Our original plans were for a trip to the U.S. to visit the family in May. Because of the pandemic, no one was travelling in May. Like everyone else we waited it out. And then, when it became blatantly obvious to us that Covid is going nowhere and is here to stay, we knew it was time to book tickets, brave the airports and the planes and take the chance that Mexico would not close its borders to U.S. citizens while we are in Chicago.
It has been almost a year since we were last in the U.S. to visit family. In the past we have had to travel ridiculously long hours from S.E. Asia and therefore create a trip to cover visiting family both on the West coast and the Mid West. This always made for extended trips. But now that we are in the same hemisphere, we have the option to “divide and conquer”, and just brave one set of airports, by separating the visits to the West Coast and Chicago. With winter coming soon, we know we have to move fast if we want to visit the family in Chicago before the cold sets in and also, before the election. So we sneak in a sweet visit. (West coast will be a separate trip at a later date, as soon as feasible).
For this visit, we choose to stay in Chicago’s Mexican neighborhood of Pilsen, where Adam, one of our sons lives. Pilsen has an interesting immigrant history. In the late 19th Century it was inhabited by Czech immigrants as well as smaller numbers from other ethnic groups including Slovaks, Slovenes, Croats, Austrians, and those of Polish and Lithuanian heritage. Latinos became the majority in Pilsen from 1970, and it has remained the majority for the past 5 decades. This trip thus takes us from Mexico to “little Mexico”.
Pilsen is perfect for us… Close to both sons who live in Chicago. The streets of Pilsen are a living art gallery of history, community, culture and artistic talent.
Murals in Mexico have a long history of reflecting conflict, passion and culture, and Pilsen does Mexico proud. Everywhere we walk in our new neighborhood, we experience art in doorways, on walls, and on sides of buildings.
Interestingly Forbes recently did an article on the 12 coolest, authentic neighborhoods around the world, and Pilsen is one of the neighborhoods that they chose to highlight, with good reason.
Almost all of the murals below were within a three block radius of our Air bnb apartment. This is a mere sampling of the rich tapestry of muralism that makes Pilsen such a visually interesting neighborhood.
We come to the U.S. at a time of heightened racial tensions. Under the current racist administration, virtually no one has been spared: Latinos, through the draconian and immoral attempt at deterrence at the Mexican border, by forcibly separating toddlers and children from their parents; Muslims, who from day one of the administration, were targeted with visa restrictions, and Blacks who again and again continue to suffer the brunt of police brutality (among many other systemic racist policies across the spectrum of daily life). At no time that we can remember have racial tensions in the U.S. been so raw as they are right now.
The walls of Pilsen reflect this situation on almost every street block.
We soon find out that everyone has different Covid protocols.
Each seems to be following that which makes sense to them, on a wide behavioural spectrum. We do our best to adjust back and forth, while still doing what feels right to us and for us. We come to the U.S. from Zipolite, a place that still to this day has had just a handful of cases ~ Zipolite is small and was closed to outsiders until July. Hardly anyone ever wears a mask because life is lived outdoors. Spending time in Chicago in 2020 is for us a mind bending experience. It looks a bit like Viet Nam, where many people wore masks, pre covid, (mostly to protect their skins from the sun.)
It’s a rare treat to be present and able to celebrate both Oren and Adam’s birthdays with them. Their Covid protocol is relaxed at home, and using masks for public places which require them. Cool. Grateful to get hugs from my kids. It would have been a lot of effort to get here, and then not get the valued hugs!
Visits with the family included a final goodbye to my beloved dad, who died in November last year. He had a deep appreciation and love of nature which he passed down to all his children and grandchildren. It was fitting that the lake was the place of choice to spread his ashes. It was a very meaningful and poignant experience for all of us.
We have both always enjoyed the aesthetics the urban environment of Chicago provides with its steel bridges and elevated metro system, as well as of course Lake Michigan.
