Lederhosen, with a Side of Hate

This is what the annual German Day Festival in Lincoln Square is supposed to look like:


Lederhosen, smiling faces, encased meat, folk music, dancing and steins - steins! - of beer. Unfortunately, one attendee has tainted the entire Festival for me. Here's what happened:

K, our friend B and I walked over to Lincoln Square to see a movie. We were standing outside the theater discussing show times and our pre-movie drink options when a man and a woman, both in their 40s or early 50s, approached from the direction of the Festival. When they were almost past the theater, we heard the woman say very loudly, "Hmm, it looks like they're showing that anti-German movie here." Suddenly, she turned around and marched right up to the movie poster for Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, and shouted several sentences in German. Next - and this is where it really gets crazy - she raised her right arm in the Hitler salute and declared "Sieg Heil!" Then her companion linked his arm through hers and they continued on their way.

Shocked, the three of us stood there with our mouths open for a moment, looking at each other like umm, did that just happen? Did that woman just pronounce her Nazism to a near-life-size image of Brad Pitt? Yes indeed. Next question: what is the proper response on our part? Our natural reaction was simply to stand there in astonishment. Before we knew it, the outburst was over and the woman had gone on her way. In hindsight, I'm not sure that there is anything else we should have / could have done, but nevertheless I felt yucky about just standing there.

It brings to mind an experience K and I had several years ago during one of our visits to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. As we were making our way through the permanent exhibition, we encountered a group of four or five young men with shaved heads and clothing littered with swastikas. They tromped through the museum without pause, occasionally pointing and laughing. Laughing. In that case too, they were there and gone before I was even able to comprehend their presence in that space. Did they think they were being brave? Were we cowards for not confronting their hate?

A Boat Ride to Remember

K and I embarked on a three-hour maritime exploration of Chicago on Sunday, via the Chicago History Museum's 'A History of Beer' tour. And it was good. I mean real good.

Beautiful weather? Check. Couldn't have asked for better.

Unlimited beer on tap? Check. I was hoping for a little more variety (it was a tour for beer enthusiasts after all), but we made do with the two quality offerings: Goose Island 312 wheat ale and Goose Island's Summertime brew.


Friendly bartender? Yes indeed. And she encouraged the reuse of the plastic cups rather than wasting one for every beverage poured - good stuff.

Cooky lecturer? Check. Dude wrote a book called The Great Chicago Beer Cans that was published in 1979! He is obviously passionate about history, his city and his suds. The first thing he taught us was that there aren't any breweries along the Chicago River. Huh. And here I was thinking that we would pass by a couple on a history of beer tour - - ah well. After the lecture, he made his way through the group, stopping to chat with each person. As we passed the LaSalle and Clark Street bridges, K and I got a private little lesson on the Eastland Boat Disaster of 1915. "Over 800 people died right here." Geez.

Life jackets? Phew.


K shook his fist at the Lake Shore Drive bridge as we passed under it, in remembrance of how it made us late for the Harry Potter exhibition.


All boats going from the Chicago River to Lake Michigan or vice versa must pass through the Chicago Lock. Boats on their way out to the lake enter the lock and secure themselves to the wall. Then the gate opens, allowing for water to flow into the lock until it reaches lake level. Once that has been accomplished, boats in the lock and those on the lake waiting to come in can switch places. Close gate. Return water level in lock to river level. Open gate. Repeat. Simple, I know, but I found it interesting. Also, there's this whole separate etiquette and set of rules for boating, and it fascinates me.

All in all, it was a fantastic boat ride. There's something inspiring about being out on the water, whether it's in a one-person kayak in the wilderness or cruising down the Chicago River on the Ft. Dearborn with sixty other ruckus-raising beer drinkers.

Hops, Malt and Barley on the Big Lake

Tomorrow evening, K and I will be cruising the Chicago River and Lake Michigan on a Chicago History Museum boat tour, 'Exploring Chicago's Yeast Side: A History of Beer.' Here's the description:

Back by popular demand! Before Milwaukee claimed the title of beer capital of the Midwest, there was Chicago! Discover the city’s golden age of beer and brewing on this sunset tour. Ticket price includes beer, provided by Goose Island Brewery.

Sounds fun, right? I hope Goose Island brings their full lineup. So far, I've only tried their 312 wheat ale, the first beer I ordered at a restaurant in Chicago after we moved here last year. Intrigued by the telephone tap handle, I asked for a "three-twelve," oblivious to the fact that 312 ("three-one-two") is named for downtown Chicago's area code.

