It was roughly five years ago at this time of year that -- due to summer convention travel for The Company -- my old roommate and I found ourselves in Chicago with one free day to ourselves to do whatever we wanted. As we discussed the possibilities over breakfast, we decided to try to re-enact as much of Ferris Bueller's Day Off as possible. And though we had to make some substitutions, we had a really great time.
We caught the train into downtown and wandered about following the people in suits until we found the commodities exchange. We made our way to the observation deck and looked out into the chaos.
Next up was lunch. Neither of us could pass for Abe Froman, nor were we in the mood for pancreas, so we instead found a neat Cajun restaurant with a few thousand bottles of hot sauce arrayed on the walls.
The art museum was supposed to be next, but we got lazy before we could find it, and decided to substitute the planetarium and science museum instead. Both of us are more into that sort of thing than paintings and sculptures anyway.
A Cubs game at Wrigley Field would have been next on the agenda, but unfortunately there was no game that day -- no sports of any kind. So we made an absolutely pitiful substitution of going to see a movie. Not a sports-themed movie. Not even a good movie, unfortunately -- we saw Hollow Man. (Yikes... even Kevin Bacon could not redeem it.)
Determined to get our day off back on track we went to the top of the Sears Tower. Neither of us felt like getting busted for stepping up on the railing to lean against the glass, but we did play a game on the ping pong table they had up there. (Why they had a ping pong table up there, I don't know.)
Alright, so we didn't go driving around in a badass vintage car, or use some total stranger's hottub and swimming pool. But in all, I'd say we captured the essence of what we were after. After all, I still remember it clearly to this day, five years later.
5 comments:
I used to live down the street from his Shermer High School, actually the now infamous Glenbrook North, and near the "Save Ferris" water tower. An old colleague of mine attended that very high school with none other than John Hughes.
Shermerville was the original name of the Village of Northbrook, and Shermer is the major street on which the high school sits.
In other words, if you find yourself in the Windy City (named not after wind but posturing for the Columbian Exposition), you should look me up. I haven't yet found any other John Hughes landmarks, but people who know people who know people claim to know people who live in the Sixteen Candles house.
You can get $5 back for having to watch Hollow Man. Read this missive for details.
Kathy, that was spectacularly pulled out of your ass. Well done!
I am Kathy, champion of the segue.
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