Chicago with Cecil Markovich

Richard Bonomo had the enlightened idea that I should write this blog post as I am drinking a DIY mimosa to see if it makes my writing more or less comprehensible over time.  So consider yourself forewarned.

Yesterday morning at an egregiously early hour, Cecil Markovich and I drove to Chicago to attend Mass at  St. John Cantius, and it was absolutely gorgeous, the novus ordo in Latin with a small a capella choir singing Renaissance polyphony.  Luckily we are both caffeine fiends, so we agreed on the number of coffee stops we needed (many).  Then we had lunch at an Italian cafe and tried to wait out a cloudburst replete with lightning, but it just dragged on and on so we finally went out to face it bravely.  Cecil bought a present for his godson at the gift shop of the Adler Planetarium, and then we waited in line for the Shedd Aquarium approximately three days before I finally gave up.  Cecil stuck it out and was rewarded with sights such as baby hammerhead sharks (I saw those in Vegas) and a huge collection of jellyfish (I saw those in New Orleans).

I, however, returned to an art gallery where I had seen a beautiful necklace in the window and asked if it were totally out of my price range or just mostly out of my price range.  Since the answer was the former, I just browsed around the gallery, looking at things I will never be able to afford, until coming across some beautiful rings no more expensive than admittance to the aquarium.  Score!  Then I ambled by a musical instrument store (this was on Michigan Avenue) where I had seen a balalaika in the window.  I went in and acquired about it and was told it was a bass balalaika and cost over a grand, but by Wednesday there would be a shipment of smaller, nicer balalaikas for $450 each.  I didn't have the heart to tell the gentleman I was from out of town, so I just thanked him for this information and was on my way.

The rain had stopped (and incidentally, I have finished my mimosa), so I wandered by the lakeshore and then sat people-watching by the Buckingham fountain until Cecil returned from the aquarium, and then we went to Agostino's.  They are not paying me to say this, but five enthusiastic stars!  Best minestrone I have ever had, and the grilled octopus appetizer consisted of two whole octopodes (that is the correct plural, not octopi) with their heads on and everything - one for me and one for Cecil.  I had the gnocchi and pinot grigio, which seemed to please our waitress.  Even though we didn't order dessert, they gave us a huge fruit plate.  Score!  They even gave me a take-home box for it.  Oddly, Cecil did not want either lovely piece of pineapple.  I will never understand his animosity to this lovely fruit, symbol of hospitality.  By then it was a beautiful evening.  Then we headed home, which we arrived at safely.

Famous Hat