Oct

Travel Tip: See Chicago in Close-Up

by Joyce McGreevy on October 14, 2019

Chicago at night features surprising little details of America’s best big city, prompting the travel tip “slow down and focus.” (Image © by Jennifer Kleiman)

Chicago’s sweeping views are mosaics of historical detail.
© Jennifer Kleiman

A Big City’s Surprising Little Details

Poet Carl Sandburg called Chicago “The City of the Big Shoulders.” America’s third biggest city is known for big sights—as a few little details will show:

First skyscrapers? Sorry, New York. They started right here in the 1880s, soaring from 10 to 110 stories in nine decades.
That body of water to the east? It’s massive Lake Michigan, more of an inland sea.
A “world-dazzling” wheel that rivaled the Eiffel Tower? George Ferris engineered it for the 1893 World’s Fair. We know it as the Ferris Wheel. Today’s version at Navy Pier is a Chicago icon.

Face it, Chicago knows BIG. (Crown Fountain Millennium Park)
© Joyce McGreevy

Best Big City

This month, for the third year in a row Conde Nast crowned Chicago “America’s Best Big City.” Typically, travelers are in a big, big hurry to see it all. From Millennium Park to Willis Tower to the Architectural Boat Tour, Chicago’s big attractions draw big crowds.

But too big a rush makes for one big blur. So as a former local, here’s my travel tip: Slow down and focus on Chicago’s surprising little details.

Consider the Loop, for example, the heart of Chicago’s downtown. Only 1.5 square miles, it’s a world of magnificent architecture, parks, and public art. Seen close-up, it’s a detail lover’s dream, a mosaic of urban history. Here’s a sampler of Chicago’s best reasons to dwell on details.

Holy Cow, It’s Past-Your-Eyes!

Among the most photographed sights in Chicago is a cow.

The bronze cow sculpture at the Chicago Cultural Center tops travel tip lists in Chicago, America’s third biggest city. (Image © by Neil Tobin)

You may take the bull by the horns, but there’s good reason to look this cow in the eyes.
© Neil Tobin

This big bronze bovine stands right outside the Chicago Cultural Center. You can’t miss it.

A family pose with the bronze cow sculpture at the Chicago Cultural Center, a popular attraction in the Conde Nast “Best Big City.” (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

Visitors hoof it to see Chicago’s bronze cow.
© Joyce McGreevy

Ah, but there’s something most visitors do miss. Eager to get their photo and moo-ve on, they typically overlook two little details:

A surprising little detail, Chicago’s Water Tower, in the eye of the bronze cow sculpture at the Chicago Cultural Center evokes the travel tip “slow down and focus.” (Image © by Neil Tobin)

Etched in one eye is an image of the Chicago Water Tower.
© Neil Tobin

An etching of a Picasso artwork in the eye of a cow sculpture evokes the travel tip “slow down and focus” on surprising little details in Chicago, (Image © Neil Tobin)

In the other is an image of an untitled sculpture by Picasso.
© Neil Tobin

Oh, I see: The tiniest detail can be a rich repository of history.

Built in 1869, the Water Tower is one of the only buildings that survived the Chicago Fire of 1871. (The notion that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow started the fire, however, is bull.)

Chicago’s Water Tower is linked to a surprising little detail in a sculpture outside Chicago’s Cultural Center that in turn inspired the travel tip “slow down and focus.” (Public domain image Afries52 [CC BY 3.0]

Here’s how to house a humble standpipe, Chicago-style.
© Afries52 [CC BY 3.0]

As for the Picasso, some people had a cow when it arrived in 1967. Chicagoan Gwendolyn Brooks, the first black author to win the Pulitzer Prize, anticipated the mixed response in a poem she delivered at the unveiling:

Does man love Art? Man visits Art, but squirms.
Art hurts. Art urges voyages—
and it is easier to stay at home,
the nice beer ready. . . .

People looking at a painting at the Art Institute of Chicago exemplify the travel tip “slow down and focus.” (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

At the Art Institute of Chicago, visitors are a study in the art of focus.
© Joyce McGreevy

Reading Between the Lions

Housing 300,000 of the world’s greatest artworks, the Art Institute of Chicago is clearly a place to slow down and focus. Those who do will notice fascinating little details even before they step inside.

For instance, two lions have guarded the entrance since 1894. Visitors choosing a lion to photograph often comment that they’re identical.

Only they’re not.

Sculptor Edward Kemeys loved animals and was famous for sketching them in the wild. Would such an artist turn lions into copycats?

One lion growls and prowls. The other, Kemeys noted, “stands in an attitude of defiance.”
© Joyce McGreevy

Ever Wonder “Y”?

Like animals in camouflage, some intriguing Chicago details hide in plain sight. Curiously, the most prolific detail may be the least noted—though many visitors unknowingly photograph it.

