In the Bleak Midwinter

Ok, it's not quite "midwinter" yet.  Is it even winter yet?  God, please, say it is.  Because I'm already cold and grumpy.  In a loving, happy sort of way, of course.

Things have been really crazy lately, due to my role in the Breakthrough Christmas Store (it's not too late to donate new toys and gifts for parents to purchase at a discounted rate!) and M's finals (which he ROCKED by the way!  Or at least has rocked the two he's taken at this point- one law class and one policy class).  But we've still made an effort to get out of the apartment and enjoy the beauty of the season.

First stop, the University of Chicago Harper Library (please note: there are not actually any books here.  Apparently there were at some point.)  I like to sit here and just stare.  Come to think of it, that might freak people out who are there studying...especially since I usually have a goofy grin on my face as I'm sitting.

M's enthusiasm is somewhat less than mine.  And by "somewhat less" I mean that he doesn't bat an eye.  Chalk it up to being surrounded by the beauty of the campus on a daily basis.  I, however, just FEEL smarter sitting here.  Smrtuhr.  That's me.

Also, it sort of reminds me of Harry Potter and/or Oxford, which both make me happy.  Sigh.

Then, since you know M is German and all, we have to stop by the Christkindlmarket.

It's the largest German Christmas market outside of Germany apparently.  And they sell authentic German Christmas stuff at authentic (read: outrageous) European prices!  Yesss!!  It's also a great place to have a reindeer propose to you, as one of our Breakthrough interns, Rae, found out.  (They're writing about them all over the world, y'all! Seriously, google it.  Oh and watch the video on YouTube.  I like the homeless lady at the end.)

And when we're tired of walking around, it's always nice to come back to the apartment and relax.

This afternoon, I made some wonderful granola (healthy) and some of my favorite cookies covered in sprinkles (not so healthy).  Does anyone else remember eating these cookies as a child?  They always remind me of being a kid.  Later, as the next winter storm hits tonight, we'll have homemade vegetable soup with bread and prosciutto on the side.  Ah, the life.

So maybe it's not such a bleak time of the year after all.  Beautiful buildings, yummy food and fun markets make the snow much more bearable.  Oh, and then of course there's moments, as you sit in the holiday traffic, when you see gems like this...

Merry Midwinter!

Bright Lights, Big City

I've just this week realized something about Chicago.

It's a BIG CITY.

Don't get me wrong, I've known all along that it's bigger than DC, even bigger than Houston.  And certainly bigger than any other Midwest city- not that I really know or care about many of those.

But, gosh darn it, Chicago is a big city.  This week, as I've driven M downtown for his internship (side note: his office- an intern has an office??- has two large windows that look out over the Carbide and Carbon building and this cool, wavy new condo building) I've been struck by the number of people.  They're everywhere.  On the roads, on the trains, in the cars, in the taxis.  Maybe it's because East Garfield Park isn't exactly overflowing with people and Hyde Park is more college town (nerdy college town, but college town nonetheless) than downtown.  But I've just really been struck by the thousands and thousands of individuals walking to and from work, up and down Michigan Avenue and circling the city on the L.

While DC will probably always take the prize for "most fanny-packed tourists per capita" Chicago is overflowing with tourists all its own.  From places like Small Town, Iowa and Middle of Nowhere, Indiana, Chicago is- for so many people- the epitome of the Big City.  I don't know for sure what it represents, but I think it might be a bittersweet mix of industrial development, capitalism and Americana.  It's midwestern enough that these tourists don't feel too out of place and yet different enough that a trip here can feel like a trip to a somewhat foreign locale.  There is something familiar and yet so completely unknown that it's exciting and daunting all at the same time.

And it is finally now- in this now 10 month adventure in Chicago- that M and I realize how much we love the city.  Not necessarily the specific city of Chicago, but just the grander idea of the city.  In the city, you can't help but rub shoulders with people who are altogether different.  You can't beat the cultural and artistic opportunities it affords.  The city is always thriving and teaming with life; yes, sometimes quite heart-breaking and oftentimes depressing, but thriving nonetheless.  Deep inside of us there is a desire to continue to live out life in a place like this, where traffic will most likely drive me to the point of insanity and we will never be able to afford a house the size of the ones we grew up in.  Which we most likely don't need anyway.  