Our sons were generous to carve out time from their busy work schedules and of course we had weekends… to enjoy their company, and Chicago, a city we called home for many years prior to moving to Nicaragua.
Thanks for posting all these wonderful, vibrant photos of this part of Chicago. How interesting and how expressive of the culture and peoples of the area.
I also love your love of family.
An excellent post, and I’m sure you’re happy to have made this very special trip.
Rusha one of the features of Chicago that we particularly like is the juxtaposition of multiple ethnic linguistic neighbourhoods… There is a wonderful Vietnamese neighbourhood, Greek, Indian, Italian, Ukranian, Polish and Chinese. We always gravitate towards these enclaves that inevitably have interesting foods and culture.
One of the hard part about living in a different country to our four sons, is that we don’t get to see them as often as we like, but which is why we prioritise trips back to the U.S. to visit. As well, we are fortunate to have both our mothers living there and sisters. So every trip to the U.S. is always chockfull of family.
Peta & Ben
Thank you for sharing your home, family and friends with us. Your photos are gorgeous and brought a smile to my face.
Chicago was home for many many years and I brought my kids up there. Today however, home is wherever we are… like the proverbial hermit crab. We have become very good at making ourselves at home no matter where we are and for how long.
Thanks for reading our post and glad you enjoyed the photos.
Peta
I love all your pictures as well as your comments…Happy birthday to Adam and Oren..🌸💐🌺🌼. Hope to see you soon in LA…I miss you.😂😂😍
Madame Bell, always good to read your comments on our blog and yes, we are prioritising a trip to visit you as soon as is possible. We love and miss you too.
Bisous y besos
xoxoxo
Gorgeous photos. Glad you managed to get in a visit with family. And glad to learn you are safe(r) in Mexico again!
Deb
It is interesting how different the mood is re covid where we live in Zipolite. The more we read about the upcoming surge of cases in the U.S. the more we are grateful for having made the right strategic choice.. Well at least up till now. Going through Mexico City on our departure and return was our riskiest level of exposure as that airport was packed to capacity and somewhat chaotic. But we made it back to relative safety thankfully.
Peta & Ben
This sounds like it was a wonderful time for you guys. It must have been so heart warming to spend time with family. And Pilsen looks awesome! Are you back in Mexico?
Yes, Alison, it was well worth the effort.. so glad we went. It was very heartwarming to have so much time with two of our sons (the other two sons live on the West Coast and hopefully we will be able to visit them sooner than later). My soul needed it!
Pilsen totally rocked. Yes we are back in Mexico and are doing some fun exploring of the state of Oaxaca. Stay tuned for forthcoming posts.
Peta
Oh nooooo, oh nooooooo . . .The last time I saw Peta she had a buzz cut! Did you become “main stream out of necessity or fashion?
You both have been on my mind for a couple of weeks and wondering where you were and if you were ok. So glad to see you are still full of vim & vigor and having a wonderful time with relatives and friends.
Love the pictures and the tour.
stay safe and sane!
Hahah…. Well, I am enjoying the process of watching my new hair grow out much like a plant. Every day is different: some more successful for others. Ben definitely would have preferred that I keep it buzzed for a while longer. My way of thinking is “lets see how it looks as it grows, because hey, I can always buzz it off again.”
That said, I was getting very tired of “mainstream” and JUST yesterday, I buzzed off one side of my hair. Ahhh, that feels so much better and so much more ME.
Stay safe and healthy Judy
xoxo
Peta
Amazingly our lives continue on very parallel paths. We just finished a trip to the US, too. And I grew up in Evanston, just north of Chicago. Your love of the city and these pics really resonate with me. It’s so different to visit the US after an extended Mexico stay but family is family and it’s great you got to see yours. Hope you made it back safe and sound.
Marcy whenever we return to the U.S. there is always a bit of culture shock, sticker shock and an adjustment to that reality. And more so, this time. However, it was well worth the effort and am glad we snuck in a sweet visit before the cold and before the election.
