Da’ Mayor and Me
Saturday, August 16th, 2008
Colleen and I were on our way to Target. We happened to pass by a new firehouse on the corner of Peterson and Clark that has been sitting idle for about a month. This morning, we noticed a few fire engines and tents and a lot of hubbub. We decided to stop in for a peek.
We soon realized that it was the dedication ceremony for this new facility. They will be moving in a few weeks. from an 100 year-old firehouse. We took the full tour, since we were giving Mom a day off and had plenty of father-daughter time to spare.
We met all sorts of Chicago people; Bernard Stone (a long time infamous alderman and our Vice Mayor), The new fire commissioner John Brooks (I think he wanted to stay and play with Colleen more than do his duty), Patrick O’Connor (the firehouse’s local alderman), and finally Mayor Richie Daley (back from the Olympics).
Colleen and I watched the band play (what else? Souza marches) and she kept pointing at the musicians, much to her (and their) amusement. We also looked at the shiny hub of the fire engine wheel where we could see a fish-eye reflection of ourselves.
After the boring speeches and the obligatory prayer and blessing of the firehouse, we inched up our way to the Mayor to get of picture with him. To our surprise, he had his city photographer grabbing pictures. We stood with the Mayor for the photograph. I asked him if he was over his jet-lag yet. He said no; he does not sleep well on planes. He did look quite tired.
Apparently, I can go get a free signed print of our photograph. I’ll definitely follow up. It’ll be Colleen’s when she’s older. I’ll scan and post it when we get it. Unfortunately, I think I’ll look quite ridiculous in it. I had not shaved or taken a shower yet. We were just supposed to be running to Target, after all. But it’s not everyday you ge to meet one of the top ten most powerful Democrats on the country.