I learned about the tour when I visited the Chicago History Museum in April to see their Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial exhibit, which by the way, is ongoing until August 16. If you're a Lincoln fan like me, it's pretty cool to see the bed he died in and a copy of the Gettysburg address handwritten by the man himself. (He had fantastic penmanship!)

Anyway, back to the matter at hand: I thought the boat tour would be a good opportunity for us to max it and relax it while supporting a fine local institution. K and I have not yet done a boat tour here in our new city, but I've heard from tourists and locals alike that it is one of the best ways to see Chicago. We'll feel right at home out on the big lake. Here's a photo of it from Heritage Landing in our hometown of Muskegon, Michigan.


Let's hope the weather is that nice tomorrow, and that the beer doesn't go down too easy.

Exhibition: Accomplished

At long last, Saturday arrives. K and I are a little hungover, but eager to join the throngs of fans from across the Midwest flocking to the Museum of Science and Industry for Harry Potter: The Exhibition. We're on track to make it on time until - wouldn't you know it? - the Link Bridge starts rising and there we are, stuck on Lake Shore Drive. Tourists get out of their cars to take pictures while I mutter (and occasionally shout) obscenities.

By the time the bridge is lowered and we drive the rest of the way to the museum, park the car and find the entrance to The Exhibition, we're a good fifteen minutes late for our timed entry. K says, "I have this really bad feeling they aren't going to let us in."

"Oh, we'll get in," I answer. "There's no way they actually turn away late-comers; they wouldn't really be that mean." Then the cordon is lifted - we're in! Phew. I did not want to have to settle for the Fairy Castle (no offense, Fairy Castle fans).

The Exhibition itself is staged largely in temporary museum space, big white tents that will be relatively easy to pack up and move come September (next stop on the world tour is still TBA). Upon entrance, several visitors have the opportunity to be 'sorted' by the sorting hat. To my dismay, neither K nor I are selected for this ritual - K because he's too old (obviously), and I because... well, I don't know why.

After a brief film of movie highlights (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens July 15), doors open onto the main exhibit area. The overall feeling is movie set meets museum meets kiddie amusement park. We see a huge number of costumes and props, from Harry's wand and the Marauder's map to the flying Ford Anglia and the Goblet of Fire. We get to pull a mandrake from its pot, sit in Hagrid's chair and practice shooting quaffles through quidditch hoops.


By the quidditch hoops there is a museum staff person talking with an adorable little boy. She's rattling off wizarding trivia questions and he knows all the answers! It is soon apparent that all staff are speaking with British accents, some more obviously fake than others. K thinks the accents are overly corny; I find them entertaining.

Several magical creatures are on display: Buckbeak the hippogriff, two centaurs, and even a dragon! K would have missed Dobby the house-elf had I not pointed him out hiding behind Dumbledore's robes. Sadly, there is no information about the movies' special effects. I guess I will have to watch some DVD special features.

All in all, the exhibit is fantastic and sure to be a hit with Harry Potter movie fans of all ages. Enjoy!

Whimsy and Wands meet Science and Industry

On Thursday, April 30, Chicago's own Museum of Science and Industry premiered Harry Potter: The Exhibition. Comprised of authentic costumes and props, the exhibition promises a first-hand look inside the magical world of Harry Potter. Sounds good, right? Well, for $28.60 per person, it better be! (That's $26.00 for general museum admission and timed entrance into Harry Potter, plus a $2.60 'convenience' fee.) K and I will enter the exhibit on Saturday in search of enchantment and whimsy. Promptly at 1:15pm (no refunds or late entry, of course).


Assuming we manage to get ourselves there on time, it really will be exciting to see this first-of-its-kind exhibit for one of the most iconic book and movie series of the past decade. I am particularly interested to learn more about all the magical creatures and what processes are used to make them look so realistic in the movies. I hope the exhibit at least makes mention of my favorite creatures, thestrals, the horse-dragon beasts that pull Hogwarts students around in carriages and are only visible to those who have witnessed death. And what about Dobby and Kreacher the house-elves, and Buckbeak, Hagrid's hippogriff - are there any puppets involved, or are they purely CG?


With any luck, the answers to all my magical creatures-related questions and more will be revealed to me on Saturday. Hold on to your wands and get out of the way, kids.