We both love Evanston. In fact, Ben had an apartment there when he first moved to Chicago many years ago, to be closer to me.
Peta
Chicago is one of my favourite cities. Glad you made it there. Love the street art.
Thanks Peggy! Chicago is such a great city. (Except when winter drags on and on and there are grey skies and icy winds).
Peta
H
I was wondering where you are? Chicago hmmm I was there once for a few days, I loved the way you shared Chicago. I’m still in Florida come visit it’s not Mexico or Sri Lanka but it does have palm trees and the ocean and they speak my language. It has been hard politically but I am hopefilled and waiting for it to be over and we can start caring about each other again. Not traveling but starting to dream again. What’s next for you?
Hi Heidi good to hear from you.
Hmmm, Florida is on our shit list and we are disappointed that Latinos (mostly Cuban origins) voted the way they did, providing support for a man who has clearly sought to divide and diminish and spew lies about Latinos and Mexico. We understand the Cuban and Venezuelan antecedents aversion to “communism” ~ but to depict the incoming Biden administration as communist is laughably inaccurate. But thanks for the invite 🙂
Sadly, even when the election is over, it will not magically become Camelot. Hopefully the incoming administration will find a path towards healing but it will take time.
We are back in Mexico and exploring the state of Oaxaca. Stay tuned for upcoming posts.
Peta
Glad you and family are well. We also love Chicago. We’re driving there for Thanksgiving and now we can’t wait to visit the Pilsen area to see those wonderful murals. I’m curious about your flying experience. Being in two of the covid “at risk” categories makes me too nervous to fly yet.
Stay safe.
Steve
Steven thrilled to read that our post has introduced you to Pilsen. If it is open (it was not when we were there), make sure you visit the Mexican Cultural center/museum in Pilsen. It is superb.
Flying was fine… everyone is masked and there have been quite a few studies done to show that the air filtering system does address the majority of concerns one might have. The airports are another story. O Hare was ok, not too busy but Mexico City was jammed with people travelling, all masked, but still, not exactly comfortable.
Have a wonderful trip and stay in Chicago.
Peta
Wonderful neighbourhood and artwork, but the family stuff really got to me. Feeling very emotional. And I can hardly believe the separation and detention of kids from their parents. What kind of people are these?
Johanna, in answer to your question, for us, this heinous crime against children is one that we cannot get past. There is so much more that the current administration has done that would qualify as heinous acts. Most prominently and recently the willfull passivity in the face of a national pandemic. These are people who operate from a very different reality than ours. They may not all be as evil and destructive as the likes of Steve Bannon, but nonetheless they do tolerate for the sake of whatever they see as national priorities, a conscious dehumanizing of minorities and of people of color.
Ben & Peta
Didn’t we all think this pandemic would have ended by now. Should have known better. I visited our younger son’s family end of Sept, beginning of Oct, to help with their young children. A magical experience to be with their young kids for three weeks, especially as I worried at one point that I’d never see them again. Now we are trying to figure out how to live with this virus because it doesn’t appear to be going away.
Thank you for all the photos of the beautiful mural art. So much variety of styles, history, culture, dreams – and that one that pierced my heart, the little kid with arms wrapped around her knees, waiting for her parents. It’s hard to find the ONE thing that has so enraged me this past four years, but the brutal separation of children from parents is near the top.
Glad you and Ben got to visit your sons, to celebrate birthdays, and enjoy some of Chicago’s charms. Always much fun to open your posts.
Thank you Sharon.
Yes, the mural of the young child is so poignant. It was interesting to us how so many murals are current and reflective of what is currently ongoing with the pandemic and as well with the political environment.
Also on top of our list of most outrageous policy decisions by the current administration are:
The willfull dismantling of the post WWII security system NATO, the conscious deconstructing of independent judicial branch and the daily assault on Science,data, expertise and shared facts. The walking away from the global effort to tackle climate change and the invitation by the administration to Russia to intefere with U.S. elections and Democratic processes. But the list is VERY long.
