Want to see a real live ghost town?

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Like scary stories? Come view one of USA's premiere ghost towns: Gary, Indiana. I've been there and lived to tell the tale -- largely because I had the brains to get my tail the hell outta there!


But downtown San Francisco has actual zombies

DuSable Museum of African-American History (CHICAGO)

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The DuSable Museum of African-American History in south side Chicago is the nation's leading historical institution  - if not the oldest - devoted to black folk contribution to America and African heritage. It was started by Dr Margaret Burroughs and artist husband Charles in their Chicago home and quickly moved in to other locales as, both, visitors and collections expanded. 

I remember visiting the museum several times as a schoolboy whether it was on a field trip sponsored by my school, church, or local community center (that was a time before 24hr television and when people took a more active role in structuring youth). I'd been there so many times I was probably getting a little annoyed with it; but just a little. I've always like being in places full of odd assortments of things. Fast forward two decades and, while on the north side, I found myself reading an announcement: THE ENDANGERED SPECIES: A VISUAL RESPONSE TO THE VANISHING BLACK MAN. Well! With a title like that my ears were pricked. I made a point to revisit the DuSable Museum in order to take in said exhibit by artist Raub Welch. It was easy enough to reach it by subway and bus. Once there I casually made my way through the museum's chronically structured self-guided tour starting with Egypt, then the Civil War, Restoration Period, subsequent wars, Civil Rights Movement, Harold Washington interactive exhibit (it's really cool) and was about ten minutes into the Vanishing Black Man art exhibit when I received a telephone call and had to cut things short. Doh! For those interested, the temporary exhibit goes through March 30, 2014.

Admission is free to city residents and $10 general for non-residents (with discounts for children and senior citizens). If you're a white person who swears he wants to become more culturally aware of things outside of his WASP privileged background - you know who you are - and if you're ever around the Windy City, then here's as good a place as any to start.



founders Mr & Mrs Charles Gordon Burroughs

 wall mosaic of Chicago's past & earliest settler... 

  Jean Baptiste Point DuSable

complementary mural of contemporary Chicago

(that's Harold Washington in the center) 

  "Endangered Species" by Raub Welch(featured exhibit)

 self-explanatory...

Do you know of any other black history museums?

From Lakefront to beachfront

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From snowy, bone-chilling cold ass Chicago

 

to sunny, wonderfully warm and bright Los Angeles

Scenes from Chicago (PICS)

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would you believe THIS was the 

warmest day of my 8-day visit!

Lincoln Park Zoo

Shakespeare in the park

  an odd theme for a warehouse but whatever. 

and now it's a historical landmark! 

he'll guard your stuff

  live blues at Kingston Mines

 wall mosaic at DuSable Museum 

 keeping warm on CTA

Chicago Getaway Hostel

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The Chicago Getaway Hostel in Lincoln Park is a nice, very clean hostel with a friendly and engaging atmosphere and modern decor. Its name is a nod to the city's (old)gangster reputation during the Prohibition era when the baddies needed a getaway car to speed them from the scene of the crime. Various framed prints of the likes of Elliot Ness, Al Capone, John Dillinger is about the only bit of kitsch in the joint. 

Most guests were sociable and the hostel always had a few group events planned beyond the tried-and-true pub crawl (which in this winter weather wasn't so appealing anyway). One evening we went out for a night of down home Chicago Blues at The Kingston Mines. As many times as I've been to/through/around Chicago this was my first time in a Blues bar! Some places can be too engaging and obnoxious - "party hostels" - but such was not the case here; plenty of comfortable seating and lighting for conversations and quiet reading. 

blues performance at The Kingston Mines

Unlike so many of the hostels in which I've stayed Front Desk didn't "welcome" one with a stale rundown of endless house rules either. You presented identification (fyi, no Chicago residents allowed as guests), paid your bill upfront, and received your card key with assigned bed (linen & towel included). My only complaint is the dorm room had poor lighting and lack of personal reading lamps which made it hard not to disturb others after dark.

FREE breakfast was continental style and included lots of fresh whole oranges and bananas and, more uniquely, milk! The industrial kitchen is well equipped to store guests groceries and there are half a dozen free and FAST computers in the lobby (in addition to WI-FI). Also, there's free luggage storage, pool table, Netflix, hot water showers, a piano, and a brand new additional TV room in the basement. The hostel is roughly four blocks or 15 min walk from the Fullerton Red Line station. Yep, it's the perfect place to get away.  

a guest enjoying the free breakfast

guests mapping out their sightseeing

walking distance from the hostel

 

don't get ripped off!

If you've stayed at the hostel I'd like to know what you thought of it.

A pleasant visit to Lincoln Park Zoo

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First three days back were frustrating owing to the heavy snowfall which kept me indoors. I catch cabin fever quicker than quick. And, yet, no sooner had I arrived than the temperature started climbing with one day growing a little warmer than the previous one. By Sunday roads were pretty passable and less icy or mushy (although the same couldn't be said for sidewalks), and on Monday it was a pleasant and bright winter day. Too nice to waste indoors.

I decided to visit the Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the few remaining free zoos in the nation. Hadn't been to a zoo in decades! despite being in cities with world famous zoos (e.g., San Diego, San Francisco, Berlin (which has two!), Edinburgh, London, Barcelona, New York City, Paris, etc.) because, hey, once you've seen one exhibit of lions, tigers, apes and pandas you've seen them all.
Unless you have children or a keen interest in zoology what's the draw?
Well, for me, the answer was a pleasant and partly sunny day in cold ass wintry Chicago. I enjoyed it. Here are some snapshots from that visit:

 can you spot the lioness and lion?

 King of the Jungle (exiled)

 lemurs

a third lemur just snatched his lunch

monkey

 bobcat

 tiger