Touring Oak Park.

After a slow Sunday morning, Claus, Julie, Vivian and I decide to head to the Chicago suburb called Oak Park to check out Frank Lloyd Wright’s home. I knew he had his home and office there, but I didn’t realize that its the largest collection of Wright designed houses in existence. We park the car on the beautiful tree-lined street called Forest Avenue and head north to see his home and studio. On the way, we pass two other houses clearly designed by him. Once at his home, we pick up a map of the thirty-five houses he designed between 1889 and 1913. We skip the guided tour of his home and opt for a self-guided walking tour of the houses on the map. Seeing all of the houses in succession is an amazing sampling of his residential work. He was clearly using the commissions surrounding his office as a test bed for a plethora of design ideas. The variety of styles, materiality and details is fascinating and runs the gamut from Tudor to Japanese inspired.

[Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio, 1889]

[Moore Residence, 1895]

[Detail of Moore Residence]

[Winslow Residence, 1893]

[Thomas Residence, 1901]

[Heurtley Residence, 1902]

[Hills / Decaro Residence, 1906]

[Beachy Residence, 1906]

After the amazing stroll through Oak Park, we return to Julie and Claus’ abode for a short break before heading back out to catch a concert with Claus’ mom and stepdad at a large outdoor venue called Ravinia. They described the venue to me over dinner last night, but I was shocked by the scene when we arrived. There is a covered amphitheater facing the stage and a surrounding lawn packed with thousands of people having very elaborate picnics. The concertgoers are permitted to bring as much food and alcohol as they wish into the venue and everyone takes full advantage. While walking around, we see everything from white tablecloth dinners complete with candelabras to multigenerational families with young ones listening to the music from their playpens. Everyone is having a great time and enjoying the performances by Amos Lee and David Gray. It turns out that the outdoor concert series held at Ravinia started in 1904 and is the oldest in the country. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

[the lawn at Ravinia]

[Amos Lee performing]