And yet under these bright lights and in a Big City, we will choose to live our life.  And just like the draw those fanny-packed tourists feel, this experience- so familiar and yet so unknown- will no doubt continue to be both exciting and daunting at the same time. 

They've Probably Got Something for That

Last night, M and I ventured once again to Chinatown. And let me here pause and rail against the Chinatown of DC. DC, you know I love ya. But really? Writing "Starbucks" in Chinese does NOT a Chinatown make. Or Urban Outfitters for that matter. And certainly not Ann Taylor Loft.

The thing about Chicago's Chinatown that is so thrilling is that one, it actually appears (to someone who has never been to China) to be somewhat authentic to at least a small piece of daily life in China (minus the millions of people, but, whatev.) Secondly, nearly every other store is some sort of weird "pickled or dried stuff in a jar" sort of store. Doesn't that just make it feel more real? I submit that it does.

And so, of course, we went into a few of the stores. And we saw items such as this.

Those are dragon balls. Giggle, giggle.

Sorry, I can't help it.

But. Wouldn't you think they would be...

Ahem.

Anyway.

These, according to the looked-slightly-out-of-it-but-probably-a-very-nice woman, are good for weight loss. Thanks for pointing that out, ma'am. In fact, she said, this tea squeezes the fat out of you. Well in that case, please, give me a couple pounds of this magical treatment. Only problem...one ounce of this stuff costs $7.50. For those of you who aren't math majors, that's a whopping $120 per pound. Um....one ounce will suffice, thanks. I'll ration.

The crazy part is that these beautiful balls (sorry, I'm still giggling) aren't even close to the weirdest or most expensive things in the store. There were, of course, dried shark fins that cost over $400 a pound. And according to the internets, shark fins do all sorts of things from lowering your cholesterol, to making you happier to giving you mercury poisoning. Fun stuff! And there was ginseng everywhere, which is good for, well, I'll let Wikipedia tell you (and why did they have so much of this stuff?!). Or maybe you would be interested in the dried oysters or scallops, and their, shall we say, pungent aroma. Then there were the HUGE mushrooms- I'm not kidding when I say they were at least a foot in diameter- or the whale flipper in the glass case. God only knows what else was in that crazy store. (Because many of the signs were only written in Chinese, and I'm assuming God knows Chinese, so He would know.)

But my favorite? Oh my favorite. By far. And crap, why didn't I get a picture of it?

Sea cucumber.

I will spare you the details of what this lovely little thing looks like (because seriously, it's worse than the Washington Monument). But, like ginseng, these bad boys were everywhere. And coming in at about $50 a pound for the small, dried ones, quite a good buy. Apparently sea cucumbers are not only a delicacy in some Mediterranean countries, it's also good for lowering high blood pressure, treating disorders of the kidneys and reproductive organs, reducing arthritis pain, possibly HIV therapy and a whole host of other things. It's a miracle underwater plant/animal thingy, people! A miracle drug! Patent it now!

So whatever ails you, it's good to know that Chinatown is the place to go. (That should be their public television ad!) Because, let's face it, our medicine might as well be made in China.

Everything else already is.

Ok, Ok, My Ten Books

I know, I know you've all been waiting to see when I would respond to David Frum's blog challenge of naming ten books that have influenced my worldview. Honestly, I knew nothing about it until my friend Jonathan mentioned it on his blog.

This was much harder for me than I expected. There are lots and lots of books that I love (Make Way for Ducklings is at the top of that list), but I don't know if I would say they've influenced my worldview. And yet if I love them, something about them has probably stuck with me and influenced the way I think, react or act. So below are ten books that, in some way or another, have influenced me.

