Johnny and I had a great trip to Chicago. We left Harvard on the 9:35 Metra and got to Chicago at about 11:20. Johnny chose seats in the upper level. The ride was nice, but we were both apprehensive because it was raining all the way and we were afraid the White Sox game would be rained out. We came in the the Ogilvie Transportation Center. That was interesting as I had never been there before. There are shops and a food court. We walked a few blocks to Canal and Washington and caught a bus to the CTA El stop on Wells. We rode the Brown Line as far as Chicago Avenue. We got off and walked a few blocks to Ed Debevik's where we had lunch. We each had a milk shake and Johnny had a small cheese pizza and I had a cheeseburger. The servers are rude (that is the trademark of Debevik's), but they weren't rude to us. Upon leaving we caught a bus to Michigan Avenue and then #151 to Lincoln Park and the Zoo. We saw several animals and Johnny rode the merry-go-round. We stayed there about two hours and then took the bus back toward our hotel. We got off at Adams and walked about four blocks to our hotel, the Congress Plaza. We checked in and spent an hour in the room relaxing. The room was nice, but it was too cool. There were two temperatures - cold and very cold. We left the hotel before six as Johnny wanted to get to the park early to watch batting practice. We walked two blocks to the subway station and took the Red Line to Cellular Field. We visited with a nice couple while walking to the entrance. Johnny was quite excited as he learned that Albert Pujols was going to be back in the lineup. Our seats were in Section 536 which was way up high but we did have a good view of the field. I had hot dogs as I found out that Thursday in $1.00 hot dog night. We sat next to a nice family from Des Moines and Johnny visited with him about baseball. It was a great game. The Cardinal pitcher, Reyes, pitched a one-hitter. Unfortunately, the one hit was a Thome solo home run and the White Sox won 1-0. Johnny was disappointed, but he really enjoyed the game. I was amazed at how smoothly getting on the Red Line was. We got through the turnstyles quickly and a train was waiting. As soon as it was full we departed. We got off at the Harrison Street Station and walked to a cafe on Michigan Avenue. We ate outside and then went back to the hotel.
On Friday morning we walked up Harrison to a Mr.Donut. Johnny had milk and two donuts and I had a coffee and muffin. We checked out of the hotel and then caught the X28 Stony Island Express to the Museum of Science and Industry. We got there just when it opened. The first place we went was the coal mine. The young lady who gave the tour had a lot of enthusiasm and personality. Next we looked at military exhibits and Johnny went on a simulator. We spent quite a bit of time at the model railroad exhibit and then went on the submarine U-505 tour. It was very interesting. Johnny had a great time at the Museum. We caught the bus and went to the Ogilvie Transportation Center where we waited for the train to Harvard. We had a nice ride back. Great trip for both of us.

Last Thursday, the 8th of June, I went to the dress rehearsal of Aida at Music Guild with my Music Appreciation class. Janet, Bill, and Wayne went as my guests. We all enjoyed the performance. I think for a local production it was very well done. The young woman who had the lead had a beautiful voice. It was a very enjoyable evening.

I am currently reading The Dante Club, the book that we will be discussing in July. It is very interesting so far. Today I checked out The Inferno from the library and have started reading it. I found the passages from the novel in Dante's work. I am looking forward to the discussion and hearing other people's ideas.

Yesterday, Friday, we took a day trip to Anamosa. We had gotten some information on day trips from Janet's friend, Chris. The trip was about 75 miles on "blue" highways. We had a leisurly drive and it took about an hour and a half. We wandered in several gift stores but didn't buy anything. We did go to the Tourism Bureau and they had lots of information on Grant Wood. The man there was very well informed and gave us some interesting information. We spent quite a bit of time there looking at all the Grant Wood material. There was a room in the back that housed the Parody Museum which contained many take-offs on Americal Gothic. Many of the were very creative. We had lunch at an up-scale restaurant and the food was quite good. We then walked to a winery. We tasted some wine and bought one bottle. I also bought a cap. Then we drove to Stone City and then to Wapsipinicon Park. We drove on a circle drive around the park stopping twice to look at caves. We couldn't go very far in either cave as we didn't have a flashlight. We also walked a short way along a stream and stopped at a spillway. Our last stop was at the Anamosa Prison Museum. It is located in the old cheese factory right next to the prison. There was an interesting video and then many exhibits and information. They had a model cell furnished the way a specific inmate had his. We got to walk inside. After our visit to the Museum we were both tired and ready to leave for home. We had a nice drive home.

The highlight of today was a class in music appreciation at CASI in Davenport. The instructor was Benita Moore. I was very pleased as she is an excellent teacher. Bill McCoy and I had taken a class from her on F. Scott Fitzgerald at ComUniversity in February. Today we discussed different instruments in an orchestra. I also learned what a fugue is. Next week we will discuss Broadway shows. I am going to make a presentation on Spamalot and also bring my Miss Saigon CD. We will be discussing AIDA and then going to the dress rehearsal that evening. I am really looking forward to that. I intend to read up on AIDA and also read some of the lyrics. Good class.

