Our trip to Chicago has come to an end and I may have picked up a bad case of histoplasmosis after wading through endless boxes of family memorabilia that were covered in bird droppings. Well, if anyone gets histoplasmosis it will probably be my sister who was up to her elbows in the stuff when she pulled these treasures out of the attic where they'd been stored for decades. But isn’t risking a potentially fatal disease worth it now that we’ve retrieved artifacts such as my 1966 Batman credit card, slides from my uncle’s 1950s Jewish summer camp in Wisconsin where the boys still donned blackface and performed minstrel shows, my sister’s biting Watergate-era letter to Richard Nixon, and my 9th grade haikus that were mostly about suicide? Oy. There are countless stories to unpack from the suitcases full of bird poop-encrusted archives that we're schlepping home this afternoon so stay tuned. I just hope I don’t start a histoplasmosis epidemic on the west coast.
We had a fantastic time in this magnificent town. To quote Margaret O’Brien in Meet Me in St. Louis, “Wasn’t I lucky to be born in my favorite city?” Thank you to the Millers and Tweedys and all of our friends for their amazing hospitality. I will now put on my new Superdawg hat, wipe the last bit of Lou Malnati’s pizza off my mouth, and make my way to O’Hare to return to…where do we live again?
Aw, man, I remember sitting in boxes.
*sigh*
Now I'm too big.
Posted by: The Retropolitan | June 26, 2006 at 07:33 AM
Danny, I hope you're kidding about the histoplasmosis. I am always afraid of getting that or hantavirus when I have to be in places where an animal pooped. Yuck! But I hope you're planning to post some of those treasures your sister found soon. Maybe it will motivate me to scan more of my old stuff in and write about it on my poor, neglected blog.
Posted by: Heather | June 26, 2006 at 10:15 AM
Oh, I was kidding about the histoplasmosis (I hope!) but I posted the link to it because it sounds pretty serious and I'd never heard of it until we began our nostalgic foray through bird droppings. We just returned to Los Angeles and now Chicago seems like a distant memory. If only we could beam ourselves from one place to the other more easily...
Posted by: Danny | June 26, 2006 at 05:20 PM
Ugh I am so jealous. Jealous of you for hanging out with Susie, jealous of Susie for hanging out with you, I'm seething!
Posted by: Ellen | June 26, 2006 at 06:49 PM
Chicago is a wonderful city. I never tire of going there. To me, Chicago is nothing but an overgrown small town. Even in its hubbub and hustle, its Midwestern ambience and friendliness are still intact.
Though I live in Cincinnati and have for sixteen years, I have the same attitude about my hometown of Columbus: I feel very lucky to have been born in my favorite city.
I hope that you'll enjoy many happy hours rummaging through photographs and memorabilia from your past, Danny...with no histoplasmosis.
Mark
Posted by: Mark Daniels | June 26, 2006 at 08:53 PM
What a treasure trove, Dear Danny...WOW! I am hoping some of these fabulous finds will show up on your Blog!
BTW: Thanks for stopping by, my dear...I left all those comment moderation thingy's off today just so you and Kendall and a few others can Comment once again....Do come back later, if you can, for some Birthday Cake! If not...See you both on Saturday...!
Posted by: OldOldLady Of The Hills | June 27, 2006 at 02:52 AM
It just occurred to me that people who don't know me at all might think that is me in the family photo above. In the interest of clarity my daughter (front and center) is surrounded by my sister and brother-in-law and my nephews Sam and Spencer. For those of you in Chicago, don't miss Spencer's great band The Blisters at this year's Lollapalooza on August 4th in Grant Park (his dad's band will be playing on the 6th).
Posted by: Danny | June 27, 2006 at 06:58 AM
I'm waiting to see some of those haikus.
Having just returned from Chicago myself, I completely agree: it's a fabulous city. I'm jealous of those of you who were born in their favorite cities. I most definitely was not.
Posted by: Emily | June 27, 2006 at 07:26 AM
Well, I'll just say hi. I'm visiting via Naomi's birthday party. I enjoyed reading, especially about your dad.
Posted by: colleen | June 27, 2006 at 06:53 PM
I didn't notice until now, but I think the photo of your sister and brother-in-law with antlers is great.
Posted by: The Retropolitan | June 28, 2006 at 12:56 PM