1. The Bible. Cliche, right? But as someone who professes to be a follower of Jesus, the Bible has deeply influenced the way that I think and feel about the world. It reaches (hopefully) into every area of my life, from the way I treat people (again, hopefully) to the way that I spend my time (hopefully) to the things I believe are worth fighting for (still hopefully!). I truly believe that from the first page to the last, this is the most influential book I have ever read. Yes, even the lists of names part.

2. The Idiot, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I sound really smart right now, don't I? I picked this book up while I was in India (don't ask me how that happened, because honestly I don't remember). But I do remember the amazing story of the "simple" Prince Myshkin and his willingness to fight for Nastasya despite the ridicule of others. Honestly, I don't think you can read The Idiot without thinking of Christ or a Christ-like figure (of course I think the same about the movie Moulin Rouge and people think I'm crazy). There's also an element of societal condemnation (or the condemnation of certain types of behavior in society) that I think has influenced the way that I view our current society. I'll leave that there.

3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith. Oh. my. gosh. I LOVED (and continue to love) this book. It is the quintessential coming of age story in the slums of Brooklyn, New York. In my life, this book's influence was quite far reaching, from giving me a context of what it means to grow up as a girl no matter what time period you may live in, to the realities of life in the slums. I just read this again earlier this fall and found it even more powerful than before.

4. The Magician's Nephew, by CS Lewis. The first in the "story series" of the Chronicles of Narnia, I just read The Magician's Nephew this fall (I apparently did a lot of reading this fall). It is the creation story as it has never been told before (and I won't spoil it for you so you can read it yourself!) It taught me to think of the story of creation in a completely new way, as a beautiful act of art, rather than a list of things that were made in a certain amount of time. That is literally changing my "world" "view". Ha!

5. Truth and Social Reform, by Vishal Mangalwadi. This book fundamentally changed my perception of the Christian's responsibility to social reform. I read this while studying at L'Abri in England...and really, anything you read in an English manor house is probably going to make an impression on you. The book is no longer in print, but if at all possible, get your hands on it. Mangalwadi, an Indian, writes of his struggles to figure out what his faith has to say about social reform, even as it is linked to evangelism. Absolutely essentially important to read.

6. Basic Christianity, by John Stott. Really, almost anything by John Stott. The basic fundamentals of what it means to be a Christian. Not an American Christian or a rich Christian or a poor Christian or any other ridiculous label of a Christian. He depicts the judgement deserved as no one I have ever read before, and yet also depicts the grace extended as I've never seen before, too. Rocked my world.

7. The Beautiful and Damned, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Great Gatsby could also be up there, but B&D influenced my worldview even more. In one short sentence, B&D shows us the dangers of irresponsible living, living that thinks only of one's self. Very powerful.

8. The Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio. In particular, the Second Story. Anyone who knows anything about The Decameron knows that it's quite raunchy in some parts and just plain gross in others. But the Second Story, in particular, profoundly impacted my world view and my thoughts on evangelism an the reality of the Christian faith. Encouraged by his friend, a Christian, to visit Rome to learn about Christianity, Abraham (a Jew) makes the trek to the great city. What he sees, instead, is complete debauchery by the "religious". His friend-completely disappointed- approaches him when he returns, fully expecting that he'll have nothing good to report. Here's the part that gets me. Abraham responds: "Unless I did not see things straight, I found no holiness, no devotion, no good work or example or anything else in a single man of the clergy. On the contrary, lust, gluttony, avarice and worse things...for all were at their work to ruin the Christian faith entirely and ban it altogether from the world...Yet when I notice their aim is not fulfilled, but that your religion continually grows and becomes more bright and clear, it seems to me very evident that the Holy Spirit is its foundation and support, so it must be the truest and holiest of all faiths." Wow.

9. Balkan Ghosts, by Robert Kaplan. Changed the way I view the world known as "former Yugoslavia" and most of the geopolitical situations around the globe.

10. Vogue's Book of Etiquette, 1948 printing. If you want to see the way people used to treat one another and behave, you've got to glance through Vogue's Book of Etiquette. I don't know if I can say that it changed my world view, but I can say that it definitely enlightened me. Maybe one day we can return to a more civil society (without the ridiculousness of some of the customs, too)

I know as soon as I hit publish I'm going to regret at least a few of these or some of the ones I left off. But here they are. Read, ask questions and check them out yourself.

