Windy City Dinosaur | Boeing Gallery South of Millennium Park

After a stimulating conversation with Q about her preference to adopt a dinosaur as her pet-slash-bodyguard, I have been conducting rummages in every pet store to determine the probability of that particular command. Q, my painter friend’s five-year-old cutie, was very explicit about her dinosaur. The specification is as followed:

1. The Dinosaur Pet needs to be as big as Sue the T-Rex in the Field Museum
2. The Dinosaur Pet cannot be a giant LEGO replica
3. The Dinosaur Pet has to be teachable for “sit” command

So, when I was in Boeing Gallery South of Millennium Park in Chicago staring at Sui Jianguo’s Windy City Dinosaur sculpture few weeks later, all I could think about was how to teach this gigantic dino to “sit”. How quaint.

Windy City Dinosaur, created by the leading contemporary Chinese artist Sui Jianguo, is installed in Boeing Gallery South near The Crown Fountain. It is currently a part of the ongoing exhibition entitled “A Conversation With Chicago: Contemporary Sculpture From China” in the Boeing Galleries of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. Four large-scale contemporary sculptures by Chinese artists are included in this outdoor exhibition from April 9 to October 2010.

No Comments / Jun 02.10 / Art, Travel / by Jen-Kuang Chang

Haymarket | Lincoln, Nebraska

Seriously, I repeatedly chanted a quote of Walt Whitman that “To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, Every cubic inch of space is a miracle” like a fake protection spell when visiting Haymarket in downtown Lincoln just few minutes before sunset. There were mosquitoes as big as Fluffy, the gigantic three-headed dog found in Harry Potter universe, and my herbal mosquito repellent was running dangerously low. While Barry’s Bar & Grill, Brewsky’s, Buzzard Billy’s Armadillo Bar-N-Grillo, Capital City Grill, Lazlo’s Brewery & Grill, and other joyous hot spots were packed with fashionable Friday-Night-People, mosquitoes seemed to exclusively target my exposed skin, exercising their discrimination against members of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club.

Phew, what a beautiful night though.

 

No Comments / May 29.10 / Photo, Travel / by Jen-Kuang Chang

Iron Horse Park in Haymarket | Lincoln, Nebraska

Getting up so early to visit The Mill café in Haymarket District in downtown Lincoln to enjoy few hours of free parking was simply great, grand, and splendid. The Mill café at 7 in the morning was beguilingly filled with sounds bent by mostly elderly espresso inquirers. I got few free-and-most-appreciated mocha beans from a nice barista to go with my usual, the buoyant double-shot espresso, securely wrapping myself in the rich coffee aroma and the touch of revitalization. Unhurriedly sipping my espresso, I continued to marvel at the gentle troop of graceful beings, their vivid poises, and café’s amiable atmosphere.

Half hour later, the sun began to galvanize daily routines while I slowly tiptoed toward the Iron Horse Park like a smiley Emperor Penguin finally let go of his heavy suit.

 

No Comments / May 24.10 / Photo, Travel / by Jen-Kuang Chang

Rotary Strolling Garden | Lincoln, Nebraska

It started to get a bit warm in my apartment. After months of complaining cold-hearted Nebraska winter, the temperature suddenly did a hoopla-jump and my burn-notice apartment started to feel like an overpowering G power-chord stroke by a Madagascar lemur on an out-of-tune toy guitar. I declared war on high temperature and sneaked out as quickly as spider-man minus cool costume, deciding to visit the Rotary Strolling Garden instead of learning new Swahili vocabularies with a serious face as planned. The garden, I was told, got drought tolerant plants that might just be my new best friend for the upcoming summer season.

So on my way to the garden, I was listening to Tallinn Chamber Orchestra’s gorgeous rendering of Arvo Pärt’s Für Lennart In Memoriam and thinking about a quote of Aldous Huxley that “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” Admittedly, it was a bit difficult to mind Huxley and Pärt, as it was as hot as El Azizia in Libya (the hottest place on earth. 136 degrees Fahrenheit. Gee.) in my car. But the trip was more than just a hot-car-spa-special. I also got to experience Pärt’ music while wearing my sunglasses. First time in my book. Goody. Pärt’ music was still speaking to me, phew, faintly.

The Rotary Strolling Garden in the Rotary Senior Park, located near the Hamann Rose Garden, was established around 2008, featuring native Nebraska plants and shrub roses. The plants are drought tolerant, demonstrating a garden with low maintenance and watering requirement. The park was made possible by Downtown Lincoln Rotary Club #14. A plate with the Rotarian Four-Way Test inscription can be found in the garden.

The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do:

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

 

No Comments / May 21.10 / Photo, Travel / by Jen-Kuang Chang

Centro Restaurant | Des Moines, Iowa

After deciding to take few hours off of somewhat monotonous interstate driving to visit Des Moines on my route to SEAMUS National Conference, I called my fabulous painter friend to see what she has to say about any must-visit locations in this classic Midwestern city.

“You are here already?” She asked and sounded uncharacteristically sleepy on the phone.

“Gee, it’s 11 o’clock in the morning,” I meekly complained. “Did you just pull an all-nighter, again?”

She is either too sleepy to deny the accusation or too busy googling the driving direction to Centro Restaurant in downtown Des Moines for me. Can’t really tell, oh-no, but there was this mile-long silence. So I waited, cautiously. Let the record show that although she is one of the cuddliest girls to hang around with, she is admittedly less than pleasant under the influence of sleep-deprived mode. And, wait, one should also be informed to avoid mentioning any horoscope-related-stuff, regardless the degree of casualness, in front of this darling. She’d quote Sheldon from hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory and charge you of participating in “the mass cultural delusion…that the sun’s position relative to arbitrary constellations…at the time of your birth somehow affects your personality.”

Phew. Seriously.

Two hours later, we were in Centro tasting heavenly slices of New York-style pizza like two well-mannered otters.  Yum.

Centro, located in the historic Masonic Temple building in downtown Des Moines, was established by developer Harry Bookey and Chef George Formaro around 2001. Chef Formaro, the artisan baker, constructed coal-fired ovens to bake restaurant’s signature New York-style pizza at 850 degrees. A small specialty pizza such as Capricciosa (mozzarella, artichokes, coppicola, onion, mushroom, sausage, and red sauce) is about $17.

No Comments / May 19.10 / Travel / by Jen-Kuang Chang