We were happy to visit two of our sons and hope to see the other two in the not too distant future.
Peta & Ben
I have celebrated my birthday (also in October) in Chicago a few years ago and absolutely loved this city. The street art is beautiful, I bet it made Peta keen to get her paint and brushes out. So lovely to spend time with family and celebrate special occasions together. Peta I am in awe of your yoga poses flexibility 😍
Gilda, Chicago is a vibrant city with numerous Ethno linguistic neighbourhoods, all of which we really enjoy spending time in. Usually we do a lot of eating in the Vietnamese neighbourhood, but this time, given our short stay and focus on family, we did not make it there. But there is a wonderful Indian neighbourhood, as well as an extensive Korean one, and many more.
Well thank you Gilda.. the trick is just doing the poses as frequently as possible.
Peta
Pilson looks sooooo COOL! Happy Birthday Oren! Adam your hair is fantastic! Lots of love to your familyxxx
Pilsen*
Pilsen IS cool. YES, Adam’s hair IS fantastic. Totally agree. Makes me miss my own long hair when I see his…
xoxox
P
Wow the Pilsen photos look like Oaxaca. Thank you for sharing your lives with us.
Sharon, we would have to agree with you there! So great to have such a vibrant community in Chicago. Hope you get to check out the murals in Pilsen some time soon.
Pete
xoxo
Hi Peta and Ben, Jealous you could be in Chicago, I cancelled my June trip and now it’s too cold….have a great time, love the pix. Helen, Patzcuaro, Mex
Helen we kept postponing our May trip to the U.S. due to the pandemic and then it just became obvious that things were not going to get better, only worse. So we went for it… and am so glad we did! Well worth it!
Thanks. Nice you are in Mexico. Maybe our paths will cross again…
Peta
Debbie E:
Just finished reading your latest post.
As usual…colorful, informative and full of love! So much fun watching your “mastery” at living and creating your lives!
How nice that you were able to have much-needed family time! I’ve only been to Chicago once, and that was a long, long time ago. I love architecture and street art, so a revisit will definitely be on my to-do list.
My husband and I talked about going to Mexico to ride out the election, but – it turns out – we are happy we stayed. It is so joyful here and it’s great to be able to celebrate. Hopefully the healing can begin soon.
Janis, we were very late in publishing this post, as our trip to Chicago was already over three weeks ago. We are absolutely elated with the results of the election and very relieved that the four year nightmare is finally over. Wish you a smooth return to normalcy.
Peta
How wonderful that you and Ben could visit two of your sons, Peta. I love your choice of neighbourhood to stay in, and looking at the wonderful street art, I completely understand why you chose it.
Jolandi our prime reason for choosing Pilsen was to be close by to our sons, to make logistics easier. The street murals were an added bonus for us.
Peta
Pilsen looks like a fabulous destination. Glad you got to visit with family and friends and also glad you’re safely home again.
Thank you. We knew we were taking some risks with travelling but we decided to go ahead and take the trip anyway trusting all would be okay. So glad we did.
Peta
I’m so glad that you got to go to Chicago and spend time with your sons and family!
Thanks Ann, it was a really sweet trip.
Peta
I loved seeing “my” city through your eyes! We lived there for 26 years and raised our kids there, and as I told you before, I worked for many years in the other Latino neighborhood right next to Pilsen (Little Village). Your photos took me right back to those wonderful, vibrant streets! How great to get to see your boys and spend some good quality time with them (and the rest of your family, too); although we aren’t in another country, we are so far from our three scattered kids, my parents, and siblings, and during these awful Covid times, it’s been so hard to see them, so I understand your craving for some family time. Thanks for sharing the beautiful and meaningful murals, too.
Lex truth be told even though I lived in Chicago for about 20 years, I had spent very little time in Pilsen. On our last trip we visited the Mexican cultural centre in Pilsen, not sure if you know it, but it is a wonderful tribute to Mexican culture and art. So cool we both raised our kids in Chicago!