Eastern Comfort?

This past weekend, M and I finally took the plunge and paid the majillion dollars to go to the world-famous Chicago Art Institute.

It was worth the majillion dollars.

First of all, you can come in and out all day. That means that you aren't held captive to eat their ridiculously expensive and probably bland food. Instead, you can go to Five Guys. (Yes, it exists here. Believe me.) That also means that you can park in the metered "2 Hour Parking" and just feed the meter every, you guessed it, two hours. And save yourself the majillion and one dollars you would pay to park in a garage.

The Art Institute is phenomenal. Check out my pictures on Facebook for an idea of all the amazing art. But there's one thing in particular I want to bring your attention to.

Chinese pillows.

Yes, Chinese pillows.

"Those aren't pillows!" you're thinking. Well, you're thinking wrong. They might look like big lumps of stone (which they probably are). But they're not. They're pillows. Don't believe me? Here's my proof:

The little description claims that these "supported the neck while sleeping and allowed an often elaborate hairstyle to remain intact during the night." Hmm. Two points to make here: one, how freaking long is your neck that one of these things fits comfortably underneath it?? And two, I'm from the south. Don't tell me about "elaborate hairstyles". Have you seen Steel Magnolias? Or any Dolly Parton video? I'm just sayin'.

I mean surely they didn't find these things comfortable, did they? A hard stone under your head? I can imagine they were as comfortable as getting your hair shampooed in a salon every night. For eight hours. Didn't they have feathers they could stuff in cotton and call it a real pillow? Or use their arm? Or a rolled up floor pad or something? Anything softer than...a stone?

Eastern Comfort. Nothin' like it.

Date Night

For a while now (it all blurs together these days, but it started back when we were dating) M and I have set aside Friday night as date night. Sometimes it's with friends, sometimes it's low key and sometimes it's a quick jaunt to Europe. I'm kidding.

Since this Friday night's "date" was watching the Gators slaughter Cincinnati, we went out on Wednesday instead. And THIS was our date.

Yeah, it is what you think it is. But before you call PETA or stop reading or throw up or do whatever it is you do when you see a dead duck, give me a second.

Calm now? Great.

We ventured up to the Northside of the city to try out a place called Sun Wah barbeque that we had read about. It's a traditional Chinese-style place, well known for its meats and cheap prices. And let me just say... while I do NOT especially like duck, this place was AMAZING. AMAZING. The meat is incredible and you don't feel like you're filling yourself with white rice all night (since I'm no longer eating white rice, I'm happy for that fact.) They serve you tea when you sit down (don't you wish every restaurant was so nice?) and the prices? Well let's just say that we ate like four different animals and didn't even pay $30. Sun Wah is a bright spot (ha ha, sun...get it?!) on a strip of less-impressive Thai and Chinese restaurants. Go.

But since we didn't BYOB to Sun Wah, we wanted to end the night with a nightcap. After the first place we tried turned out to be pretentious and crowded, we finally made it down to our local watering hole, Woodlawn Tap.

It's not very impressive from the outside (especially since you can't even really tell it's there...Starbucks is a little overwhelming) but man, it is everything GOOD that a bar can be. Originally opened in 1948, the bar claims that it serves people from Nobel Laureates to the local pipe layer. In fact, when we walked in, we were impressed by the fact that, while practically on the campus of the University of Chicago, the mix of people there was amazing: white and black, blue collar, white collar, old, young. It just feels like a good bar should feel. (Not to knock you DC- or downtown Chicago- but bars full of Hill staffers and lobbying assistants can't hold a candle to Woodlawn Tap). They still take cash only, they use the original cash register (you can kind of see one on the left side of the picture) and they serve hamburgers, fries and hot dogs for practically quarters. We didn't try them, but they looked good.

And the best part?

