Pat Sajak, Legend, Icon, and GOAT

At the beginning of this summer, Wheel of Fortune concluded its 50th season, with Ryan Seacrest as the new host.  And the show for all those seasons was defined so much by its longtime host Pat Sajak.

It was interesting to learn that he was born in Chicago.  Once, at the end of an episode, there was video footage that showed him back in his stomping grounds in a neighborhood on the South Side.

Pat was quite a legend in his role.  He knew how to play the part of the host very effectively.  He often added an interesting spin to what the contestants shared about themselves as he introduced them at the beginning of the show.

He knew how to support the contestants.  He offered consolation when someone hit a bankrupt or wasn't able to solve the bonus round puzzle, especially when there were very few letters.  And he managed to hold a rather straight face while raising his tone to a high level of delight as a contestant exploded with excitement at winning a big prize.

Pat and Vanna made for a great team, especially given how they made their grand entry at the start of each show into the Sony Pictures Studio for Wheel of Fortune.

The show also went on the road.  They enjoyed the tropical vibe of Hawaii.  Pat and Vanna ate fine cuisine from a variety of restaurants in New Orleans.  And they made an appearance at Chicago Union Station, including a special Amtrak car decoarted with Wheel of Fortune and the images of Pat and Vanna.

Pat Sajak certainly had a great run on the show and did so much to make it an icon, becoming an icon and legend himself in the process as a true Great of All Time.

Dear 1036 Clarence: Summertime in Front and Back

Dearly Beloved 1036 Clarence,

It's nice to step outside in the summer without having to wear a jacket or bundle up.

Furthermore, it's great to linger outside and enjoy the great weather.

One wonderful way of spending time outside on the block was the block parties.

Back in 2020, the neighbors decided to have various households do carnival games.

I came up with a "Bozo buckets" type game and another that involved knocking down some cups.

With so many kids on the block, it was nice to offer something enjoyable to them just as I enjoyed fun activities on the block when I was a kid.

Something fun I did in back of the house in the yard was plant corn. I got a container of corn seeds from a farm exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.  I delighted in planting the seeds and then seeing them grow into sizable stalks.

Near them were raspberry bushes.  I enjoyed going to those bushes and getting a good crop of fresh raspberries on a summer day.

Indeed, those bushes were quite fruitful and were part of the wonderful cornucopia that appeared in the backyard, just as I have a bountiful cornucopia of memories about you.

So I declare that you shall never fade into the background, but remain deeply in my heart as that dearly beloved place.

We remain ever connected:

All my relations.

God's blessings,

With much joy, gladness, and gratitude,

Paul

The Centennial of Chicago Union Station

Chicago has long been a hub for USA rail travel.  I like living in Chicagoland because I'm at an Amtrak hub, and I'm never more than a 2-night train ride from any point in the US.  I have enjoyed so many train trips over the years, and the vast majority of them have started at Chicago Union Station.  So the centennial of Chicago Union Station this year gives me so much to celebrate.

It was interesting to learn about some of its history at a celebration held in mid-July.  The station has an elegant building that is a grand example of Daniel Burnham's august architecture. It once had a terminal building on the opposite side of Canal Street.

My earliest memory of Chicago Union Station was back in the summer of 1997, when my family and I went on a great Amtrak train trip in the western US.  We boarded the Empire Builder at Chicago UNion Station.

In recent years, Amtrak has configured its services in Chicago Union Station so that coach passengers wait to board their trains in the Great Hall.  It has a huge, lofty ceiling, and the space fills with light from a skylight.  Once I departed Union Station in style when Mom and I went to Washington, DC, in sleeper class.  Our trainfare included access to the swanky Metropolitan Lounge, one of the recent upgrades to Union Station.

I walk into Chicago Union Station with a sense of excitement as I prepare to board for another trip by train, eager to experience the sights and people of the USA.  Even though I sometimes feel wistful about the end of a journey when I arrive at Chicago Union Station, in recent years, I've started to anticipate what I'll share about the experience of a trip upon my return.  Many times, someone will kindly pick me up when I return from a trip at Union Station, and that person will be the first of numerous people to ask me what my trip was like.

One part of the station that gets me excited is seeing the travel status board, with arrival and departure info.  It's amazing to see it when I have another opportunity to board as the anticipation builds.  I also greatly enjoy seeing that board on days when I just walk into Union Station while I'm downtown Chicago.  Just looking at the board makes something light up in me, as I think of all the wonderful trips I've had that started there and trips I can anticipate in the future.

Indeed, Chicago Union Station, a storied icon, is a special focal point for my travels by rail.

Here's the travel info board at Chicago Union Station in the passage from the Great Hall to the gates. Below is a map of the Amtrak system that I took that same day, May 1, 2023, Amtrak's birthday, when I briefly visited Chicago Union Station.

While out during Open House Chicago weekend in 2021, I stopped by Chicago Union Station and someone kindly photographed me by the clock design in the floor, which bears the year of my birth.