Hoping that now that we are in Mexico we get to see our kids and family more often than before… with distances being so much shorter. Sadly, covid is not going anywhere for a long time, and I wasn’t going to let that continue being the reason I was not seeing and having time with them.
Glad you enjoyed the murals.
Peta
It’s great to get this update and find out that you got to spend family time in Chicago. Pilsen looks like an amazing place. Fabulous photos of the murals! We will be putting this on our list of places to visit when we’re finally able to cross the border again.
Caroline thanks… Nice to read that Pilsen has made it on your list of places to visit post covid.There are so many wonderful neighbourhoods in Chicago, such as the Indian one, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, Greek… It’s a nice overlap for us right now that one of our sons lives in one of the Mexican neighbourhoods of Chicago with us being here in Mexico.
Peta
Now as I read this and the election done there must be much relief in Pilsen. We are feeling relief as the northern neighbours to the US I will admit. wonderful that you were able to spend such meaningful time with your sons and to spread your Dad’s ashes. I look forward to updates ahead of your new chapter in Mexico!
Sue, there is relief all over the world after these election results, that is very clear. A new era will hopefully begin soon, if the remaining Republicans do not choose to block Biden at every turn, just as they did with Obama.
Can’t wait to post updates of our exploration of Oaxaca.
Peta
How wonderful to see family and friends. This won’t happen for me this year but I have accepted it. I love the street art. You blend in so well with the first picture I thought you were part of it at first glance!
Darlene these are definitely not easy times. I started to wonder if we didn’t make the trip, when would I see my kids? Just seemed that there was no obvious visible end in sight.
Ahh yes, you like my mural camouflage? That outfit really worked well against that mural, it was a photo waiting to happen.
Peta
What amazing photos of murals in Pilsen! Your visit sounds extraordinary and pretty wonderful, spending time with your sons, spreading the ashes of your late father in the lake – long life to you all. And those gorgeous pictures of your son’s urban farm and the food from that. Thanks Peta and Ben for sharing your time in Chicago with us .. wonderful memories, enjoyed vicariously 🙂
Hope all is well on your return to Mexico. No doubt freeing to not having to wear masks. Well done for meeting the challenge in the US!
Thanks Susan for the good wishes. I still think of my dad as very present and his spirit was for sure with us all on that day at the lake. It was one of his favorite places to be.
Glad you enjoyed the photos of the murals. Now back in Mexico, we are in the state capital and enjoying the astounding murals here as well. Such an incredible part of the Mexican culture. The juxtaposition of coming from Pilsen to Oaxaca city speaks volumes as to the continuity of Mexican muralism even in geographically distant locations.
Given that numbers in the U.S. are now rising again and things are shutting down, we are very pleased with our decision to visit Chicago when we did.
Peta
Those murals are fabulous!! You know how much we enjoyed Chicago on our two brief visits. I would love to return, and Pilsen will be at the top of our list. Thanks for the very artistic tour.
And how delightful to have that sweet, rich time with your family. Love the family photos, including yoga around the campfire and by the lake. I’m so glad you were able to be with family to scatter your dad’s ashes. I’m sure it was a poignant time, but you sound at peace. I’m hoping we’ll be able to do the same before we leave Florida next spring. That will be the year anniversary of my dad’s passing, and I know he would like to be here in the bay he so loved.
Happy to know that our post has inspired you to visit Pilsen when next you return to Chicago. Cool!
Yoga is pretty much a constant… One of the nice things that happened while we were in Chicago, was we accompanied Adam to the yoga studio that he frequents, and joined in on two courtyard kundalini classes. It is definitely nice to have yoga as a family constant, activity that is part of our norm.
I had a wonderful relationship with my dad, I was definitely a daddy’s girl and like you I feel that I won the dad lottery. The lake was a prefect place to spread his ashes as it was one of his favorite places, and we can also all return to that spot time and time again.