They can mix girly drinks, too! I know it's a bit sacrilegious (yes, that's spelled right, because I checked) to go to a place like this and order a Cosmo, but I just can't bring myself to drink beer. It tastes like pee. And I like to enjoy my drink, thank you.

Bottoms up, boys!! and...uh....Nobel Peace prize winners....

Possibly the greatest invention. Ever.

Not the champagne bottle (though it's definitely Top Five)-- the thing on TOP of the champagne bottle.

Friends. Romans. Countrymen. THIS LITTLE DO-HICKY WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Mark my words.

Always wanted to come home and have a glass of champagne after a long day? (Am I the only one raising my hand?) Liked the idea of a glass for dessert? (...uh...guys?....) This, my friends, is your ticket. The champagne stopper/preserver thing. That's the technical name at least.

Right before we left DC, M and I went on a "gift cards from the wedding that we really need to spend" shopping spree. I've always loved champagne, but M isn't quite as in love with it as I am. That means that I either 1) had to drink a whole bottle (uh...not that I ever did that...) or 2) throw away anything I didn't drink or, 3) not drink champagne (horrific, I know.) Until we came across this little guy. I know I've seen these before. It just never registered in my brain that I could own one of my own. Once you've had your fill, you simply pull the side metal things up, then press the little thing down on the bottle, closing the arms around it. Air-tight seal. Preservation of bubbles. No more waste!!

This is my testimony: my life has forever been changed. No longer do I feel guilty buying a bottle of champagne. I can buy it and drink it over approximately four days (I've never saved enough to keep it past then, though I would bet the little seal thingy would work longer) and- I know, I'm probably going crazy here- the champagne is BETTER the second or third day. Bubbles galore. Great, crisp taste. True bliss, really.

This, apparently, is the life of a Hyde Park Hero.

FAQs

Here’s the part of this blog where I answer all of those “Frequently Asked Questions” regarding our move to Chicago. Hopefully I’ll cover them all with great aplomb.

Why are you moving?

This fall, M and I decided that it was time for him to go back to school in order to get his Masters of Public Policy. He spent most of November and December applying to schools (I believe the count was 13), never really expecting to get into all of the schools that he did. We had assumed we would stay here in Washington, DC and he would attend one of the great schools in the area, but when we found out that he had been accepted to the University of Chicago, our thoughts and feelings began to change. After talking with friends, family and M’s co-workers/superiors, as well as spending time in prayer, we decided to take the plunge and go with the University of Chicago’s program.

What are you going to be doing?

As of Monday, August 17th 2009, at 11:14am, I don’t have a job.

I take that back.

I have a part-time consulting job that will continue, but it’s only a few hours a month and, therefore, not enough to live on alone. I’ve had multiple interviews for multiple positions but still nothing. I’ve sent out approximately a bazillion emails to potential employers. No luck. I’ve applied for positions ranging from Coffee Maker to CEO, still nothing. Therefore, what I will be doing when we move to Chicago is….LOOKING FOR A JOB! We still feel very confident that we will be provided for, and I am beginning to see just how much this time of searching is refining me, humbling me and making me more dependent on the One who is my Provider. Don’t get me wrong here, though. I’ve raged. I’ve cried. I’ve thrown things (actually, I don’t think I have, but it seemed to fit with the other emotions). I’ve written letters to the President (you think I’m kidding…) I’ve felt depressed. I’ve felt that I somehow “deserve” a job. I’ve felt they must not understand how amazing I am. I’ve thought about contacting them and explaining to them why I’m so amazing. I’ve rethought why I think I’m amazing in the first place. I’m getting there.

Where will you be living?

Well, I’m sad to report that my letter to the Obamas has gone unreturned and so, therefore, we will not be renting out his house. Bummer. Instead, we’ll be renting an apartment on Hyde Park Boulevard (yes, we’ll be living on a BOULEVARD. How Parisian of us.) It’s a University Grad Student apartment, meaning all the other tenants are grad students as well. It’s a couple blocks from the church we think we’ll be attending, another couple blocks from the produce store I’m really excited about, and a quick bus ride for M to get to his classes.

