Sunday, October 28, 2018
Architectural Digest
Every October there's an event called Open House Chicago where different buildings around the city allow the unwashed masses to track god knows what through their halls for one weekend. My mom and I usually go, because it tends to fall while she's on her Fall Break, and we enjoy things that are free and intrude on other people's privacy. This year, there was the added bonus that the weather was nice, so we didn't have to waste time cursing Chicago's very existence. So we got out and saw a few interesting spots.
We first went to a relatively new office building right on the river, where we were forced to wait in line for the privilege of taking an elevator to see "raw space" on the twenty-somethingth floor. Fortunately, my mother never has trouble thinking of things to talk about, especially when we're packed into a crowded elevator with people who might not share her political views. Unfortunately, I had the "Jellicle Song" from Cats in my head the entire time. That way madness lies.
Our second stop was also a newish office building, but it had a cool outdoor patio on its roof, which should not impress me given that my office is on the 76th floor, but I think it's human nature to want to be up high. It allows us to watch for predators. The furniture on that patio happened to be mad uncomfortable, but you can't have everything, right? When I buy the building I'll install beanbag chairs for everyone.
Finally, we went to a cool old art deco building, where I took a bunch of pictures of metalwork that looked like the cover of The Fountainhead, but presumably without the stilted prose. There were additional terraces, too, so I got my quota of fresh air for, like, the entire year. All in all it was a highly successful day, so much so that I forgot about it until now, when I needed to think of something to write about. Isn't self expression grand?