Day 4 was the most relaxing of our trip. We got up later and didn't have any real plans. Kerrie left for work early and Walker slept late. We got a breakfast sandwich and coffee from the deli at the Dorick (the name of Walker's co-op) and just lounged around. When Walker got up we just visited. For lunch we went to a Mexican restaurant on Bergenline Road in Weehawken via the Bergenline van. It was a different experience as the employees didn't speak English very well. Walker got to practice his Spanish (He asked for the "cuenta" when we were ready to leave. That really impressed the waitress.) We had enchiladas but they were different from the ones we get here. Quite good though. We also had their specialty, puposas, which was also the name of the restaurant. After eating we walked down Bergenline looking at several shops. Walker showed us a shirt he wanted to wear to the wedding. We joked that it would make him look like a waiter. One of us mentioned that perhaps people would put tips in the pockets thinking he was an employee of the resort. We eventually got on the Bergenline van and rode back to Walker's. Kerrie was home from work. After visiting for a while we drove to Hoboken and ate at a sidewalk cafe. The food was very good. Walker then drove us to the airport and we caught our flight home. We spent about 45 minutes waiting to take off. Weather problems in the East had the planes backed up. We did arrive in Milwaukee on time. We then drove back to the Quad Cities. Gromit was really glad to see us. We had a great time.

Day 3 of our New York City trip was great. We got off to an early start catching the 123 bus from Union City to Port Authority at 7:40. Upon arrival at Port Authority we walked to Grand Central Station which took about 20 minutes. We got coffees and a muffin and boarded the 9:07 Metro North New Haven Line for South Norwalk, Connecticut. Our destination was the Maritime Aquarium. The train left on time and after about 10 minutes we were out of the tunnel. We went past the Botannical Garden in the Bronx and were soon in Connecticut. It was an interesting ride as we saw several Connecticut communities. After about an hour the train arrived at South Norwalk on time. We walked about eight blocks to the Aquarium. This was definitely not as large as the Shedd or National Aquariums, but it was quite interesting. The exhibits were of marine life in Long Island Sound. We saw a program about seals. It was quite interesting and the woman did a good job. They also had an exhibit on boat building that was interesting. We ate lunch in the cafeteria and it was surprisingly good. After lunch we went to the IMAX. The film was about bugs. Neither of us were too interested and both had difficulty staying awake. The only problem at the Marine Aquarium was that there were lots of classes taking field trips and the place was overrun with students. They didn't do anything wrong. There were just too many of them.
When we left the Aquarium we walked through a trendy district on the way back to the train station. We went in a few businesses. One of them was an art gallery. The paintings were very espensive, some $16,000 to $17,000. I didn't care for any of them. The train left on time and we were back at Grand Central in about an hour.
Upon leaving Grand Central we walked to Bryant Park and spent about 45 minutes having coffee and a muffin and watching people and talking. We decided to see another Broadway show so we walked back to the Theatre District. We went in several theatres and found we could get tickets to that evenings performance at each of them. We inquired about Three Days of Rain with Julia Roberts but were told the only tickets available were $250. We decided that was too much. We remembered the man at Spamalot telling us about Doubt. We inquired where it was being performed and were told it was on 48th Street. We walked up there and found it was being performed at the Walter Kerr Theatre. We were delighted to find we could get tickets in the third row center. I hesitated long enough that the lady let me have them at a reduced price, $75 apiece. We were pleased to learn that Ron Eldard was in the play. We had enjoyed his television series, Blind Justice. We then looked for somewhere to eat dinner. We looked at the menu at one restaurant and saw desserts were $12 to $16. Obviously we didn't eat there. We found a Sbarro's that had a buffet, $6.95 per pound. The food was very good and we had an inexpensive meal. We then walked around the Theatre District until time for the show.
We were both very pleased with our selection. The play and the performances were excellent. Again, because of our seats so close to the stage we could see the expressions and gestures of the performers. A couple from a suburb in Chicago sat in front of us.
At the end of the play we walked back to Port Authority and took the bus back to Union City. Another great day but we were both very tired. We had another brownie a la mode at Walker's and Kerrie's. Walker got home about half an hour after us and we visited with him for a while before going to bed.

