Some Chicago photos

I didn't take too many photos in Chicago, partly because the museums I went to, particularly the ones of the Museum Campus, frowned on photos.

Also, Sarah won't have any time for museums/sightseeing in Chicago during her training.

But I found some things relevant to Sarah anyway...

At the Museum of Science and Industry, I really wanted to take a closer look at its Boeing 727 exhibit. And here it is. This was the 17th one off the line (out of a total of 1,832), and flew for United Airlines from 1964 to 1991. This being a very early model (727-100), it's shorter and differently configured compared to the ones Sarah ends up working, which are the 727-200A's built in the late 1970s.

Unfortunately, most of the interior had been re-configured into interactive exhibits, and few crew provisions remained on the plane. This intercom system, located between the rear lavatory and the rear emergency stairs, would be familiar to Sarah. I could picture her reciting the safety demonstration (memorization of which is required at the flight attendant training!) in her delightful alto voice, using this headset, as her coworkers donned oxygen masks and pointed at the exits.

The economy class passenger cabin is partially preserved. The seats themselves are exhibits, housing interactive games for museum visitors to teach the flight dynamics; the monitors were failing, however. Also, aisle seats have been removed to widen the aisle.

The overhead lights and vents are here. The orange button at the bottom would be for calling Sarah.

My final museum stop in Chicago was the Art Institute, well known for its breadth of world art collections. There was a good collection of Asian Art, including this statue of Kannon (Japanese Kwan Yin). Sarah won't learn about Kwan Yin until years later, when she does Asian assignments, but Kwan Yin will surely be a role model for Sarah.

Trivia: According to Wikipedia, Kannon is the namesake for the electronics company Canon.

More Kwan Yin statues, these are Chinese. The left one is an early, male version from the 500s, while the one on the right is a female version from the 900s. Sarah will appreciate knowing a transgender deity (in this case, the bodhisattva of compassion), and by extension, finding out about the Buddhist belief system, as she goes on Asian assignments.

Something to check out in Chicago...

Flight 727 at Museum of Science and Industry

As I explore Chicago this coming weekend, I will try to visit the Museum of Science and Industry.

Although I have visited this museum before (alongside the Sears Tower) during my only other visit to Chicago (a six-hour layover in '97), I would like to go back, to take a new look at Flight 727. It is an actual United Airlines Boeing 727 whose innards I can inspect, in order to learn about the physics of flight.

Sarah starts her flight attendant duty in 1999; at that time, United was still flying a good number of 727s, and I want to put her in a few of them for training flights and initial assignments. The 727s kept flying, until 9/11 and the resulting decrease in passengers forced United to ground them late in 2001. If I remember correctly, had United done better financially, these fuel guzzlers would have stayed in service through 2005.

The 727 was a favorite of pilots, but absolutely hated among flight attendants, due to the outdated, aging galleys and other features. I definitely want to explore the galleys and take a few photos, and picture Sarah working there.

I hope to come away with a few inspirations.

Hitting the Road Again

I'll be on the road again, exploring the Chicago area during the long weekend.

Since Sarah spends some time in Chicago in order to train to become a flight attendant, I'll be able to trace her footsteps again. However, given that the actual training is in Elk Grove Village, just beyond O'Hare Airport, whereas I will be downtown around the Magnificent Mile, I'll be able to only experience Sarah's off-duty hangouts in and around downtown. I will need a car to hang out in Elk Grove Village, and I won't have one during my stay in Chicago (it's just too much money and hassle).

Also, I don't have a functioning laptop. This means I won't be able to actually do any writing. However, I will still have Internet access at my hotel's business center, so I could blog briefly from there.

At least, I will be on Sarah's airline, so I should be able to observe some in-flight procedures and, of course, Sarah's coworkers. I've also requested an upgrade to first class on the return flight, so that I can observe first class procedures as well; I hope the elite-level frequent fliers won't gobble up all available seats.

Some fashion blogs

Here are some street fashion blogs that can be an inspiration, as I try to tweak fashion preferences for Sarah, Kirsten, and more (including male characters):

The Sartorialist, New York
Style Scout, London
Fashionist, San Francisco
Pike & Pine, Seattle

For that matter, I could use some inspiration from these fashion-forward people too.

100th post

At last, this blog hits a milestone.

And that milestone is in the form of a Newsweek article on transgenderism, using the story of race car driver Terri O'Connell (and other people).

It's nice that a mainstream news magazine is taking a serious look at the very definition of gender, instead of dismissing it as a Jerry Springer freak show.

Newsweek