This past weekend I was scheduled to do the Old Town Fine Art Fair but Rod was invited to speak at the Dock Mennonite Academy commencement so I needed an assistant. Our daughter, Katie, stepped up to the plate and drove up from Virginia to join me for a road trip to Chicago.
We had all day to see the sights before the 3:45PM load in so we took in as much as possible. We started at Cloud Gate (“the bean”), then checked out the Tiffany Dome at the Chicago Cultural Center.
We walk the Magnificent Mile, had lunch at Eataly, drove to the Art Fair site and set up our booth. We had just enough time to check into our Airbnb and change for dinner and an evening at The Second City comedy club.
What an experience! So much young talent and how exciting to know that so many of today’s big comedy stars made their start right here.
Parking was truly a challenge in Chicago. Our Airbnb host told us to use the SpotHero App and that was very helpful. We also learned that the best way to ensure a timely load out on Sunday evening was to just find street parking near the Art Fair and cart everything out with our hand truck. The best spot we could find was 4 blocks away so we left the car there for the rest of the weekend and used Uber to get around town. We figured it out between the two of us and now we’re hooked!
There was decent customer traffic during the show until the late afternoon hours. I sold several smaller and mid size quilts and table runners. On Sunday I said goodbye to one of my favorites, “Forest Windows”.
Katie’s friends, Steve and Monica Kniss stopped by to say high with their most adorable baby.
Katie was a trooper and trucked my whole booth the four blocks to the car while I broke everything down. We drove late into the wee hours of the morning, stopping in a Toledo area hotel to grab some winks before driving the rest of the way home.
Katie was so helpful bringing me lots of water, lunch, spotting my booth while I took short breaks and walks. The Old Town neighborhood was lovely. The home right behind my booth was for sale at 2.2 million. Any takers?
Katie said that for the next show we will pack a cooler with lots of ice. The temps were 90+ degrees but we, thankfully, had shade trees. I’m so glad she’s willing to consider a “next show”! Thanks, Katie!!!
His glass works are such an inspiration! It was positively mesmerizing. It also reminded me that lighting is everything. This exhibit was well lit with reflective surfaces beneath the displays and black walls. It made for a very dramatic effect.
