More Chicago

I haven't had the chance to eat any good pizza in Chicago, but hope to next time. November seems like a good time to sit in a cozy restaurant and have a slice. Apparently the original Pizzeria Uno is the big deal pizza. It usually has like a 1-2 hour wait though. I might seek out something a little more laid back.

I forgot to mention that the first time I went to Chicago it was February and I could only spend so much time wandering around outside before my southern-transplanted toes felt like they would fall off. Chicago has a lot of theater, so I ended up seeing Wicked at the beautifully renovated Oriental Theater. I'm not a huge musical fan generally, but I had read the book (by a native of my hometown of Albany, Gregory Maguire) so I figured I'd take a chance. It was really enjoyable. I was a bit annoyed by the parts they left out, but I suppose there's only so much you can cram into a few hours on a stage. I was a tiny bit disappointed because the wicked witch was originally played by Ana Gasteyer from Saturday Night Live, but I had just missed her run.

I'm pretty pleased with myself for doing so much in Chicago. Usually I don't have so much free time and spend most of the day standing around under fluorescent lights in the basement of a hotel or in a conference center. Next time I go I want to try out the CTA trains. The complexity of public transportation systems in large cities fascinates me. I am also very disappointed at the unavailability of feasible public transportation in Raleigh. And if anyone should be able to make our bus system work, it should be me...