Tag: photography
It was a hot affair…literally, but tons of fun!
Art Walk in Pilsen Neighborhood
A few weeks ago my aunt Susie called me to arrange a bi-monthly meetup. Usually we surf over to yelp or metromix and search for a tasty ethnic b.y.o.b like Chilam Balam (one of my favs. Isn’t it fun to say?) or Opart Thai House on Western (closest I’ve found to the real thing). The Pilsen Art walk happened to fall during this particular week so we decided to head south to check out the local art scene and enjoy the local Mexican fare at DeCOLORES galeria y sabores.
My friend Serina joined us for the evening. Around six we she and I headed toward Susie’s direction, stopping for a quick minute to snap a photograph of the bike below. We each admitted to checking out the beaut on earlier walks past. I’m a sucker for the retro style and color! I can’t wait to get my own!
After a short pit stop at Susie’s beautiful Ukranian Village apartment to meet Paris, her new darling kitten, we hopped in her Volkswagen GTI (my grandpa introduced her to the German company with her first starter car, the beetle) and drove south on Halsted.
Our first stop was an interactive exhibit where visitors were encouraged to try out the “art.” These guys produced enough energy from peddling to power the lights attached to their helmets and illuminate the room. They were pretty stoked, if you can’t tell 🙂
View from Brian Mancl’s gallery. This was my favorite collection of work. His photographs were simple, abstract, and beautifully executed.
Another view from one of the galleries. It’s a very traditional city scene to me. This could be nearly any city in the World.
On the walk back North to Decolores, Susie said there was something she had to show Serina and me. Each corner she’d have us wait for a minute while she jogged halfway down the block to see if it held the secret treasure. This alley is not what she wanted us to see, but I thought I’d take a picture of it any way. On the third or fourth block Susie found it–a flourishing communal garden, kept by the local artist surrounding the plot. At this point, it was too dark for a photo that would do it justice, but I’ll certainly be back soon and take one then.
Pieces of Panama, part 2.
On a Saturday morning a few months ago, I woke to find a missed alert on my phone from a friend and fellow photographer Laurie.
I dialed my voice mail expecting to hear a message continuing some portion of the conversation we’d had at dinner the night before. To my surprise, the call was regarding something altogether different.
“Hey Maggie, it’s Laurie. I talked to Johnny tonight and he said you could come to Panama with us. We’re thinking about going in the next month or so and we’d really like you to join us!”
I thought about it for about 30 seconds before calling her back to tell her I was on board.
Johnny, Laurie’s husband, was the point person for our travels. We laid down a few specified a few spots of interest (the canal, countryside, and Caribbean) and he did the rest. A week before our departure he even showed me the excel spreadsheet coordinating our days’ activities in clear color-coated blocks of time. His enthusiasm for Panama was contagious, especially with the constant promise of hammock time on the beach.
I could only spare 5 days for the trip with my schedule, but I feel like I got a real taste of the country. The people were warm and laughed easy. Johnny’s family was wonderful. His mom made a number of tasty meals for us, delighting my palette with tamales, a sweet yogurt drink, fresh fruit, and other treats I snarfed down. To our delight, Marco, Johnny’s cousin spent three days with us. Marco knows a lot about Panama and was really patient with my constant queries about “that over there,” or “the history of this spot.”
The photos below chronicle a lot of our adventures, from our morning hike at the Smithsonian owned island, Barro Colorado, to our day at the Caribbean.
With Laurie, Johnny, and his family as my guide, I was able to see SO much of Panama… I had such a great time, and am already looking forward to the next visit.
Passenger’s reflection on the boat ride to Barro Colorado Island.
The canal
A shared laugh.
The Jungle
Bus Station.
Fisherman.
Our boat driver to the island.
El Cristo Negro
The little Chinese owned Panamanian spot. Delicious.