singley.org > blog archives > Chicago is Dead, Long Live Chicago! 10.10.2007

I remember clearly the night I fell in love with Chicago. On July 16th, 2004, Mayor Richard M. Daley officially opened his much-hyped and long-overdue Millennium Park. The opening ceremony was massive: circus performers, musicians, actors, tumblers and thousands of Chicago residents turned out to experience this place. I got there just before dusk and first spent an hour or so exploring the park. The Crown Fountain and the now-famous "Bean" Cloud Gate sculpture sounded cheesy when described, but in person they were mesmerizing. They were beautiful on their own, but more impressive in context as they seemed to feed off the energy of the diverse crowd who gathered to seem them for the first time.

I strolled slowly, stopping often to admire the people and the space, finally stopping outside the Harris Theatre where This American Life host Ira Glass was going to "perform" an episode of his show live. The story was about a boy who grew up infatuated with Chicago architecture and featured visuals by Chris Ware, which were projected onto the outside theatre wall.

The sun set, the air was warm, and the crowd watched and listened as Ira spoke. His story was about one person, but the awe this boy felt about Chicago was clearly shared by the people in the audience. There was a palpable sense of happiness and contentment with our city and was unforgettable.

Last week, I said goodbye to this wonderful place. I'll cherish the six years I spent there and look forward to, one day, returning.