Family Fun in Chicago
We were delighted when our kids (Amy, Danny, and Danny’s girlfriend Mei) visited us in Chicago for several days. It was a smaller gathering than the big Sevilla family reunion we had here last year, but the weather was the same - once again we had a record heat wave. The extreme temperatures cramped our style a bit, but we still had a great time!
On Thursday, we had dinner at our favorite spot, Bar Sótano, followed by an evening of improv comedy at The Second City. There were some cringe-y moments, but plenty of hilarious ones, too, like the skit where one party guest was “plankton” (you had to be there).
On Friday, we picnicked at the Grant Park Music Festival at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Act 1 of the program featured compositions by Clarice Assad (Brazil) and Arturo Márquez (Mexico), with Pacho Flores on the trumpet. Act 2 was Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. The music was wonderful, and there was plenty of food. Danny stretched out on the blanket for a nap (I’m sure he’s not the first to nap during Mahler).
After our picnic, we walked to the Riverwalk to see “Art on the Mart,” where art is projected onto the Merchandise Mart. The building was an impressively huge canvas for a contemporary graphic piece by Perkins&Will, followed by a projection for Pride Month.
On Saturday, it was super hot, so we spent the afternoon in a movie theater. (It was a zombie movie, not one I’d recommend.) That evening, we dined at Bazaar Meat, one of Chef José Andrés’ restaurants. We had a prime corner table overlooking the Chicago River, and the tasting menu was fantastic! I’ll share more about the food in another post.
After dinner, Steve, Amy and I went to see the Joffrey Ballet perform Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. This ballet was a bucket list item for me, with choreography by Christopher Wheeldon and music by Joby Talbot (the same team that created The Winter’s Tale, which we saw in Vienna). Amy astutely observed that there were parallels to The Nutcracker. The performance was joyful and marvelous, and my favorite characters were the sinuous Caterpillar and the campy Red Queen. It was a bonus to experience it in the Civic Opera House’s gorgeous Art Deco theater. You can watch snippets of the ballet here.
It was still really hot on Sunday, so went out for brunch and then relaxed at home together. One of the perks of nomad life is spending time with our kids in a variety of interesting places. For our family, “home” is wherever we are together.
