FIND INSPIRATION IN THE EVERY DAY.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Windy City

Chicago has been on my top five cities to visit, forever, and it didn't let me down.  I found that inspiration runs rampant when you are temporarily without kids, have access to unlimited sleep, eat great food, and see amazing art.  I didn't only remember why I love my husband; I actually remembered why I like him.

Highlights in no particular order:



The Corn Cob Buildings in Marina City.  Designed by Bertrand Goldberg in 1959 to 1964 (my sweet spot for architecture, btw.)

You KNOW there is a lamp to follow, inspired by those scales...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_City


Two splendiforous cocktails: One is the original margarita at Mercadito...



and the other is the Elderflower cocktail at MK, which, unfortunately, shall have to be conjured by your imagination.  I CAN tell you that it is pink grapefruit pink and resides (though not for long) in a chilled martini glass...talk amongst yourselves....


Where I bought a fabulous purple heathered "Meet me at the Crotch" t-shirt. Get your mind out of the gutter - the Crotch is simply referring to the triangle where the streets connect in the Wicker Park neighborhood.  Geez.  Check out Renegade Handmade's website:  www.renegadehandmade.com



The Cloud Gate at Millennium Park.  Designed by Anish Kapoor, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anish_Kapoor  this really does live up to the hype. Walking around it is like walking around a dream.




The William Eggleston photography exhibit at The Art Institute of Chicago, which is a mind-blowing swirl of unbelievable art treasures, including: American Gothic, The Nighthawks, and Van Gogh's The Bedroom.

The Eggleston exhibit is saturated with gorgeous color and captures the beauty and lines of 1960s and 1970s America, with all its heartbreak.

http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/exhibition/Eggleston

This exhibit was truly amazing and inspiring.  The light.  The vivid colors from those layered dyes. The bittersweet shape of the red tricycle against the hard concrete of the American neighborhood.  Practically worth the airfare to Chicago by itself.

Filled to the brim and ready to get back to the studio.