Peta
We have loved Chicago each time we’ve visited, but have never been able to explore more than a sliver. It’s just such a fabulous city (except in the winter. 🙂 I was unfamiliar with Pilsen, but will add it to our list for next time. Those murals are incredible and it is, indeed, impressive how quickly these artists blend in current realities, such as masks, into their work.
I’m glad to hear you had such a great time visiting family. This year has been challenging for so many reasons, not least of which is we have not been able to see friends and family. We’re looking forward to seeing our family next Summer/Fall – though, at the rate this country is going with the pandemic, we may be yelling at each other across a back yard or something. Whatever… we’ll deal with it. We so miss seeing those familiar faces and falling back into comfortable routines. Anyway, glad to hear you guys are well and happy!
Laura, happy to have “introduced” you to the Pilsen neighborhood and do hope you get a chance to explore it. On foot is the best way and the Mexican cultural museum, is a must see! Here in Mexico we are seeing the same thing, with new murals added each year and many of them incorporate the current pandemic mask reality.
I was not able to accept not seeing family with no end in sight and so we just took the plunge, which in theory seemed rather risky as numbers in the U.S. are high. We took whatever precautions we could and were very conscientious about upping the immune based supplements.
Hope you guys are doing well and staying safe and healthy and get to enjoy being with your family and friends in the not too distant future.
Peta
I bet it was the Czech immigrants who named the neighborhood Pilsen. 🙂 I once visited “the original” in the Czech Republic with my beer-loving ex-boyfriend.
So nice that you squeezed this visit to Chicago in. I’ve passed by a few times and never really visited (Mark’s ex was from there, so he spent plenty of time in the city in the past), except for a quick walk during a layover on an Amtrak train journey. Storing our luggage was too expensive, so Mark watched our belongings while I walked around for an hour. Hope your friend made it out for a visit!
Hmmm, that’s interesting.
Hope you get to visit Chicago one day, as it really is a great city with so much to offer. Ethnic neighborhoods, architecture, great museums and of course Lake Michigan.
I lived there for twenty some years. My only complaint is that the winters just go on for way too long. Too many cold dreary grey days even in April and May.
Peta
Love all the incredible art you’ve captured on the streets of Pilsen. Wishing you well.
Just a sampling we have here, there is so much more to see. And now here in Oaxaca in Mexico we are smack in the middle of mural center as well. So much fun.
Peta
Peta, Your first paragraph reminds me of the concept of how we still need to live our lives, yet try to do it smartly and safely. I appreciate you sharing the art in Pilsen. A huge WOW on the “authentic neighborhoods.” And, yes, visually interesting. I LOVE how you fit right in, Peta! Fascinating how the paintings wrap around the corner. Very creative! I cannot imagine the time and effort with the mosaic work. The tensions are exceptionally high and all of it makes me very sad.
A great deal of insight on your phrase “…that which makes sense to them…”. Interesting observation about Zipolite and “…life is lived outdoors.” I am very happy you had some time together with your family, especially with your sons. Hugs in real time….priceless! A fun and fascinating post, Peta. Take care. Thank you for sharing! ❤️
Erica thanks for your feedback. Interestingly we are now in Oaxaca city and the community here is overwhelmingly hyper attuned to prevention of Covid. Almost everyone wears masks in the streets and restaurants and stores take extra precautions before allowing people to enter.. Taking temperatures, spraying clothes, hand gel… seems to be working well as numbers are contained here so far.
Yes hugs are great immunity! I was not going to go all that way and not hug my kids. Glad that they felt the same way.
So pleased you enjoyed this post and all the murals.
Stay safe and healthy Erica
Peta
Your comment touched my heart, Peta. You reminded me the first time I hugged my children after a long interval of distancing. And, they hugged me back. Tears (happy and sad) all the way around. Happy to hear Oaxaca city is more attuned to prevention. Take care.