The Chicago Theater sign features a surprising little detail, prompting the travel tip “slow down and focus” in America’s Best Big City. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

“Hidden” in this popular landmark is another Chicago icon.
© Joyce McGreevy

Can you see it?

Zoom in.

It’s the Y shape behind CHICAGO.

Why the Y? It represents the three branches of the Chicago River, which splits north and south at Wolf Point.

Once you notice this symbol of civic pride, you start seeing it everywhere—on buildings, bridges, and even staircases:

The Chicago Cultural Center interior features surprising little details, prompting the travel tip “slow down and focus” in this Conde Nast Best Big City. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

Spot the Y symbol in mosaic above the Y-shaped staircase in Chicago’s Cultural Center.
© Joyce McGreevy

Eyes Up

It’s funny how pixels on a few square inches of phone screen can commandeer our attention. Meanwhile, 1.6 million of Chicago’s most spectacular details often go unnoticed—even by locals, reportedly.

What—where?

Start at the former Marshall Field & Company, now part of a national retail chain. Built in 1873, it was once the world’s biggest department store. Today, its five elegant stories still dominate State Street.

Enter at street level and walk through a warren of cosmetic counters until you reach the center.

Now look up.

The mosaic ceiling by Louis Comfort Tiffany at the former Marshall Field, Chicago (now Macy’s) inspires the travel tip “slow down and focus” in America’s Best Big City. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

Feast your eyes on the largest ceiling ever built with favrile glass.
© Joyce McGreevy

Little details of a mosaic by Louis Comfort Tiffany at the former Marshall Field, Chicago (now Macy’s) dazzles visitors who heed the travel tip “slow down and focus”. (Image © by Joyce McGreevy)

The iridescent glass was created by Louis Comfort Tiffany, who patented the process.
© Joyce McGreevy

Tiffany’s mosaics enchanted early 20th-century Chicago. Today you can follow the “Tiffany Trail” to 14 venues.

An Urban Mosaic

“In the Big City, large and sudden things happen,” wrote that master of surprise, O. Henry. True, but seen close-up, a big city’s little details can suddenly enlarge your sense of place.

That’s why my travel tip for Chicago is slow down and focus. Some of the city’s biggest surprises are found in the smallest details.

Shadows cast by ornamental ironwork links small details to the history of America’s third biggest city at the Chicago Cultural Center. (Image © by Neil Tobin)

Details of Chicago’s Cultural Center evoke the landmark’s rich history.
© Neil Tobin

Thanks to Jennifer Kleiman and Neil Tobin for their stunning images of Chicago.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

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On Foot/The World's Art & Design/USA

Sep

Traveling the World Musically

by Joyce McGreevy on September 3, 2019

The way we experience music can isolate or connect us.
© Joyce McGreevy (Public art in Evanston, IL by Jeff Zimmerman)

Harmonious Ways to Connect Across Cultures

Thanks to streaming technology, it’s easy to take music along when traveling the world. Headphones help shorten long flights, but it’s when we remove the headphones that we discover music’s true power. Mixing music with our itinerary and social interactions elevates travel experiences to whole new levels.

Oh I see: To connect across cultures, use a language we all understand—music. Here are suggestions for traveling the world musically.

Show Up and Sing!

I arrived in Montréal not knowing a soul. The next day, hundreds of my new best friends and I performed live in concert across Canada.

How did this opportunity to meet local music lovers come about? Not by auditions—there weren’t any.

I simply showed up for Choir! Choir! Choir!, a Canadian singing group led by Nobu Adilman and Daveed Goldman. “DaBu,” as they are affectionately known, travel the world hosting community choir performances.

Choir! Choir! Choir! Is a Canadian singing group that travels the world musically, connecting across cultures through community performances. (Image © 2019 Choir! Choir! Choir!)

“DaBu’s” approach is non-traditional. Just show up and they’ll teach you
an original arrangement to a song you love.
@ 2019 Choir! Choir! Choir!

In Montréal, we paid tribute to native son Leonard Cohen, live-streaming our performance of “Hallelujah” with choirs in Toronto, Vancouver, and Kingston.

To sing, sing, sing with Choir! Choir! Choir!, catch their world tour. They’ll be all over the U.S. starting this week. It’s a wonderful way to meet your neighbors, from around the corner or around the world.

See Choir! Choir! Choir! here.

Attend High Caliber Artistic Concerts—Free

From LosAngeles to London, excellent free concert series abound. In Chicago, I found a series so sublime—the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts—that you should probably just book your flight now. Photogenic architecture and free admission make this a travel trifecta.

