In the morning I caught the Brown Line downtown and, finding the number of items I was carying to be inconvineint I made for the T.J. Max on State Street to buy a moderatly priced shoulder bag.
With my big purchase in hand I walked to the Chicago Cultural Center. If you have not done it, a wander through the cultural center is well worth the time. I walked through the three first floor exhibit spaces before being drawn up into the performance space where a gentleman was playing a grand piano. He and I were the only two in the room and though I enjoyed the mini-performance it was clear that he was practicing or getting used to the space. Walking down the ramp from there I went to the Grand Army of the Republic rotunda to gawk a bit then into the Louis Sullivan exhibit. I capped of my time in the Cultural Center by sitting in the reading room with the retirees and finished reading "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman."
The Visitor's Center there in the Cultural Center had flyers for various things to see; I settled on the McCormick Bridgehouse. First I went to the Emerald Loop for a lovely Chicken Tika Masala. Well fed, I walked to Wacker and Wabash and down the stairs to the Vietnam Memorial on the river walk, then headed East to the museum. Alas the Museum is not open on Tuesday and Wednesday. My plan is to return tomorrow.
The time came to do my traditional book shopping. Walking north on State I stopped in After Words books where I bought a well read copy of "Nostromo". Next stop, Evanston.
After finding the red line train packed to the gills I walked to the Merchandise Mart and caught the brown to the red to the purple to visit Bookmans Alley. I love this place, but had forgotten the cash-only policy. Resisting the urge to buy a $190 full run of the "Harvard Classics" I ended up instead with a lovely printing of the "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon." Then to Amaranth Books where I acquired a three volume printing of the Essays of Montaigne.
I wrapped my day up by catching the El back home where I watched the Michael Kane movie "ZULU".
Not bad for the first day.
