Chicago 2008 (The Year of the Two Franks)

My friend Juan and I took our annual Chicago trip a week ago and had a great time.  We've been making this pilgrimage for the past seven years now and it's interesting to look back and see how the trip has changed throughout the years.  The first few years we were like typical tourists, spending our money in places that have a glossy veneer but lack true substance.  The last few years we've ventured a little deeper into the heart of the city and have truly enjoyed it.  Chicago is constantly evolving, you could literally go back every year and have a different experience.

This trip we ventured out to Oak Park Heights.  It's twleve miles West of downtown Chicago (45min by the green line train).  26 houses that Frank Lloyd Wright designed are still standing in this town, not to mention his own home & studio, built around the turn of the 20th century.  The picture above is of the studio wing of the house.  This was the "first Frank".

The "second Frank" we found at Andy's Jazz Club.  Here we listened to some of the best jazz I've ever seen live. Frank Catalano's band (http://www.catalanomusic.com/) absolutely ripped it up.  At 28, he's already played with quite a few jazz legends and is crafting a nice career of his own.   We had an opportunity to meet most of the band between sets and they were also very down to Earth.  The band just released a new cd this past week, I'm going to make it a point to download it from iTunes soon.