What sports teams will you support?

M is extremely excited that the University of Chicago has a sucky football team (if they have one at all?) so we will continue to be Gators fans. Whew. That was a close one.
Additionally, seeing as how we will be living on the South Side, we’ll be official fans of the Chicago White Sox (and we think the Cubs are too popular already.) I know absolutely nothing about them, but hey, Go Team! We’ll also support Da Bears, simply because they are Da Bears. And we hope to go to Soldier Field in the middle of winter and watch a game. Because watching sports in -10 degree wind chill weather is apparently fun.

How long will you be in Chicago?

We don’t know for sure, but we hope to come back to Washington, DC once M graduates, which will be in two years. A lot can change between now and then, but as of right now, that’s what we’re thinking and feeling.

When are you going to have babies?

If I don’t find a job, I will seriously consider becoming a welfare mom. You have my word, and I’ll have your tax dollars.

When are you finally moving?

We pull out of DC on Sunday morning, August 30th. We’ll be stopping and staying with family in Columbus, OH, and arrive in Chicago on Monday, August 31st. Our last day at work here in DC is August 27th. You can come help us pack on Saturday, August 29th. No really. We would love to have you.

Are you excited? (Note, this is the most often-asked question that we receive)

WOOHOOOOOOOOOO! YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!!!! TOOT TOOT! YAY!!!!! YIPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

YES, we’re excited. Admittedly, not having a job is a bit of a downer, but we’re excited for this new adventure, for new friends and for this great educational opportunity. Saying goodbye is never easy or fun, but we are certain this is what is right for us. Being so newly married, the thought of going off together where we’ve never been known as anything other than a husband and wife is really exciting. Neither of us could have done this alone, and that’s why we’re so thankful that in this perfect timing, we have each other to travel with, encourage and minister along side. I don’t think we could ask for more.

Chicago Arts and Culture: Hot dog!

You've heard of the famous Chicago pizza. But what about the...hot dog?! Here, the brief story of what makes a Chicago dog so different.

In 1893 the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago first served Vienna beef frankfurters, the most often served hot dog today. The frankfurter is most often boiled or steamed and, sometimes, grilled (called a char-dog). According to Wikipedia, the dog weighs approximately 1/8 of a pound. But it's not just the "all beef" that makes a Chicago hot dog different. It's the toppings...and you sure as heck better not ask for ketchup.

* poppy seed hot dog bun
* yellow mustard
* raw chopped white onion
* bright green relish
* tomato wedges
* kosher dill pickle spear
* dash of celery salt (this is really, really good. I promise.)

Also according to Wikipedia, Chicago has more hot dog restaurants than McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King combined. The most famous hot dog restaurants are Superdawg (often featured on Food Network...think dancing hot dogs on the roof), Fluky's, Portillo's and Gene & Jude's (to name only a few).

I need to go find me a hot dog now...

Chicago Arts and Culture: Darn it feels good to be a Gangsta

The times and tribulations of Al Capone and Bugs Moran

Al Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York to Italian immigrants, the fourth child of eight. From a relatively early age, Capone became involved in the gang life of Brooklyn and New York (5 Points Gang, Brooklyn Rippers, Junior Forty Thieves), and worked as both a bouncer and a bartender at local night clubs. It was while serving as a bouncer that Capone apparently “inadvertently insulted a woman” whose brother then slashed Capone’s face (Note: do not mess with girls who have big brothers). From then on, Al became known as Scarface.

Bugs Moran was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, of Polish-Irish descent (you’ve probably heard more about his Irish ancestry). Like Capone, Moran became involved in street crime at an early age; he was reportedly incarcerated three times before he turned 21. At the age of 19, Moran moved to the North Side of Chicago, where he began to work his way up the hierarchy of the North Side Gang. Moran received the name “Bugs” – slang for “crazy”- because he apparently had a horrible temper and was just a little bit off his rocker. Really?

