Upon leaving the meditation center, my fellow meditator Richard decided to rescue the stray cat (see posts from day 6 and day 9). I offered to drive him into Chicago, where he lived, since he didn’t have transportation planned that could include the transport of a stray cat.
We took the cat in my truck, and we talked a lot as we drove down I-90 into the city. Richard lives in Hyde Park, which is the neighborhood in Chicago where I lived 24 years ago (24!). I only lived in Chicago for a short time, but it has always been one of my favorite cities and places.
We got take out from Harold’s Chicken Shack, which is a chain of Chicago south-side fast-food joints that I remember very fondly from when I lived there. The branch we went to didn’t exist when I lived there, but it was located in the same exact shopping center at 53rd and Kimbark where I used to work. Here is a picture of Kimbark plaza, and the CVS pharmacy at the far end used to be a hardware store, where I worked.
Here is a picture of the Harold chicken. Note the delicious slices of squishy white bread that are served to soak up the juices of the fried chicken.
Then we went to Richard’s apartment, smuggled the cat in, and had some lunch. The cat seemed very content. Richard lives on the 24th floor of a high rise near Lake Michigan. The view from his apartment is amazing.
I drove past 62nd and Kimbark, where I used to live, but the neighborhood is unrecognizable from 24 years ago — I think the Univ of Chicago has redeveloped the area substantially.
Finally, I drove back up toward Wisconsin. As I passed through downtown, it was beginning to snow. Chicago is such a stunningly beautiful city, to me. I found an old Psychadelic Furs song on the radio. I crawled through Sunday traffic on the Kennedy Expressway. I felt very joyful.
