have to be dusted, cleaned and washed as everything was covered with the fine dust of drinking chocolate. Yes, everything smelt wonderful but oh what a bother it was! I did all the cleaning in the shower stall in my en suite bathroom which then made it very easy for ML to simply vacuum the whole thing. Exactly half the can had spilled out, but I was able to save the other half. What a mess! By the time I finished cleaning it all, my back was aching it was almost 9.00 pm (past midnight in London) and I was ready for bed.

And on that tiring note, I went into my room, did most of my unpacking and fell asleep.

I have to say that it felt great to be in the USA again after a little over a year. One feels as if one has never left because immediately everything looks completely familiar. I know that we have a relaxed morning tomorrow, but I do hope we will be able to get to church for Mass.

Until tomorrow, see ya…