Spamalot was GREAT!!! We couldn't have gotten better seats. They were in the center in the front row. We were right in front of the orchestra pit and the conductor was so close we could have touched him. We also could see all the different musicians. When we saw Spamalot in Chicago we were in the third row of the balcony. We watched people being seated in the front rows and wondered who they were and how they got such good seats. Now, here we are in New York and we are being seated in the front row. Being so close we could see the expressions on the performers faces and that added much to the experience. All of the performers were exceptional. My favorite was a man named Christian Borle who had multiple parts - the Historian, Not Dead Fred, French Guard, Minstrel, and Prince Herbert. His portrayal of Not Dead Fred and Prince Herbert were magnificent. He is a very talented singer and dancer, but also his facial expressions were great. Janet's favorite performer was Martin Moran who played the part of Robin and her favorite character was Robin. Mr. Moran was excellent in his song You Can't Succeed on Broadway If You Don't Have Any Jews. His love of Broadway both as a performer and as a character in the musical was clearly evident. My favorite song was What Ever Happened to My Part sung by the Lady of the Lake. Being so close we could see her facial expressions and gestures. We both agree that all the performers were extremely talented as singers, dancers, and performers.
During intermission we talked with the couple seated next to us. They were from Queens and also really enjoyed the show. We told them that we wanted to see another Broadway production while we were in New York and he recommended the play Doubt by John Patrick Shanley. We also told him that we had been to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Cloisters. He was quite impressed that we had seen both of those places and that we were getting around on the subway and city busses.
We weren't sure that we should see Spamalot a second time, but it turned out to be a wise decision. We both thoroughly enjoyed the performance.
After the show, we walked to Port Authority and caught the 123 back to Union City. Kerrie was asleep when we got back, but she had baked brownies so we both had brownie a la mode before retiring.
(to be continued)

The next day we got up early and left for NYC on the 123 bus. We had coffee and a muffin at Port Authority and just watched people for about half and hour. It was unbelievable the numbers of people who were coming down the escalators. We then took the A train to W 4th Street where we transferred to the B train which took us to Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Our destination was the Brooklyn Botannic Garden which was about a four block walk. It would have been a more pleasant walk but it was raining quite hard. Fortunately, there was a lot to see indoors so we spent most of the morning there. After having lunch, we walked back to the subway station and took the B train to 81st Street. We got off and walked across Central Park. It was a much longer walk than we had anticipated as the paths meandered. While resting on a park bench we saw Howard Stern jogging. We eventually got to the other side of the Park and walked to Madison. Because of not going in a straight line we ended up at 71st Street. Our next destination was the Cloisters which was in Fort Tryon Park. This is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the Medieval art is housed. Janet had read that a scenic and interesting way to get there was to ride the M4 bus. We got to see a lot of New York (Tom's Restaurant of Sienfeld fame, Columbia University, and Washington Heights). Since the Cloisters is at about 190th Street we had a 120 block, one and a half hour bus ride.
We missed the first 20 minutes of the Guided Tour as we wandered through a few rooms of the museum and read information about Romanesque architecture. Fortunately, we heard voices and were able to join in with the docent and group. She explained select works and focused on one famous tryptic featuring the Annunciation. The details she gave and explanation of symbols helped us appreciate this work of art and others she pointed out. A room of tapestries is a valued collection. The tour ended with our group going out into the courtyard and gardens which overlook the Hudson River. We walked back to the subway and detoured through Fort Tryon Park. There were gardens filled with beautiful spring flowers. We made our way to the subway station and caught the A train to Port Authority. We walked around the Theatre District and then went back to the bus terminal and ate. At about 7:30 we walked to the Shubert Theatre to see our first Broadway musical.
(to be continued)

It has been almost two weeks since we returned from our trip to New Jersey to visit my son and his financee. I had intended to write about it sooner, but I am getting very good at procrastinating. The first three days we were there we took the 123 bus from Union City, NJ to the Port Authority Bus Terminal at Midtown Manhattan. This was the first time we had taken the bus as before we had always taken the PATH trains and the light rail. This was very inexpensive as it only cost me $1.05 and Janet $2.30. The ride into NYC only took 30 minutes. The first day we got to NYC in the afternoon. We walked to Bryant Park and sat there and had coffee. It was very relaxing and fun just to watch people. We then walked to St.Patrick's Cathedral and ate dinner at the Madison Avenue Delicatessen. After dinner we walked down to the Theatre District. We spotted the Hard Rock Cafe and went inside. A co-worker of Janet's had a brother-in-law who worked there. Janet was going to say hi, but he was gone. While there we wandered in the Shubert Theatre and found out we could get tickets to Spamalot for the next evening. This was quite a surprise as we thought they would be sold out. Even more surprising was that we got tickets in the front row center. Even though we had seen Spamalot the previous month in Chicago, we decided to see it again. After purchasing our tickets we went to Port Authority and took the bus back to Walker's. He was flying and wouldn't be back til Wednesday night, but we had a nice visit with Kerrie. She talked about their wedding plans and showed us lots of pictures.
(to be continued)

Today I had jury duty. At first I was upset because I had lots of other things I wanted to do. As it turned out, it was a very interesting experience. The defendant was a young man charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. It was a very interesting case. The strategies employed by the prosecution and the attorney were interesting to follow. Separating ones personal feelings from the actual case is interesting. The judge made it very clear that we were to base our judgment on the law as it was explained and the facts that were presented. This we did. We spent considerable time deliberating and everyone expressed their opinions and ideas and I feel everyone was very conscientious and took this responsibility seriously. I do think we reached the right verdict. I now have more admiration and empathy for other jurors. I'm sure being on the Sarah Kolb jury was extremely difficult. I have changed my opinion about being on a jury. If my name comes up again, I'll look on it as a privilege and a civic duty.