Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Slept in. Found my sock in the laundry room on the floor. Finished folding laundry. Breakfast: five italian plums, water. Brown Line to Chicago and Brown, bus 66 to Illinois and McClurg. Light meal at Fox and Obel (312-410-7301, 401 E. Illinois Street, Chicago, Illinois): pre-made turkey and ham sandwich from the refrigerator case, Honest Tea: Just Green Tea: about $8. Bobby's Bike Hike with guide Karen: Lakefront Neighborhoods Tour. The only other person on the tour was a woman from Toronto. The tour stops and highlights: the outside of the Museum of Contemporary Art (where a farmer's market was taking place and where Amanda Ross-Ho's The Character and Shape of Illuminated Things was recently installed in the plaza and where I accidentally fell off my bike and scratched my right leg in a few places), Oprah's penthouse apartment at Water Tower Place, the 1899 mansion by James Gamble Rogers owned by Hugh Hefner (1340 North State Parkway), the Wooden Alley between North State Parkway and North Astor Street, Streeterville, along North Rush Street, into Old Town, a Sears kit house, St. Michael's Cathedral, an Abraham Lincoln statue (but not the one by the history museum—another one). We stopped at Lincoln Park Zoo for a 23-minute break. I purchased a chocolate and vanilla twist soft-serve ice cream ($4.36 after tax) which disappointingly disintegrated in my hand faster than I could eat it. The texture of the soft-serve was not exactly correct even though it tasted correct—too watery. We rode across a North Lakeshore Drive overpass, saw the view from the south end of Grant Park which included Navy Pier, then rode along the water back to Bobby's Bike Hike East Illinois Street and North McClurg Court. An excellent bicycle tour—I highly recommend it. About $45 after a very generous tip. Rested at Fox and Obel with an Honest Tea: Lemon: $2.40. Walked to Hancock Center, waited for Jaime and Matt to arrive. We attempted to visit the Signature Lounge but failed because I was wearing a tank top and did not have a shirt with collar and sleeves. Disappointment. We took a cab to Jaime's car then drove to dinner at Ruxbin (851 N. Ashland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois). We wanted to get a drink afterwards and stopped at Jackhammer but saw that it had no customers, so we instead drove to Andersonville and drank at ?. We drove back to Jaime and Matt's place. Packed. Reviewed transit options for tomorrow's travel. I'm flying to New York City and need to figure out how to get from JFK to the Lower East Side. To bed very late.