Mark Riggleman of the International Music Foundation announces the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert, which connect musicians across cultures in Chicago. (Image © Riggleman family)

Mark Riggleman is Executive Director of the International Music Foundation, which
produces a highly popular Chicago concert series.
© Photo courtesy of the Riggleman family

“This an opportunity to hear rising talent from all over the country and around the world,” says Mark. “Our artists are all within five years of getting a degree and all are at the top of their game.”

Vetting is rigorous and performance standards are high. This is no mere recital of well-worn classical hits.

At the concert I attended, the standing ovation was rapturous for saxophonist Hyoung-Ryoul Kim and pianist Shin-Young Park. The South Korean artists had sent a thrill through the packed house with a program of contemporary works.

Musicians Shin-Young Park and Hyoung-Ryoul Kim show inspire the writer to travel the world musically. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Shin-Young Park and Hyoung-Ryoul Kim wowed the audience in Chicago.
© Joyce McGreevy

The venue, Chicago’s Cultural Center, combines incredible acoustics with turn-of-the-century splendor. Mosaic-embellished stairs lead up to Preston Bradley Hall, where the audience convenes under an architectural wonder, the world’s largest Tiffany dome.

The world’s largest Tiffany Dome at Chicago’s Cultural Center is one of the many attractions of traveling the world musically and connecting across cultures. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At Chicago’s Cultural Center, admission is free, but the music is pure gold.
© Joyce McGreevy

The series runs year-round, Wednesdays from 12:15 to 1:00 pm. Says Mark, “It’s a short format, comfortable for people who work downtown and take a lunch hour. People in town visiting can come to the concert and go to lunch afterward.” (Tip: Meet local concert-goers at Toni Patisserie & Café.)

Reserve ahead, as seats fill quickly. Start here.

Can’t make it? Catch live radio broadcasts, watch the WFMT Facebook livestream, and subscribe to the podcast here.

Uncover Musical Secrets—in 440 Cities

One evening in London, Rafe Offer invited friends round to his flat for a low-key musical gathering. They sat on the floor listening to live music by Rafe’s friend Dave. Over time, such gatherings evolved into Sofar Sounds, a global music community that meets in unique and welcoming spaces.

A diverse audience gathers for a Sofar Sounds concert of international musicians in Montreal, Canada, proof that traveling the world musically connects cultures. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

To keep gigs intimate, tickets operate on a low-price lottery system.
© Joyce McGreevy

An element of surprise adds to the magic. The exact address of the venue is not revealed until the day before the gig. The three musical acts remain a mystery right up until the moment of performance.

Afterwards, it’s all about conversation and community building as artists and audiences mingle.

To get closer to music at home and abroad, visit SofarSounds.

Simon Denizart of Canada and Kid Be Kid of Germany performing at a Sofar Sounds concert in Montreal, Canada reflect how traveling the world musically connects cultures. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Connecting across cultures, Simon Denizart of Montréal and Kid Be Kid
of Berlin duet on keyboard.
© Joyce McGreevy

Ask, Don’t “App”

Many travelers use music-recognition apps to identify world music they overhear in public, such as on café sound systems. Apps like Shazam and SoundHound operate as audio search engines, matching a music sample to its source. It’s one way to collect a playlist for your travel memories.

Better yet, ask the friendly local who’s sitting right next to you, humming along. It’s a natural icebreaker. Keep a pen and notepad handy to circumvent any language barriers.

Be Your Own Roadie!

Do you play an instrument? Consider it your musical passport and carry it everywhere. In many countries, socializing includes sharing music. Having songs at the ready lets you contribute and connect.

Just ask Rick Chelew. “For meeting people and making new friends, my Voyage Air folding guitar is even better than a cute dog. When I’m traveling solo, it’s a great conversation-starter at parks, in pubs and outdoor cafes, even airports and bus stations.”

Rick Chelew, a musician from California in London, with his folding guitar, travels the world musically to connect across cultures. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The guitar folds & conversations unfold: Californian Rick Chelew travels the world musically.
© Joyce McGreevy

All Together Now!

When you travel the world musically, connecting across cultures becomes likelier, because you’re literally signaling attunement. What better way to make the world a more harmonious place?

Can’t pack it? Find it! Public pianos are turning up in cities worldwide.
© Joyce McGreevy

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

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Crossing Cultures/The World's Music/Worldwide Sites

Aug

Wanderlust Leads to . . . Libraries?

by Joyce McGreevy on August 20, 2019

Allèe des bouquinistes, an open-air bookshop at the Grande Bibliothèque, Montréal, Canada inspires wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Catalog of Reasons for Travelers to Check Out the Local Library

When you travel, how often has wanderlust led you to a library?

Once—for free WiFi or a public restroom.
Never. My Kindle is all the “library” I need.
The library? Seriously? I’m on vacation!

