Another barn… that has seen better times!

Looks like a strong wind must have come through… and sadly,
it looks like my favorite rustic roadside barn is starting to fall apart?!

Cruising’ through Joliet… heading south & crossing the DesPlaines River!

Art Deco glamour still exists in architecture… at The Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago. Who knew elevator doors could be so stylish?!

More beautiful architecture at The CIBC Theater… formerly The Shubert Theater… in downtown Chicago. Not quite as over-the-top as some of the other theaters in town, but still beautiful with its ceiling treatments, corbels & crystal chandeliers.

While the inside of the Nederlander Theater was painted with red light for MOULIN ROUGE, the lobby architecture is equally impressive. Our friendly usher Nancy told us some history about this statuesque & landmarked theater that was built back in 1926. This place is so incredible… even more lavish & over-the-top at every turn. The sure don’t make ’em like they used to!!!

“Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, flow sista”…
Another fun night of musical theater last night. Long-awaited…
as MOULIN ROUGE was one of the biggest shows around when the world shut down about two years ago… just as it was about to arrive in Chicago! When we all did our best to survive the craziness of a worldwide pandemic. So again, it felt GREAT to be back in a theater with a live cast performing on stage.

So let’s talk about the elephant in the room… sure, we had to show proof of vaccine & stay masked the whole time… but I’m still loving it. And yes, the show was well worth the wait!!! Oh yeah, and there REALLY is a big elephant in the room!!!

“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?”… thank you Lady Marmalade!!!

A dreary morning downtown… but always cool to see Buckingham Fountain before they turn it in for the summer. All of the pipes & valves are exposed as they prep it for the season ahead.

The Magnolia Hotel in St. Louis has beautiful architectural details throughout… okay, sure maybe my room had a few “issues”… but the hotel itself was quite nice!

As I had mentioned, I went to CITY MUSEUM yesterday in St. Louis… and finally worked my way through editing my photos to share! I’ve heard about CITY MUSEUM for years, but really had no idea what to expect… and if I did, it wasn’t this!!!

This might be the CRAZIEST “museum” I’ve ever been to… in the best way possible!!! I LOVED it!!! Such a crazy & amazing collection of stuff… stacked, piled, installed & layered all over the multi-level building. Including stuff on the rooftop and sticking out the side. Tons of slides, ramps, spiral staircases, tubes & crazy ways to get around. Think steampunk meets jungle gym… meets flea market… meets vintage carnival… meets caverns… meets aquarium… and so much MORE!!!

The guy at the Front Desk said that if you feel lost, you’re doing great. So much fun… and yet so eclectic & wild. A definite must-see in St. Louis… but wear your gym clothes if you really want to play!!!