Jun8

Transportation Insights

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Transportation Insights
Chicago Loop Map with notes

Chicago Loop: 1-Amtrak Train Station 2-Hotel 3-Art Institute

I learned a lot on this trip, including how to use Uber and when NOT to use it. When I arrived in Chicago by train, I didn’t really understand where my hotel was in relation to the Amtrak station or public transportation. I followed some young people from the train platform hoping they would lead me to where Uber picked up and they went right outside to the taxi stand. The Uber app told me that it would be $16 plus tip to get to my hotel but I was mesmerized by the very fit, very loud, very exprienced Black man directing taxis and fares. I asked him how much it would cost to 22 West Monroe and he said, “It’s not far. Less than $10.” In fact, it is just over one mile, but it crosses the Chicago River. I hopped in the cab and the meter said $6 when we arrived. With tip, it was $8, half of what Uber would have cost.

I doubt if I would have been able to find the hotel entrance by myself — it is a side door to a theater in a skyscraper office building! The hotel lobby is on the ninth floor and my room was on the 12th floor, sandwiched between offices above and below. I selected the Hampton Inn because it was close to the Art Institute (“3” on the map above) and I had shakily made the reservation by phone from the Amtrak lobby in Milwaukee, cringing at having to give my credit card number over the phone in a public place. The first night was $163 and the second (Wednesday) night was $195. I asked about the discrepancy and the front desk told me that if I stayed in the same room Thursday night the rate would be $358 because the national Oncology Conference was just starting in Chicago. What a difference from Milwaukee where the room rate was a flat $125/night.

My biggest surprise was the rates at the Radisson Country Inn near Newark Airport which I chose because my uncle Joey’s daughter Maureen (theMommee) was staying there, along with her daughter Mary Elizabeth and two of Maureen’s sister Annie’s daughters: Kathleen Anet and Brigit. The first night, when all of us stayed there, was $135. The second night, only Maureen and I were there: $215. I stayed a third night so I could fly to Milwaukee with the immediate family of the departed Mary Catherine: her siblings Janie and Johnny; and Danny the son of her deceased sister Maureen. The third night at the airport hotel, a Saturday, cost $263, nearly double the first night. Is this airport hotel a destination spot for Saturday nights? “Saturday night always costs more,” the front desk shrugged.

Milwaukee Ambassador Hotel


Chicago Hampton Inn – Majestic Theater

Saturday night was expensive in another way. Janie, Johnny and Danny were visiting Allison and Nick on Staten Island and the purpose of my visit was to spend time with them, but finding a ride for the 14 mile trip which crossed a toll bridge was a challenge. Following Mary Elizabeth’s example, I took Uber which cost $49 plus tip. When I arrived, Nick asked how much it was. I evaded, but he pulled his smartphone from his pocket and looked it up. “We will drive you back,” he said firmly. But Johnny protested and said that he would do it, but it wound up falling to Janie, when it was after dark and everyone was tired.

One reason my Chicago hotel reservation was so hasty was I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where to drop off a rental car in Chicago, not realizing that there were no rental cars available in either Muskegon or Milwaukee. I suspect that when rentals plunged with Covid, and used car prices soared, the rental companies sold off their fleets, and have not yet been able to replace them because of the shortage of new cars.

O’Hare Airport ORD

Getting to O’Hare from the hotel cost $3 and took 45 minutes door-to-door. Chicago is truly civilized in this way. The hotel is at the “2” circle on the map at the top, and so is the Monroe station for the “El” Blue Line which goes to ORD. No escalators at the Monroe station, stairs only, so one must carry one’s bags, but the lady in the ticket kiosk was very friendly and helpful with information and buying the correct ticket. As you can see, just a few stops further goes very close to the Amtrak station “1”, so one can connect between the airport and train economically.

Even though United has a flight from O’Hare to SFO practically every hour, after their disastrous flight delays over Memorial Day weekend, I chose to fly Alaska. The flight went smoothly but we were on the tarmac in SFO, on the plane, for more than an hour because Alaska could not get the air bridge to work. They eventually tugged the plane to a different gate. I missed my Airport Express bus and didn’t get home until midnight. But I got a $50 credit from Alaska, half of which went to the cab driver who was willing to pick me up at such a late hour. Nevertheless, it cost $80 to get from SFO to home.

Newark Airport EWR

Airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights over the Memorial Day weekend and 20,644 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware, an aviation data site. Janie, Johnny, Danny and I were flying on the Sunday in Memorial Day weekend, and spent six hours at Newark trying to get a flight that took only about two hours. The delaty was a blessing in disguise because it gave me more time to hang out with the folks that I really wanted to spend time with.