Prohibition

On January 29, 1919, the ratification of the 18th amendment was certified, prohibiting the production and distribution of all alcohol…except that used for religious purposes. One year later, Prohibition went into effect. It was during this time that Capone and his mentor Johnny Torio moved to the South Side of Chicago, forming the South Side Gang (the names are very creative) and quickly became involved in the bootlegging empire of Chicago. Without going into too much detail, frequent skirmishes between the South Side Gang, North Side Gang (also big into bootlegging) and others were frequent to say the least, and a major turf war erupted between Moran and Capone. Moran, apparently believing himself to be a “better Catholic” than Capone because he did not engage in prostitution (Capone was both a bootlegger and the head of a prostitution ring…he did have syphilis, after all). Various attempts were made on each others lives, usually involving the death of at least a couple personal friends and/or security guards, but the two miraculously kept each other from killing the other.

Valentine’s Day

On February 14, 1929, six members of Moran’s gang- and one other dude- were in a garage in Lincoln Park (the North Side of Chicago) when the men were confronted by 4-6 other men, two dressed as Chicago policemen. I won’t go into the gory details, but it’s pretty darn gross, to say the least. While it’s still unclear as to whether or not all of the men were directly connected with the South Side gang (Moran was in the middle of hijacking Capone’s Detroit bootlegging business), it’s generally believed that Capone either orchestrated or directly led what would end in the slaughter of all seven men, one apparently misidentified by the killers as Moran himself (that had been the plan after all…kill the leader). Where Moran actually was depends on who you ask.

The End

It was following the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre that the federal government finally clued in on the illegal behavior of Capone; the Massacre also produced an outrage among the citizens of Chicago unlike criminal activity before. The Massacre also made a major dent in the power and strength of the Northside Gang, a dent which some claim they never recovered from.

By 1931, Capone had been arrested on income tax evasion and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. In prison (including a stint at Alcatraz), Capone’s health continued to deteriorate (syphilis is not a friend to the human body), and Capone was apparently often heard ranting about “Communists, foreigners and Bugs Moran.” Capone had a stroke in late January 1947, followed by pneumonia, followed by cardiac arrest; Capone finally passed away on January 25, 1947.

Moran himself was eventually eliminated from gang life in Chicago (apparently he wasn’t a very smart guy, and some say he was his own biggest problem), and spent his remaining years in and out of prison with little to no money. Finally dying from lung cancer in 1957, he was buried in the prison cemetery with approximately $100 to his name.

Chicago Arts and Culture: Hyde Park, Race and "Urban Renewal"

Most of you probably don't know the fascinating story of urban renewal in Hyde Park. While I certainly don't do justice to the whole story, it's one that every person interested in city and community living should know, and is an important part of the intellectual, social and religious culture of Hyde Park. I share my summary and thoughts below.

In the Beginning

In the 1850s, successful Chicago businessman Paul Cornell purchased a block of land on the South side of Chicago, with the hopes of attracting other businessmen and their families to the area. It worked. Famous men such as Marshall Field (yes, of the department store Marshall Fields), Cornell and John D Rockefeller built massive homes in the area (many still there today), bringing with them their wealth, society, and power, and setting up what would become a fashionable place for high-society vacations and summer getaways. By 1891, Rockefeller had founded the University of Chicago in what had become known as the Hyde Park area; as the University grew in international stature, so did Hyde Park. Not surprisingly, the population boasted 4 times more businessmen per capita than the rest of Chicago, and a per capita income rivaled by few other areas in the city, let alone the country. Also not surprisingly, Hyde Park was nearly completely white.

The Great Migration

By the 1940s, what has become known as the Great Migration- a mass exodus (estimated somewhere around one and a quarter million) of African-Americans from Southern states into Northern States- was beginning to change the landscape of many of the North’s largest cities, Chicago (and Hyde Park) included. Promised cheap living for their cheap labor in many of the South Side’s war industry jobs, many of the turn of the century hotels on the outskirts of Hyde Park were turned into little better than tenement housing for the bulging black population.

