The Big Bad is back. - Spike

346 Days to go: 339 Things to Do: Day 13 in Chicago

27. Free Night at the Art Institute

I haven't been slacking; I've been out of town. But I'm back! Let the adventures continue. Although I have visited the Art Institute 111 S Michigan before, I have foolishly never taken advantage of the free nights on Thursdays (5-8) and I haven't been there since the new Modern Wing opened.

Tonight, we took advantage of the free hours to check out the new Modern Wing. And had a glass of champagne. Very classy. (the classy may have been canceled out around midnight when I watched an episode of Real Housewives of New York. how did alex become the sane one this season? crazy...)

So, we weren't there very long, just two hours, but it was enough to quickly tour through the Modern Wing. The general consensus was that the William Eggleston photography exhibit was our favorite. I thought the photos where he prioritized a single image (the back of a woman's head, a bottle on the hood of a car, a cocktail on an airplane tray) in context of their surroundings, were the best. And they had some examples of his artwork on album covers that, for some reason, I thought were totally cool. Yes, indeed - Eggleston's work was great.

Although the other exhibits had some pretty amazing pieces, including works by Jackson Pollock and Picasso. In fact they have The Old Guitarist from his 'blue period' that I love. So affecting, beautiful and sad. I had no idea this was just a few blocks away from my office!

One of the things we added to our list over drinks at Tuman's was Terzo Piano - the new restaurant on the third floor of the Modern Wing with both indoor and outdoor seating. Sadly, there was a 20 minute wait to get a table, which we just couldn't do (a reason to return! and there is an entrance separate from the museum, so you can just stop by). So we grabbed a glass of champagne on the first floor, at a little refreshment area beneath the stairs. But I have to admit, my favorite part of the entire wing - the view! Several of the exhibits have floor to ceiling windows that overlook the Lurie Gardens in Millennium Park. The view was slightly distracting from some of the artwork...



345 Days to go: 338 Things to Do: 13 Days in Chicago = 16 new experiences