July 31, 2004
San Francisco
Arrived in Oakland at 6 pm and met up with Nicole and Sarah in Union Square about an hour later. The three of us drove to the Palace of Fine Arts to stand in a snails-paced willcall line of other confused twenty & thirty-somethings waiting to see the Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra. Despite the long wait and the muddled seating situation in the theater, the show was moving though I would have preferred a better balance between tunes with the MCs and the vocalists. After the show, we took a quick drive over and back on the big red bridge then stopped into Mel's Diner for some late night eats.
July 24, 2004
Back to Chicago 2
Met up with Kelly, John and Gabriel for breakfast. We drove down to Toast and during our one-hour wait, we played at Oz Park. Enjoyed some scrumptious strawberry, cinnamon and butter crepes before heading back north. Afterward, Kathy and I drove down to Millenium Park. A good chunk of the park was closed for a private benefit, but we were able to see the Crown Fountain with its spitting, changing photos as well as the Family Album photography exhibit.
Around 3 pm, I drove up north to the Bahai House of Worship in Wilmette for Amanda and Milan's wedding. The ceremony was simple, elegant, moving and inspiring. We devoured delicious Indian dishes and danced to upbeat Indian music at the reception.
More Wedding Photos
July 23, 2004
Back to Chicago 1
Arrived at O'Hare at 2 pm and hopped into my charcoal corolla rental car. Tried to take the 90 into downtown in hopes of catching a glimpse of the one-week old Millenium Park. The expressway was at a standstill so I took sidestreets to Lake Shore Drive. Cruised down LSD til North Avenue when it went into a deadlock there. Bailed on my plan to go downtown and hung out for a while in Lincoln Park and Andersonville. Bought a wedding present for Amanda and Milan, sipped some soup and checked my email at Panera, and bought a new book "The Book of Dead Birds" at Women and Children First.
Met up with Kathy at her Edgewater apartment. We chatted for an hour or so then I headed back down to Lincoln Park for the pre-wedding gathering at Sauce. I stayed there and met Amanda and Milan's friends until about 10 pm. Afterward, Little Julie called to tell me she was at James and May's engagement party in the South Loop. As I hadn't seen May in over three years, I happily drove down to crash the party. Saw a couple of other old-school lindy hoppers: Joe and Colette. And finally headed back to Kathy's around 1 am.
July 15, 2004
Indy revisited part 2
Had breakfast with the boss, the boss' boss and one other fella at the hotel. We piled into the rented SUV then went to the meeting with the newly-acquired company. After my boss gave his 30-minute spiel which I have to learn, we headed out to find some communities. We drove around the rest of the day looking at competition and our own new homes. We had lunch at Applebees and then they dropped me off at the airport. I had a couple of hours to kill so I rented one of those portable DVD players and watched "Cold Mountain." Got back to the OC at 10 pm, actually a few minutes before schedule.
July 14, 2004
Indy revisited part 1
Flew to Indianapolis. Skipped out on two opportunities to volunteer and get $800 worth in travel vouchers. Just wasn't feelin' like sittin and mopin around airports all day. Got into Indy at 4 pm. Dropped my stuff off at the Canterbury Hotel downtown. Took a walk downtown and had a late lunch/early dinner at the Rock Bottom Brewery. Mosey-ed my way through the theater district and ended up at the mall. Bought some turtle pjs and monkey slippers as well as some summery turquoise pants. Went back to my room and watched tv for a bit then hit the hay in anticipation of my 7am meeting the next morning.