When I was a kid, living in Chicago, my
parents would take my sister and me to various fun activities. We
went to Riverview, a fun old time amusement park that closed
unexpectedly when I was about 8. We went to the museums and I don't
know how much it cost to get in but I bet it was way cheaper than the
entrance fees today. The Field museum scared me, all these stuffed
animals in glass cases. The Shedd Aquarium was okay but how many fish
can you look at? And Dad agreed with me. It was right on the lake
though and sitting outside eating a peanut butter sandwich sitting in
Daddy's lap was the best. The museum of Science and Industry was my
favorite. You could see baby chicks hatching, fetuses in bottles of
formaldehyde, a giant heart you could walk through, and the coal
mine. Big fun for a kid. One year my sister who had run up the stairs
to the second floor ahead of us turned and yelled “look Mom”. She
stuck out her tongue, put it on the brass railing and ran back down
the stairs. My Mom nearly had a heart attack. She couldn't have
been more than 5 and most likely wouldn't remember it but let me
tell you it was the highlight of that visit for me!
The best activities were those that
really didn't cost much of anything except maybe a little gas in the
car. Activities that maybe don't sound like much now but boy we sure
enjoyed it. Taking the toboggan over to the Jensen slides after a snowstorm. Going to Buckingham fountain to see the lights come on or
checking out the window displays at Fields at Christmas time. We also
would drive down to the beach, along with my parents friends and
their kids, spend the day swimming, picnicking, laughing. My Dad
seemed to have a fun way of looking at the world and a silly sense of
humor. On a hot summer night he would head for O'Hare airport and
pull over and park on a street real close. We laid on the front hood
or top of the car to watch the planes flying in. We would scream as
they came closer and flew right over us. It seemed like inches away
to a little kid like me. You can't do that anymore because of
terrorism. I don't think you can even get anywhere near the flight
paths.
About the time we moved to the suburbs it
changed. I have talked with my younger brother about our childhoods
and it seems his and mine were different, very different. He doesn't
remember Chicago. By the time we moved to the suburbs the dynamics of
the family, and therefore of my Dad, changed. He was crabbier, serious, worked
a lot, worried about money, worried about health. I think I now know
why, in spite of the inevitable teenage fights, my Dad and I always
got along. I remembered. I remembered when Dad was young, healthy,
happy, silly and carefree. And he knew that of all us kids, I, the oldest, was
maybe the only one that remembered. Remembered who he was. I
remembered Chicago.
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| with Dad, first day of spring, Montrose Beach |
