Da Bulls!

I know if anything I should probably be a Pistons fan but I couldn't help to be excited when I found out I would attend my very first professional sporting event, a Chicago Bulls basketball game! It was so fun, the Chicago Bulls won 6 titles in the 1990's, they three-peated…twice! The Pistons never did that. One of the greatest players in basketball history, Michael Jordan, played for the Bulls.

And would you believe the Chicago Blackhawks play hockey in this very stadium? Of course they don't play on the basketball court, that would be silly. Underneath the basketball court there is an ice skating rink, and when it's the Blackhawks turn to play workers can take apart the basketball court in under four hours. Seems like a lot of work to me but it must be worthwhile because the Chicago Blackhawks just won the Stanley Cup, which means they are the champions. I got to see the big Stanley Cup Champion banners hanging from the ceiling. I think it's really cool the championship trophy is called Stanley, but that's just my bias.

Watch this video of me cheering as loud as I can during the start of the game.

 

Christmas in Chicago: Part 2

The Chicago Christmas festivities continued when Aunt Molly took me to the Lincoln Park Zoo to see the Christmas lights. The city of Chicago has a free zoo only a few blocks from where she lives, and each year they decorate it for Christmas. I've never seen so many Christmas lights in one place, lights of all different colors, blinking and flashing, it was incredibly bright. Not to mention all the animals I got to see, penguins, a cheetah, and monkeys. One monkey seemed quite taken with me, the picture is a little blurry because it was night-time but there he is looking right at me!

Christmas in Chicago: Part 1

The other night we went ice skating at Millennium Park in Chicago, and it was the most fun ever. The city is amazing, the buildings are the tallest things I've ever seen, the park has the most festive Christmas lights, it was snowing and very picturesque outside. I was too excited to feel cold. I've never been ice skating because I've never been able to find skates made specifically for flat boys, but Aunt Molly had the fantastic idea of taping paper clips to my feet. Can you believe that it worked! We went around and around the rink, I didn't fall once and I even tried skating on one foot, which seems kind of scary but it wasn't. I'm glad I tried something new. The best part was when Santa showed up and I got to meet him in person. He had never seen a Flat Stanley before, he thought we weren't real! Maybe my next adventure should be a trip to the North Pole?

Off to work

Yesterday I went to work with Aunt Molly. She does graphic design, which I love because that means she makes flat things look pretty! Graphic designers create sketches then use computers to make books, posters, magazines, basically anything and everything that's flat. I think when I grow up I'd make a really good graphic designer. At work she gets to be creative all day and because I was so interested she let me help her on a big project for a company called IBM. She even showed me this poster by Paul Rand, one of the most famous graphic designers of all time. Years and years ago, Paul Rand took the name I B M and instead of spelling it out with letters he made a funny poster with an eye, a bee, and an M. Graphic designers have all the flat fun.

Arrivée!

Well, I made it! I finally arrived at my destination in Chicago. My name is Flat Stanley and I love adventures more than anything but I have to admit, when Ada decided to send me to her Aunt Molly in Chicago, I wasn’t so thrilled at the prospect of hanging out in the Windy City. I mean, a flat boy like me could easily get swept up and blown out into Lake Michigan! Turns out Chicago isn’t any more windy than any other city in the United States, but supposedly earned that nickname for the loud-mouthed politicians wanting to bring the 1893 World’s Fair to Chicago. Anyway, I’m excited to be here and can’t wait to share all my fun adventures.