Seeing the change in tide before them, the white residents of Hyde Park responded in two ways: violence (ranging from protests to riots to physical violence) and restrictive covenants, a legally-enforceable agreement through which landlords promised that they would not sell or rent their properties to “people of color.”

Progress

In 1948, though, things began to change. Possibly encouraged by a Supreme Court ruling (Shelly v Kramer) which made restrictive covenants illegal, a local group of progressive (white) businessmen in the Hyde Park community began to gather together to see if they might come up with a way to stop what so many believed was inevitable: deterioration, crime and white flight. By December 1949, these men had founded the Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference with 300 charter members who hoped to create an “interracial community of high standards” where the formation of block clubs worked to negate false neighborhood gossip, provide up-to-date notices of building renewals and construction projects and serve as an outlet for multi-racial discussion, fellowship and community. At its height, the clubs covered about 150 blocks of the Hyde Park area. The Community Conference and clubs tracked all of the zoning (and re-zoning) laws of the area, followed- and prevented- the illegal restructuring of apartments into smaller, structurally unsound smaller tenements, and other building and zoning violations. Additionally, the clubs championed “WhistleStop” programs, in which residents were given whistles and then educated that the sound of a whistle was to be responded to as a cry for help.

But where was the University, the largest real estate owner and, arguably, the most powerful force in Hyde Park? After a rebuffing by the Chancellor in 1949, but supported by many of the progressive faculty and staff, the Community Congress functioned without the official support of the University until 1951, when the new Chancellor (Lawrence Kimpton) took control of the University and began plans to start the South East Chicago Commission. Within months, the Commission was churning out crime statistics, working with local police departments and researching urban and government planning of neighborhoods.

By 1952, Julian Levi, a successful businessman and lawyer, had been appointed Executive Director of the Commission, where he served until 1980. It was Levi who took the Commission from a law enforcement type of agency to an urban renewal agency, using (and creating) government grants, funds and support to continue the process of making Hyde Park a community where ethnically- and religiously- diverse people could co-exist and thrive.

So what happened?

In reality, the story continues today. Hyde Park (and neighboring Kenwood) continues to be a place of contradiction, and there is no doubt that there has been a certain amount of back-sliding over the last twenty years. The South East Chicago Commission continues to work, albeit in a very different way, to promote and implement urban renewal in the area, but with much less influence and with less influential financial, political and social support.

The question now becomes whether or not the community of Hyde Park (let alone the rest of the city and country) will once again desire that thing that the original commission hoped to produce: an inter-racial community of high standards. Organized residents, responsive and interactive community living and responsible (local, state and national) government made a very real difference in Hyde Park before, and may be able to again pursue that higher ideal of community living. But that requires that residents desire to live in such a way that they openly share their lives with those around them: those that may or may not look like them and may or may not subscribe to the same beliefs as them.

In many ways, Hyde Park continues to be a "bastion" of progressive thinking, where new concepts on race, education, identity and culture are continually produced and discussed. And yet...thoughts and discussion don't always lead to action: sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. The jury is still out on what will happen, both in Hyde Park and elsewhere.

Chicago Arts and Culture: The Bean

One of the best ways to get to know a city is to get to know its art, culture, architecture and people. This week we'll start with "Cloud Gate" also lovingly referred to as "The Bean" (pictured to your right and above).

According to Wikipedia, Cloud Gate was designed by a British artist named Anish Kapoor, who won a design competition for art in Chicago's famous Millennium Park. Kapoor was apparently inspired by liquid mercury (I hope he didn't play with mercury...), and is supposed to evoke feelings and thoughts of the immaterial and spiritual. When you position yourself directly in the center of The Bean and look up, it's as if you are being lifted into the sky. Apparently, art critics have raved that this is a masterful piece that takes on a "disembodied, luminous form." How's that for cool art? I feel all spiritual and immaterial now. It worked!

Cloud Gate was completed in late August 2005, weighs in at a whopping 110 short tons and cost $23 million (don't worry, no public funds were used). It was finally unveiled for the public May 15, 2006, which Mayor Daley quickly declared "Cloud Gate Day." Do federal employees get that day off?