The New Barbarian Rochestarian

After nine years in Chicago, Megan and I decided it was time for a change of scenery. We resigned from our jobs, which will take effect September 17th and will be moving to Rochester, New York soon after. I want to thank all the people over the years who have been so good to me-from the Art Institute, Chicago Architecture Foundation, and Children's Memorial Foundation. There are also a bunch of random friends that I've made randomly that we will miss. As usual, I will keep everyone updated on here as we learn what we are doing ourselves.

Thanks again Chicago! We will miss you!

The Point Of No Return... Or of Return? What Are We Doing Again?

My neighbor Blago in street graffiti dancin' like a fool!

The Gold Coast Art Fair, which ironically isn't even in the Gold Coast.

Free and, in this economy means, crowded

Buckingham Fountain will always remind me of meeting a Czech couple in the middle of nowhere Portugal saying to us in broken English, "Oh Chicago. My favorite show is Married With Children."

Paris on the Prairie

big sail boat in Burnham Harbor

Megan's family calls these style of boats "Rodney Dangerfield's" because of his classic scene in Caddyshack. I have to say, it's pretty appropriate.

The Wrigley Building from the Riverwalk

It may look pretty, but there is no way you are going to get me that close to the Chicago River's water in a kayak

Hard Rock Hotel (Carbon and Carbide Buidling)

Megan enjoying her giant burger and giant fries at Five Guys

Strange architecture in Lincoln Park. Here are two apparent single family homes. They weren't big enough and so a strange tower addition was constructed to combine the both. It's like a Victorian McMansion Medieval castle house...

AIA Chicago gave this frame and artwork to us for our wedding. It's titled "He Was a Friend of Mine." Ok, so there's a dog made of clouds. A sinister cat. We're they friends? Is this title sarcastic? What evil things has this cat done? What is going on?

Chicago Air & Water Show (sort of...)

Let me just start off by saying that I was spoiled growing up because I went to the Air Fair in Muskegon, Michigan when it was an independent operation and awesome. You could climb on the planes, you were surrounded by planes, they flew all around you. So, Megan and I were very let down by our first and only Chicago Air & Water Show. Not only was it crowded with every annoying idiot with a 100 mile radius of Chicago screaming horrible things to their toddlers, but we barely saw planes. Forget about the water show...

Leap Frogs during the national anthem.

Notice the tents and umbrellas. Really? It's an "Air" show. Why would you bring something that completely blocks your view of the air? Common sense...

The Chicago Fire Department water rescue demonstration somewhere behind the giant tent that kept falling down because the owners didn't know how to install the poles...

F18 Super Hornet

Closer view of the Super Hornet

Blackhawk helicopters doing some demonstration on the water. At least we see these prowling the skies whenever President Obama's in town

Human infestation..

So, about 2 hours into the 5-6 hour show, we decided to leave. It was miserable and completely disappointing. Maybe we should have watched from some place other than North Avenue. Maybe we should have known better and not gone at all.

On a brighter note, I found the car that will be know as the Kraus Family Truckster. One day, I'll pack the ol' wife and kids in this Mercedes and travel around the country. Probably be divorced and lose custody by the time we get back. But what an adventure!!!

Mega-tron Dancing To Caribou With Cap'n Jazz During a Korean BBQ picnic in Graceland Cemetery

Megatron's (Megan's) pictures of the set of Transformers 3 on Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago

Cars piled up on the Michigan Ave. Bridge

Michael Bay blowing stuff up

Here's Bubblebee.

Picking up after making a mess.

Probably a bit different than the view from your office, eh?

The honeymoon is over... First thing I saw back at the office when I got back from Portugal referring to a huge stack of papers needing to be processed... Hmmmm...

Caribou at Millennium Park

dance party!

"Eye" by Tony Tasset on State Street

Eating Korean BBQ with Frances and Noah at San Soo Gab San

Wicker Park Festival

Cap'n Jazz

Megan and I went to the famous Graceland Cemetery in Chicago to see all the famous dead people. This is Allen Pinkerton who founded the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, which became famous for saving Abraham Lincoln from one assassination attempt. They are probably most famous for being strikebreakers and beating up or killing members of unions on behalf of industrialists.

William Le Barron Jenney invented the skyscraper.

An creepy grave of some pioneers

George Pullman of Pullman Sleeping Car fame. Pullman Sleeping Cars were state-of-the-art luxury train cars in their day.

Louis Sullivan was an influential modern architect and mentor to Frank Llyod Wright.

Potter Palmer was one of the founders of Marshall Field's Department Store (now Macy's). He also built the Palmer House Hotel so his wife, Bertha, had something to keep her occupied.

Daniel Burnham was an urban planner and architect. He and Edward Bennett created the 1909 Plan of Chicago, which really transformed Chicago from a nasty, polluted swamp town into the beautiful metropolis you know today.

Philip Armour is the REAL "Sausage King of Chicago." He was the first to can meat and to use a reverse assembly line method it butchering (instead of assembling a car, they tore apart a cow). Also famous for being the focus of Upton Sinclair's book, The Jungle, about poor labor conditions and knowingly selling tainted meat.

Is it too late to add "large 'Me Fat' box of chocolates" to our wedding registry?

Phil came to town and we just happened to find Market Days in Boystown. We should have known something was going on when we saw a tranny fight at the train station...

That about sums it up। Back to living a normal life of grocery shopping, work, and playing Madden...
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