So nice to catch up with you and Ben here. It’s been a year that’s so easy to lose track of one another. Yes, my absence from social media has definitely been largely to blame.
I found my eyes welling up while I was reading this – a reminder of all those children still stuck in a terrible limbo, the separation of families – including your own – and so many deaths. The passing of your own father pre-covid just seemed to put an exclamation mark on it. These are frightening times for so many. I can only hope that the worst of the insanity is starting to pass.
Best wishes to the both of you that you stay centred and healthy ❤️
Joanne lovely to hear from you, as always.
The situation with the children separated from their parents is just too heartbreaking. Most of them are very young and one can only imagine the trauma and long term psychological impact on their lives. Those early years are so important re bonding with family/caregivers.
I’m glad my dad did not have to live through Corona, as I know it would have been very hard on him at every level, as it is for so many, but especially the elderly.
Thanks for the good wishes Joanne, and to you too. Stay safe and healthy.
Peta
I really enjoyed this catchup Peta, thanks for sharing the great photos, neighbourhoods and your news. So glad you had time and hugs with your family, it is such a precious time. Take care.
Thanks Debbie, glad you enjoyed our latest post. It feels like months ago already… Stay tuned for updates of our travels in Mexico.
Peta
You are way braver than we are. Our son lives just 800 miles away, but we are not planning to go back until a vaccine has been distributed. We do not want to have to quarantine in a 650 sf apartment (4 people, 1 dog and 1 bathroom). Lovely to see all the murals, they make for a vibrant city. Hope the racist ideology soon dissipates. Now, more than ever, we just all need to get along. Stay well.
Thanks for stopping by to read us and leave your feedback Allan.
I could just not accept that it had been a year since I had seen my kids and that it would be another six months or so to add to that. We figured that the pandemic is here to stay for years perhaps and that it would only get worse first before it gets better. In retrospect am SO glad we went when we did. Just in time before Chicago numbers have really skyrocketed.
Not sure that a vaccine is the solution in the near term as it will take years before there is enough conclusive data as to the effectiveness and safety of said vaccine. It will no doubt take many months for the vaccine product to be produced at such scale that society can return to some level of pre-covid normalcy.
We did a “soft” quarantine in Chicago by being super careful but we still needed phones, groceries etc. And after a week we got tested and results were negative after our travels through airports. But still, obviously a higher risk than staying put in Zipolite.
Stay safe and healthy.
Peta & Ben
I have fallen behind a bit but wanted to read this post before responding to your comment on mine, and before reading your latest. I was rewarded for my determination. Wonderful pictures of PIlsen. I love where I live and the people in my community but we are very, very monochromatic. Rural North Central PA. I am glad that you had this visit with your sons and other family. Thank you for taking us along.
Thanks Michele for reading us and taking the time to leave your thoughts. So glad you feel rewarded by your determination… 🙂
“We are very monochromatic” laughing and enjoying this terminology ~ I do completely get what you mean. There are times we are in places in the U.S. which are lovely and have great communities but I often say to Ben, there is not enough of a mix of people but thanks to you I now have a better way of putting it! Unless perhaps you were referring to monochromatic walls as opposed to the rich tapestry that is present in Pilsen?
Thanks for the compliments on the photos.
Peta
If there is one positive result of experiencing this pandemic, it is that it has reminded us what really matters as so much of “normal” life has had to be suspended. Family, for me, is right at the top of that list. Like you, this summer when the local COVID new case numbers were lowest, we took a chance and went to visit family in the northern part of BC. We spent time with Rob’s two kids, our northern grandchildren, two of my brothers and their family, and many friends who still live in our former community. We were able to celebrate my brother’s 60th birthday with him. Also over the summer, we grabbed the chance to have my two kids who live in Vancouver and their partners come to visit with us a couple of times. It’s a matter of striking a balance between risk taking and living with this virus over time.
Love the fabulous murals in Pilsen! Although I have visited Chicago more than once, I wasn’t aware of this neighbourhood.
Jude