(Chicago, Illinois, USA)

Chicago is known as the “Windy City”, although apparently this is because of its history of political bombast rather than the breezes off Lake Michigan.

Whatever the reason, it is brutally cold here in the winter.  I had intended to visit the Lincoln Park Zoo today but it was just too frigid.  Changing on the fly, I spent a few hours at the Museum of Science and Industry instead.  We had intended to visit it last summer but never quite made it.  I think we were a little apprehensive about visiting the South Side of Chicago. It doesn’t have a great reputation – its dangers even became the subject of a hit record (“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”, by Jim Croce).  In any case, today I made the trek to the South Side and the area immediately around the Museum was fine.

It’s huge – there is a jet inside – and  well suited for the young (and young at heart).  As my academic career veered away from most sciences after high school, it was very interesting to see which sciences appealed and which ones still didn’t interest me as much.   If time spent at the various exhibits is any indication, I’m still keen on genetics, chemistry, transportation and avalanches (though not all at once).  Physics, electricity, biology…not so much!

Feeling nostalgic, I then returned to my favourite Chicago record store (Reckless Records on North Michigan Avenue).  It’s a good store with very helpful and knowledgeable staff, but it was made especially memorable by the fact that I met John Densmore (drummer for the Doors) there last summer.  He wasn’t there today.

Just two doors down from the store, I had a spicy and very warming Thai dinner of Tom Kha Gai and Rama Noodles.  I also had some good news today – I managed to get a full refund of my “non-refundable, non-cancellable” prepaid hotel payment in Memphis!  Quiet diplomacy doesn’t always work, but it seemed to be the right approach in this case.

Now it’s time to check the weather forecast and see if the zoo might be an option tomorrow!