Jun7

Chicago 2022

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Chicago 2022

I have wanted to go to Chicago for years, and my family visit to Milwaukee over Memorial Day gave me the chance. I took the train from Milwaukee — only 90 minutes and about $20 — and arrived on a Tuesday afternoon. I went straight to the Art Institute, my main objective and found, to my dismay, it is closed on Tuesday and Wednesdays! Because I was planning to leave on Thursday, this was a setback. I took this selfie because I was afraid it was all I was going to get. I walked a little farther to the shore of Lake Michigan and dipped my toes, continued on to admire the fountains of Millennium Park, then did a little shopping on State Street.

I checked out Chicago’s Riverwalk the next morning. The corn cob buildings are Marina City, a mixed-use residential-commercial building complex designed by architect Bertrand Goldberg.

Green trees, very tidy, very welcoming, easy river access but no small watercraft in sight. These steps to the water’s edge reminds me of the steps on the Potomac River where we would listen to the Army Band play on a barge.

Chicago’s architecture is very impressive — it rivals London to my eye. Around noon on my second day I enjoyed a 90 minute architecture tour from a Chicago River boat and was impressed by the glamorous big-name architects and architecture.

Architectural Tour Boat on Chicago River

The Salesforce Tower is nearing completion. The size and variety of the skyscrapers is stunning.

Chicago Salesforce Tower Nearing Completion

I learned about hydraulic movement dampening systems and that the parabola around the red metal sculpture is a high tech rain gutter!


Lots of wonderful sculpture on the streets, too! This is Flamingo, created by noted American artist Alexander Calder, is a 53-foot tall stabile located in the Federal Plaza in front of the Kluczynski Federal Building. I was hoping to visit the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve, but alas…


Got to see The Bean, more formally known as Cloud Gate, by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, that is the centerpiece of AT&T Plaza at Millennium Park.

I was puzzled by the knee-high drifts of grass, something we never see in fire-prone California, but it rains frequently in the summer in Chicago. I asked horticulturalist Michelle Derviss who replied, “This is a style of garden design championed by Piet Oudolf, a Dutch designer, who is praised for his large drifts of perennials and ornamental grass masse. He designed the Lurie Garden and Millennium Park along with several other designers. He is also responsible for New York’s High Line Park.”

I pushed back my flight to Thursday afternoon so I could see the Cezanne special exhibit at the Art Institute. Even though I am a member of San Francisco Fine Arts Museums, and they have reciprocity, I could not set this up with online ticketing. I would have had to telephone and, well, the museum was closed when I needed to do this. So the guard would not let me in at 10, I had to wait until 11 at the main entrance.

Main Entrance to Art Institute

Got to see the Cezanne show and some very nice Picassos. The building, Designed by Renzo Piano, is spectacular and rivals the Frank Gehry museum in Los Angeles, Brentwood.

1879–1880 Still Life with Fruit Dish by Cezanne.

Cezanne Painting Once Owned by Paul Gauguin

Gauguin’s Woman in Front of a Still Life by Cezanne. Click the link to the museum’s page to learn more about this loan from NYC MOMA.

Gauguin: Woman in Front of a Still Life by Cezanne

The America Windows by Marc Chagall

American Windows by Marc Chagall

The Japanese woodblock print “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai that is part of the design for this blog is in the Chicago Art Institute, but the print is not available for viewing now and will not be for several years. I guess I’ll just have to return to Chicago.

Jun6

Milwaukee River Access

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Milwaukee River Access

Milwaukee has a beautiful River Walk with astonishing sculpture, history, and river access for watercraft small and large. From the Acqua Grylli bronze arch depicting a mythical female figure, sculpted by American Beth Sahagian, to the multiple sculptures of Gertie the Duck. As the story goes, in 1945, war-weary Milwaukee discovered that a duck had nested on the bridge pilings and was caring for eggs. Gertie and her brood evoked a continuing community interest and even a book!

Although power boats ply the Milwaukee River, the kayak access is remarkable, with easy entry from either side of the river. I was also astonished to discover that museums and many businesses were closed on Memorial Day weekend — another glaring difference from tourist-centric Sonoma County, where concealed-carry weapons notices are never found on office doors.

Acqua Grilli

Gertie and — to the left — one of her ducklings

Another Sculpture of Gertie and Her Ducklings

Easy Kayak Access on Milwaukee River

Kayaks Along The Hank Aaron State Trail

The Hank Aaron State Trail along a railroad right-of-way reclaims the environment and offers access to a beautiful stretch of the Menomonee River for canoes and kayaks.

