My kinda town

Back again after a week spent on my third trip in a month-and-a-half.

This time it was the big one, the one I’ve been waiting for since returning to graduate school in the late spring: the summer seminars at Spertus College in Chicago. And despite missing the family and a torturous stomach upset—thank you Imodium—I had the best time. Some highlights:

• I found a new academic home in the Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies. Its building is a stunning work of abstract art in concrete, steel, and glass; its location on Michigan Avenue, opposite Grant Park, is perfectly central to everything; and its physical, technological, and human resources are amazing, including my teachers and fellow doctoral students. I learned more than I’d imagined possible, which is, of course, a double edged sword—now I have a million new paths to follow.
• I spent hours shooting the shit with old friends. It was great hanging with you and catching up. Those of you I didn’t get to see, I’ll hook up with next spring. I promise.
• I learned that beyond being the home of meat, Chicago’s also a foodie heaven for those with a vegetarian bent. With Daliah, I threw down a mind blowing seitan Radical Rueben at the deservedly famous Chicago Diner; with Brad, I enjoyed (slightly modified) tapas at Emilio’s; and with Geoff, I tasted two spectacular Asian dishes (and a delightful bottle of Rioja) from the vegan menu(!) at Opera.
• I remembered why Chicago has always been my favorite American city. (Well, for the 25 years since I first visited.) It’s not simply because of the stunning skyline and world-class museums. Rather, and away from the skyscrapers, bright lights, and beautifully tended gardens that line the Magnificent Mile, it remains an honest and tolerant Midwestern city of human-scaled neighborhoods filled with good people and the camaraderie born of years spent laughing in the face of brutal winters. And when, like last week, her days are mild, clear, and sunny, Chicago is as great a place as any on earth.

All that and and a Jewish community of almost 300,000. What's not to love?

So now it’s back to whatever reality is.

Shavuah tov. Have a great week.