This past Friday I drove to Chicago for another fun outing
with my friend, Alan.
For years, wherever we are,
our favorite thing to do is to ride around + look at houses.
Here I am, doing said-same with the guys from Steely Dan:
My favorite musical geniusi:
Donald Fagen + Walter Becker
Friday, we (Alan + I) drove past this famous guy’s house in Chicago:
Chicago’s mayor
Rahm Emanuel
Over the years, my Al-meister friendship has provided me
with glimpses of the (now former) residences
of a few other Chicago celebs, including these favorites:
Nate Berkus, Joan Cusack, the late-great Gene Siskel
Just imagine if the two of us lived near L.A. or NYC.
It might look a something like this:
I used to be in love with this guy
until he ditched me
for that much younger gal.
* * * *
But back to Friday’s outing.
We enjoyed a bit of shopping, as we always do.
I bought a couple of cool vintage treasures here:
Foursided
on Clark Street in Andersonville
This cool shop carries a lot of Chicago merch,
+ my plans include sending them one of my Chicago pillows:
Fingers crossed they’ll approve of + want to sell said-same.
* * * * * *
But I’m digressing quite a bit again. Back to Friday’s outing.
We shared some small plates at a Wicker Park restaurant/bar,
the name of which I don’t recall.
The food + vino were de-lish, but my highlight was our waiter.
(I don’t remember his name, either!)
Oopsie!
Another bad photo!
But how could I forget that he’s a St. Louis Cardinals fan?
Look! He even retrieved his Cardinals cap to share with the class!
Go Cardinals!
* * * * * *
Now let’s have a look-see at Alan’s (+ his partner, Keith’s) mid-Century modern house:
I helped Alan select the dark gray paint for their exterior.
As typical of many mid-Century modern house plans,
the street side/front of Alan + Keith’s house is quite private . . .
. . . . while inside, the living + dining rooms are oriented to the back yard.
Look at all the glass:
And now, let’s have a look-see at some of the boys’ groovy stuff:
Vintage medical cabinet
Alan’s Swiss cross artworks, displayed with a pair of vintage wooden clamps.
Genius!
I’ve given G.O. the heads up that I love this + that I’d like at least one for myself.
He’s already forgotten, but oh, well.
More grooviness:
People. This art gallery
is devoted to all things canine.
I’m seriously needing something similar
with something of the Dachshund persuasion.
There’s the ADOR-able Sophie the Papillion
in the boys’ TV room
Meanwhile, that signage is pretty radical, no?
But what say ye about the pennant pillows?
Yes, I made those from vintage pennants.
How could I not give them to Keith + Alan
as a “just-because” gift?
REDBIRD 