Northwestern University Graduation and A Short Tour of Chicago

     Like millions of other proud parents, we listened to Pomp and Circumstance playing as we watched our daughter Sarah graduate. This was her second college degree, so it was fitting that there were two graduation ceremonies for her Master of Music (in Musicology) from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Andy Romanick and Sarah Stark marching into graduation.

      The first ceremony, on June 20^th, was held for all of the approximately 4,500 graduates of 2014. More than 13,000 packed Ryan Field Stadium under skies that switched between blazing sun and threatening rain clouds. Cloris Leachman and Stevie Wonder were awarded honorary doctorates.

Stevie Wonder accepting his honorary doctorate degree.

Ryan Field Stadium, Northwestern Univerisity.

Riccardo Muti was the commencement speaker. He is the conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and his message was that the world needs to learn to communicate---that with all of the different methods of communication available today, “people still don’t seem to understand each other.”

He noted that as dialogue disappears in an increasingly developed world, music remains a method of communication that transcends boundaries. “Music is not something that belongs only to the elite, because it is one of the few things that can bring this terrible world together… Music speaks to the heart of people,” he said. “It doesn’t know the differences between peoples. There is no need to show a passport to join an orchestra or to experience music.”

Andy and Sarah with their leis from Hawaii.

The smaller ceremony for graduates from the Bienen School of Music is where Sarah actually walked across the stage to get her diploma. Jonathan Biss, a world renowned American pianist who is widely regarded for his artistry, musical intelligence and deeply felt interpretations was the commencement speaker. 
Like Muti, he talked about the importance of music, and how the role of the musician has changed since he graduated in 2001. “Today, rarely do five minutes go by without someone saying that musicians not only can, but should, must, be entrepreneurial.” 
He thinks it is more important for musicians to ask themselves why they make music. He urged them to have the courage to face the risk of failure, to be curious because curiosity grows the imagination, and to accept life unconditionally. His advice was valuable not just to musicians, but to anyone pursuing excellence. 

      After the ceremonies, Sarah and her boyfriend Andy who also graduated with a Master of Music (in Piano Performance) gave us a tour of the campus since it was the first time we visited. The music library was massive and the sunken garden beside it reminded me of the Secret Garden after it was restored.

     

Laura, Sarah, and John Stark on the banks of Lake Michigan.

Standing on the banks of Lake Michigan was on my Chicago to-do list. Looking out over that endless water horizon, it was hard to believe that I was looking at a lake, not an ocean.

Sampling Chicago's famous foods was also on my to-do list.  Sarah, Andy, and their friend Talar made sure we had a Chicago style pizza ready and waiting for us when we pulled in from the airport, even though it was close to 11 at night. The deep dish pizza had a 3" high crust around the edge holding in chunky tomato sauce, heaped with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and Italian sausage. That was worth a BIG satisfying check mark off my list.
We ate at some of their favorite Evanston restaurants while we were there. John proclaimed that Bat 17 Deli and Pub's Lucky Dawg Two was best hot dog he has ever eaten in his life. It's a 1/4 pound all beef Black Angus hot dog with Applewood smoked bacon, and Vermont white cheddar cheese barely held together on a brioche bun.

At Bennison’s bakery we had a tough time choosing pastries and especially the Parisienne macarons from the glass cases.

Made of egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar, traditional French macarons date back nearly 400 years. Filled with creams or ganache, macarons were originally made for King Louis XIV of France. The flavors ranged from classic chocolate, to raspberry, strawberry, vanilla, caramel, mocha and pistachio. So of course we solved that problem, by having them box up way too many of the goodies.

At a graduation party in nearby Wilmette, we commiserated with other parents about how all now knew what the meteorological term "polar vortex" meant.
The unrelenting, bitter winter of 2013-14 was one of the harshest in the history of Chicago and our Northwestern U. kids all survived 26 days in a row with temperatures at or below 0. Sarah had called us one January day and said that she was thrilled that the temperature was going to warm up to 20 degrees.
After the party, we visited the only Baha’i House of Worship on this continent. Its soaring, ornate architecture was impressive as were the surrounding gardens which were filled with newlyweds taking their wedding pictures.

        On our last day in Evanston, Talar helped us pack Sarah and Andy up. She drove them to Goodwill to donate what was left in their apartment and to the post office to mail some of it home to Washington. She was a life saver.

After they were “officially” moved out, the five of us caught the Purple Line of Chicago’s ‘L’ rapid transit system into Chicago. It’s no coincidence that the Evanston to Chicago route is called the Purple Line since Northwestern University’s official school color is purple. We saw Wrigley Field through the train windows and continued into the heart of the city.

We walked to the Art Institute of Chicago and arrived an hour before closing, so in true Stark fashion, with the museum map in hand, we storm troopered through. There wasn’t much time to stop and savor some of the world’s greatest paintings by Monet, Degas, Seurat, Matisse, Renoir, Dali, and Picasso, but we still enjoyed their astounding collection of art.

Water Lily Pond, by Claude Monet.

The Star, by Edgar Degas

A Sunday on Le Grande Jatte, by Georges Seurat

Night Hawks, by Edward Hopper

Afterwards we strolled through Millenium Park along the lakefront.

Talar, Andy, Sarah, and John in Millenium Park.

 

Chicago skyline from the Chicago Art Institute.

That's where we scarfed down Chi-Town’s famous hot dogs complete with neon green relish (on my checklist). At a bar/restaurant nextdoor, US World Cup fans roared while watching the US-Portugal match on big screen TVs.

We marveled at the shiny Cloud Gate sculpture nicknamed The Bean. It reflects the city skyline, and you as you take a picture of it.

We walked past the Trump Tower and stopped to admire the Chicago News Tribune Tower.

Correspondents for the Chicago Tribune brought back rocks and bricks from historically important sites throughout the world including the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, petrified wood from the Redwood National and State Parks, the Great Pyramid, The Alamo, Notre Dame de Paris, and the Great Wall of China among others. They are implanted in the walls of the tower.

On our way back to the ‘L’ we paused to look at a bullet hole in the side of Holy Name Cathedral Church, left by mobsters. The Purple Line took us back to Evanston.

 

I wish that we could’ve heard some live Chicago blues while we were there, but with only three full days in Illinois, we ran out of time. 
The rest of Sarah’s life at Northwestern University was crammed into six bursting at the seams, checked suitcases, and the biggest carry-ons we could get away with.  We were all tired as we flew out of O’Hare airport before the sun had a chance to rise. It was a happy landing for us back home at SeaTac Airport in Washington.

Laura Keolanui Stark can be reached at stark.laura.k@gmail.com wherever she may be traveling this summer.