Leaving Milwaukee was an unexpected challenge. I planned to take the Lake Express Ferry, a 2 1/2 hour ride across Lake Michigan to Muskegon, Michigan. I hoped to rent a car in Muskegon and drive to Detroit for a few days, then on to Chicago. I was dismayed to learn that, not only were there no car rentals available in Muskegon, there were no cars available to rent in Milwaukee! So I took the train to Chicago.

Lake Express Ferry

Jun5

Vacation Plans Suddenly Changed

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Vacation Plans Suddenly Changed

Visiting Staten Island from Milwaukee: Maureen, Mary, Bridget



Photobombing Chris

In early May I started making inquiries about visiting Milwaukee to get acquainted with a branch of my father’s family that all my siblings know but I had never visited. I was looking for an opportunity to hang out and get to know them, but simply visiting was not going to get me what I wanted. Also, in an effort to understand red state voters and see more of the midwest, I hoped to see Detroit and Chicago.

The massive stroke and sudden death of my first cousin Mary Catherine in Staten Island on May 22 would bring the Milwaukee relatives to the funeral of a family member from New York City with whom I actually did have a life-long relationship. I packed up and flew into Newark and spent three nights in an airport motel, visiting Staten Island every day and spending hours hanging out with my cousins. After the funeral, the family hosted a lovely lunch at Cielo Italian restaurant in Staten Island. Here is a screenshot of me photobombing my bad-brother Christy. Cousin Danny Tank and Sara Cicollela are in the photo.

Nick Corrado and his wife Alison, Johhny, Sharon and daughter Erin, Danny Tank, Sara Cicolella, Chris, Anet, Janie, Maureen and her daughter Mary, Annie’s daughter Brigit

From Portland OR: Erin and her mother Sharon


Sunrise Behind Manhattan Skyline Behind Elizabeth NJ Shipyard

I booked myself onto their return flight to Milwaukee and made arrangements for a hotel because they were all mentally exhausted and not prepared to host me on short notice. I got to meet my cousin Tom (in hat, below) for the first time. We had been chatting on Facebook for about a year, and he was recently diagnosed with esophageal cancer and is in treatment for it, so he did not travel to the funeral. We met at his favorite Mexican restaurant in Milwaukee. The two other cousins I got to hang out with for many hours over several days in both New York and Milwaukee, making those heartfelt connections that were truly the high point of my trip.

Danny, Tom, Anet, Janie

May6

Federal Reserve: Lords of Easy Money

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Federal Reserve: Lords of Easy Money

Book The Lords of Easy MoneyThe New York Times called it “A Fascinating Page-Turner Made From an Unlikely Subject: Federal Reserve Policy” and it was exciting to read as inflation jumped so high that the Federal Reserve had to (1) bump up the interest rate a couple of days ago, (2) announce that there would be further interest rate increases, and (3) that the Fed would start off-loading about a trillion dollars a year from their “quantitative easing” reserves of NINE trillion dollars. If they continue at that rate, the treasury bills they hoovered-up would be cleared from their books by the end of this decade.

Now I know how to read an FOMC statement. Now I understand where the money came from that John Doerr was investing in environmentally-conscious startups. How interesting that his announcement of a One-Billion-Dollar-Plus donation to Stanford University practically coincided with the increase in the Federal Funds Target Rate. Now I understand that inflation is more than the price of bread, that there is also “asset inflation” like the price of houses and Picassos. “Quantitative Easing” pushed so much money into the hands of Venture Capitalists and big banks that they poured it into assets in an effort to create some positive yield, necessary for the pension funds and other investors that had built interest gains into their business models. The pension funds could not just put the money in the bank and earn interest — the interest rate was Zero and pretty much had been starting in 2009. The Feds had tried to raise the interest rate, but Covid put an end to that and we were back at zero. It was crucial, however, to avoid deflation during the two-year Covid shutdown.

Fed Funds Target Rate

The trick is to keep employment high, inflation at about 2%, and Federal interest rates at about 4-5%, but it’s like trying to manage a three-way see-saw. Right now, the economy seems to be strong and almost back to where it was before the pandemic, with robust employment. Jay Powell said, “We have essentially interest rates, the balance sheet and forward guidance, and they’re famously blunt tools. They’re not capable of surgical precision.”

