An Insult to Chicagoans

Prepare for a rant...ok, more than usual.

September 9th, 2006 will be a very dark day for the City of Chicago
and Chicagoans around the world. An evil company (I won't sink as
low to mention their name...ok...Macys) will officially be the new name
of every Marshall Field's store in the Midwest...especially Chicago.



Growing up just an hour south of the city, a couple times
a year we'd visit or stop into Field's at the State Street store.
At Christmas time, or after going to a Cubs game. The L stops
right outside the store and it was convenient to run inside and
look at all the cool stuff. I especially liked the basement level.
It had a gourmet food section as well as one of my favorites...


Frango Mints! For those of you not educated in the art of
Frangos, they are a mint-meltaway=type chocolate that can
only be found at Fields, and next to Fannie May ( we almost
lost them last year too) are the best chocolates for the price
in America (I know...Godiva and all of that, but they are way
too expensive for what you get). Frangos also come in the
cool green box and my Mom and Dad still get me a small
box every year. However, this year, I don't want a box.
The profits will go to you know who.


Mostly though, Marshall Fields was about tradition. Eating
under the tree in the Walnut Room at Christmas time is one
of those traditions. It just won't be replaced...especially by
some New York company.

Even though I didn't grow up in the city, I consider myself a
Chicagoan. As a Chicagoan, I grew up with a mistrust of all
things East and West coast. Why do New Yorkers and those
from La La land think that they can dictate to the "flyover states"
what is right and wrong and what is "cool". I've been to LA...
Yuck...and am proud of the fact that I haven't been to New
York. It sounds provincial and I will probably do an
obligatory visit someday, but eh? Not on the top of my
must-do travel list. (I warned you I was going to rant)
Anyway, here is just a small list of the things I will miss
about Marshall Field's being gone...in no particular order:

* Marshall Field's "Green"
* The Crystal Palace
* Seeing Governor Jim Thompson in the toy department
* The Gourmet section
* Going to the top floor and looking down
* The Christmas windows
* The Clock
* Frangos
* Trying to figure out which "street" we entered on
* The Walnut Room
* Once having a "coveted" green Field's Credit Card


On September 9th, Marshall Field's Green will be replaced
in my heart with a new color...


Black...for mourning.