Carolyn's Blog

Yes, I was on a busman's holiday last week to my home town of Chicago, and Millenium Park was a must-see place.  The last time I was down by the Art Institute, there were RR tracks to cross in order to get to the lakefront.  Now, there is glorious Millenium Park.

The Pritzkur Pavillion, designed by Frank Gehry, is a star, and I am sorry I did not get to see a performance there.  The Crown Fountain is another highlight, with faces appearing on the glass blocks, and water occasionally spouting from the mouths of the faces.

Another thing that fascinated me was the Cloud Gate Sculpture. Cloud Gate is British artist Anish Kapoor's first public outdoor work installed in the United States. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city's famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface (my shot is from inside) and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives

A special presentation and tour of the Courthouse in Old New Castle, Delaware in honor of the 1848 trial of Thomas Garrett, who was a "stationmaster" on the Underground Railroad. There was no train involved, just a chain of compassionate souls who helped shepherd slaves out of the south to freedom in Pennsylvania. Garrett and fellow Quaker John Hunn were convicted and fined, but he vowed to continue his work, eventually helping over 2000 men, women, and children escape to freedom. Below you will see scenes of the present day Old New Castle courthouse, the exhibits about the Garrett trial, and a tour being led through the  Underground Railroad related exhibits.