On Friday, Apryl and I checked out Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, which Disney has re-released in the theatres in 3D. Other than museum exhibits, I can only recall seeing one other feature aided with those three dimensional spectacles, and that was the 1953 sci-fi classic It Came from Outerspace from a screening in college off of a 16mm projector. The experience was less than thrilling. Back then, it seemed the technology was being used merely as novelity than for any real advantages. So in the end, the viewer was left with a few cheap thrills of some object leaping towards them, and then back to regular dimension for the rest of movie. And those glasses were always such a pain for those like myself who already wear glasses. Well, the new 3D glasses are bulky, but they do fit nicely over your own prescriptions. Check out our photos below:
As for the movie, the idea of novelity was all put to waste once the film started. The use of depth created with the 3D technology was spectacular and brought the animator’s creations to a new level of awe. I don’t think I would want to see too many movies in 3D but for a film like The Nightmare Before Christmas it was perfect. Although, we both admitted we missed a cheap thrill once in a while.
Saturday, Apryl and I had brunch with friends at The Bongo Room:
Brunch is a lot bigger deal here than it is back home. And it seems one of the best places to grab some brunch is in the Bucktown/Wicker Park area. I got the chocolate french toast. See below for evidence:
Late that afternoon, my dad came to visit with tickets to Sunday’s Chicago Bears game against San Francisco 49ers. We didn’t go out that first night, but we did walk around the neighborhood, watched Svengoolie, and ordered delivery from Giodanos.
Sunday, my dad and I hopped on the train to head over to Solider Field for the big game. This was the first time my dad had ridden the L, so of course there were several delays on the tracks before we got to our final destination. The colorful characters on board, though, seem to keep him entertained.
When we got downtown, we started walking the wrong way to make our bus transfer. But we did run into the Haunted Village and the bloody fountain:
When we started back the right way, we skipped the idea of catching the CTA, and instead decided to follow the rest of Bears fans making moves toward Lake Michigan. The congregated fans lead us straight to a series of school busses which turned out to be free shuttles up to Solider Field.
Sometimes it really pays to go with the flow!
A friend of my dad’s got us great tickets with the Cadillac Club, which granted us access into a cozy lounge area where television sets were planted every which way your eye could drift.
The outside lounge area wasn’t too bad either. Below isn’t from a museum interior, but of the walkway between one side of the outside lounge to the other:
And below is a photo showing the contrast between the different architecture of the stadium:
The game itself was a Chicago Bears blowout. In fact, I heard that it was the most points scored by the Bears in the first quarter since the 1940’s. At the half, the Bears were winning 41-0.
Here are some more photos from the game:
Above, two pigeons made it clear that Solider Field was just as much their home as the Bears. My dad mentioned that whenever the Bears had the ball, the birds would get behind the Bear’s offense to avoid any contact. But when the 49ers had it, they didn’t feel there was any need to move from any comfortable position seeing as there was little threat of the 49ers moving the ball.
Do you think I could have snapped the photo below if it hadn’t been so close to Halloween?
No, I don’t think it mattered either. We were also sitting next to The Blues Brothers but I couldn’t get a good enough photo of them.
The final score was Bears 41 – 49ers 10.
That night, we all went out to eat in Little Italy at Gennaro’s, which is a little restaurant that you have to be buzzed in from the bartender/owner Johnny before entering. It reminds me of a cross between Pete & Sams and The Lamplighter back home.
Apryl and my dad both got the Eggplant Parmesan while I got the Pork Chop with Peppers and Potatoes dish. It was a perfect way to end our last night with my dad, and I had plenty of leftovers for the next day.
I’m still excited that my dad was able to come up here for a visit. It’s just a shame that it all had to end so quickly. I’ll just have to look forward to him visiting again. He wants to come back when there is snow on the ground.