What I really enjoyed about this very-readable book is learning about these three tools, what they do, what their unintended consequences can me, and the politics and drama that went into the policy. The abrasion between the academics like Ben Bernanke and those in the marketplace like Steve Mnuchin and Jay Powell is fascinating. It also made clear that fiscal policy is supposed to be made by Congress, such as allocating money to repair the crumbling infrastructure as a way to inject liquidity into the marketplace. But in the face of congressional gridlock, the Fed has been forced to try to play a symphony with its blunt tools.

The “quantitive easing” really boosted asset values, like houses and stock market portfolios, much of which was purchased with borrowed money. This increased the “wealth gap” between investors in the 1% and the rest of us. When interest rates go up, it is reasonable for investors to unload high-risk investments like start-up companies, so the stock market will go down. As interest rates go up and stock prices come down, highly-leveraged investors will face margin calls that will increase the speed of the market descent. This may lead to a very unhappy outcome in the mid-term elections later this year.

Excellent book. Highly recommended!

May3

Fern Lake: Ham and Ticks

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Fern Lake: Ham and Ticks

On May 5 the Saunterers trekked to Fern Lake. I turned the wrong way in Glen Ellen and nearly missed them. The Bennett Valley route takes less of a toll on my electric-miles, maybe because there are so many hills to coast down and replenish my range. Holt Road is in the Developmental Center.

I caught up to them and wound up at the front of the group because everyone else stepped back. The high grass is a likely source of ticks and my hiking buddies did not want to become their new home. Photo by Bob Martin.

This is how it looked to me from the front of the pack. It is a beautiful spot.

Fern Lake Trail Marker

Ham and Ticks

We came to a crossroad with a marker that said “Carolyn Day.” Hiker Carolyn said she already had her picture taken with the marker, so I asked Bob to take mine. I gave him the full beam smile and when he showed me the shot on his phone, I said, “We should call this ‘Ham and Ticks.'” I got a laugh.

Afterwards we went to the Glen Ellen market for lunch and had a vigorous discussion about how RBG’s failure to retire while Obama was in office may have contributed to the impending repeal of Roe v. Wade. We talked about the collapse of the Southern District of New York’s case against Trump. Jill, from Long Island, pointed out that money and political clout might have been a factor in the collapse. We discussed packing the court vs. granting statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. We talked about mental health in the context of the shocking suicide of Naomi Judd just before she was voted into the Hall of Fame. It is nice to have adults to chat with.

May2

Seedlings 2022

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Seedlings 2022

Here’s a photo of my effort to sprout some seeds for my garden. This year, at Joyce’s suggestion, I bought some Miracle Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix. Using scissors, I poked holes in the bottom of each egg crate cup, then filled with soil and added seeds I had soaked for a few days. Some seeds were saved from food: pasilla peppers and spaghetti squash. Some were purchased last year: leeks and kale.

Seed Starting Mix in the Egg Crates

Update May 6

The kale seeds have sprouted! I feel like a new mother.

Apr26

Speed and Scale by John Doerr

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Speed and Scale by John Doerr

Venture capitalist John Doerr’s book with an action plan for solving our climate crisis. Opened my eyes about how hard it is going to continue to be. Mentioned Elizabeth Kolbert’s hastily-written “Under a White Sky” which described a strategy to cool the earth by dispersing tiny light-reflecting particles like diamonds.

Doerr says, “Be ruthless in identifying the key risk up front — and removing it. Consider:”

  1. Technology Risk – Does it actually work?
  2. Market Risk – Does it stand out?
  3. Consumer Risk – Will customers actually buy?
  4. Regulatory Risk – Will it get approved?
  • You are always raising money. Recruit a range of investors who can write large checks including corporate partners, foundations, and governments.
  • Costs are king; performance matters. Consumers won’t pay more for an inferior product no matter how “green.” It must be superior, or at least equivalent: Tesla, Beyond Meat, Nest.
  • Own the relationship with your customer. Sustain direct relationships with end buyers.
  • Incumbents will fight. The disrupted markets are built on the premise of free-of-charge carbon pollution.

Update May 5, 2022

John Doerr, a venture capitalist, and his wife, Ann Doerr, are making a $1.1 billion donation to Stanford for a new school focusing on sustainability and climate change.

Apr22

Apple Blossom Art Show

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Apple Blossom Art Show

Linda Loveland Reid took this snap of me standing next to one of her three paintings on display at the opening reception for the Apple Blossom Festival. Interestingly, in the main gallery adjacent at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, a poem by Linda was on display next to the painting to which it referred — an example of Ekphrasis. Notice my “Covid hair” styled to hide the growing-out blonde tresses.

Photo by Linda Loveland Reid