Actually, library tourism is trending. There are stacks of reasons to add public libraries to your travel itinerary:

Cultural Experiences

Castles and cathedrals aren’t the only places for cultural discovery. One of the world’s newest libraries, Tūranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, is not to be missed. Even its entrance expresses whakamanuhiri, the Maori principle of hosting travelers and other visitors.

A statue of the Maori hero Tāwhaki at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, inspires wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The design of Tūranga Library is based on the Maori concept of mātauranga mana whenua,
the body of knowledge that originates from the people of this place.
© Joyce McGreevy

Staircases at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, inspire wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The spectacular staircases allude to Tāwhaki, a mythical being who climbs
to the heavens in a quest for knowledge.
© Joyce McGreevy

Culinary Experiences

Some of the best international dining experiences are available at libraries. The vast majority offer bargain prices and many feature organic local ingredients.

Brunch at Tūranga features chocolate rye porridge, coriander-chili infused dhal, and oat banana pancakes with candied walnuts and mango coconut foam. At libraries around the world, I’ve savored sustainably harvested seafood, vegan and gluten-free entrées, and traditional desserts—four-star feasts at one-star prices.

A collage of library cafes, coffee, café sandwiches, and a woman reading, shows why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The Beer!

In Copenhagen, you could squeeze into pricey places where views of the canals are obscured by selfie-takers. Or, you could stroll to a café in the Black Diamond, the sparkling glass and granite extension of the Royal Danish Library. Take your cold local beer outside, relax in a beach chair, and watch the world go by as sunshine warms the waterfront.

The interior of the Black Diamond, part of Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Library, shows why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The Danish Royal Library offers ancient and contemporary architecture,
a concert hall, restaurants, and art exhibits.
© Joyce McGreevy

Social Experiences—or Solitude

Library architect Carsten Auer notes, “The modern library is . . . a place where you can meet people or be ‘alone together,’ enjoying sharing a social and recreational space with others, even if you are not engaging directly with them.”

Public libraries spark conversations with locals by building in a variety of communal seating areas and by offering free concerts, workshops, craft-making stations, participatory theater, and other opportunities for interaction.

Library patrons playing with board games and puzzles at at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, reflect the entertaining side of public libraries around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Libraries also make it easy to find peace and quiet by providing private and small-group spaces. One of the busiest libraries in North America, Montréal’s national library, or Grande Bibliothèque, offers 10,000 visitors a day an oasis of calm. When Montréal’s weather extremes drive you indoors, skip the malls and come here instead.

Public libraries’ rich spectrum of options covers everything from blissful inspiration to sheer entertainment. In Montréal, film buffs and language learners will instantly lose themselves in the multimedia treasures on offer. But if you’d rather shop, you’re in luck. The library’s gift store is superb, a mini-museum curating the best of Québecoise design.

Meanwhile, sports fans can see an exhibition on hockey, adolescents can access “teens-only” high-technology workshops, and little ones can explore play areas and storytelling alcoves. There’s something for everyone.

Library patrons at the Grande Bibliothèque, Montréal, Canada, include tourists with wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Bonus Travel Discoveries

Many libraries are surrounded by marvelous (and free) attractions that visitors might otherwise miss. Making the quick trip by Metro to the Grande Bibliothèque also led me to the Jardins Gamelin, one of the most unusual parks in the city, and the Galerie de l’UQAM, where the contemporary art changes almost daily.

Even the library’s alley hides wonderful surprises. Glass wall panels open up to transform it into the Allée des bouquinistes, with secondhand books for sale. The alley also marks the start of the Latin Quarter’s 30-mural art trail.

A detail from a rebus mural at the Grande Bibliothèque, Montréal, Canada, shows why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Can you decode this clue from a rebus mural behind a Montréal library?
(“A library” is une bibliothèque in French, and “water,” or eau in French, supplies the “o.”)
© Joyce McGreevy

Rare Art Treasures—Minus the Long Lines

Italy’s museums at peak season can make you feel like a salmon swimming upstream. But Italian libraries present frescoes, sculpture, paintings, and other feasts for the eye. In Ferrara, minutes from Bologna, the Biblioteca Ariostea is an art lover’s paradise set within a 14th-century palace. Walk right in—there’s no waiting, no need to buy tickets, no jostling crowds.

Frescoes on the walls of the Biblioteca Ariostea in Ferrara, Italy show why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Other reasons to “bookmark” the world’s libraries include:

gorgeous travel books, images, maps, and 3-D models
state-of-the-art genealogical resources (one so user-friendly it took me 2 minutes to discover a likely ancestor)
sweeping views and beautiful gardens (many featuring native plants)

A rooftop garden at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, inspires wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Albert Einstein said, “The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.” Oh, I see: When wanderlust leads to libraries, travel genius can result. So can fun, friendship, and cultural insights.

No wonder library tourism is trending. Your library experiences might just transform the world into an open book. Now that’s a travel tale worth checking out.