F8
EZ EE The Impulsive Traveler Chicago’s temples of the big shoulders IFYOUGO
Want to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to Chicago? Here’swhat you need to knowfor theweekend of Aug. 27-29:
GETTING THERE American Airlines has nonstop flights from Reagan National to Chicago O’Hare, with fares starting at $263.
WHERE TO STAY Raffaello Hotel Chicago 201 E. Delaware Pl. 312-943-5000
www.chicagoraffaello.com Chic boutique hotel with sleek contemporary furnishings and a Michelin- rated Italian restaurant. Doubles start at $229.
Talbott Hotel 20 E. Delaware Pl. 800-TALBOTT
www.talbotthotel.com The feel of an old European hotel with all the modern accouterments of a recent renovation. Rooms start at $189.
WHERE TO EAT The Berghoff 17W. Adams St. 312-427-3170
www.theberghoff.com This Chicago institution features German standards (grilled veal bratwurst on a pretzel roll, $8.50), often with delicious accents (Alsatian onion and apple soup, $5.25).
LEFT, HILARY KRIEGER; RIGHT, FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF CHICAGO The Bahai Temple dazzles with its intricate stonework and quartz-enhanced concrete. The skyscrapingMethodist Chicago Temple gets parishioners close to heaven. BY HILARY KRIEGER Granted, the holiest shrine for many
Chicagoans is Wrigley Field. But for those Cubs fans whose faith haswavered after more than a century without a World Series win—or who want a more traditional space in which to pray for the long-awaited baseball salvation — the WindyCity hosts beautiful structures for adherents of many different religions. Chicago’s religious diversity and the
striking houses of worship it has given rise to go back, as so many things here do, to twoseminal events of the late 19th century: the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893.The former created a tabula rasa for new architectural structures — and an urgent need for their construction— and the latter showcased Chicago’s openness and inclusiveness. The Bahai faith was one of the
religions that made the most of its welcome during the multi-faith dialogue held alongside the World’s Fair. It was the first time the religion — begun in 19th-century Iran — was mentioned on this continent, and from the interest it sparked grew America’s initial Bahai community. When ground was broken on North America’s Bahai temple in 1912, it was in an open field far from commercial activity. Now it’s nestled in the Chicago suburbs, the stunning set- ting — up against Lake Michigan, sur- rounded by manicured gardens of tulips and magnolias — perhaps all the more arresting for springing from such a mundane environment. It is the alabaster-domed temple itself that is the main attraction, howev-
er. It beckons like a majestic, three- tiered wedding cake frosted with an intricately carved stone filigree. It’s liter- ally a brilliant gem of a building, the architect having thrown quartz into the concrete to make it glisten in the sun- shine. If you’re not blinded by the radiance, up close you can make out symbols from a half-dozen religions — all considered holy by Bahais — as well as the lacy Arabic calligraphy that spells out one of the titles for the faith’s founder. While the interior is also breathtak-
ing, what’s most lovely about it is how clearly you can hear yourownbreathing. In this space for private prayer and meditation, the only sound permitted is that of human voices reading scripture. Aside from the daily 30-minute prayer services at 12:30 — when participants read from Bahai, Christian,Muslim and other hallowed texts as the spirit moves them, and the choir sings sacred music ranging fromMozart toNegro spirituals once a week — the only distractions are hushed footsteps and the whir of the wind off the lake. The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed
Unity Temple in Oak Park takes the opposite tack in its attempt to welcome all those who enter. Instead of a panoply of religious symbols, the Unitarian church lacks so much as a cross. In place of awe and splendor, it emphasizes modesty and hominess. But the result is still a compelling, harmonious refuge well worth the trip to the neighborhood the architect made famous. Wright used pioneering techniques
to achieve his goal; architecture critics call the 1908 structure the first modern building for its use of exposed concrete.
Thoughwhat reallymakes this place feel ahead of its time is the way it seems straight out of the 1970s. Wright em- ploys the light greens, tans and yellows of a disco-era package ofM&Ms, and the simplicity and clean lines — and the proclivity for stainedwoodthat included encasing hanging electrical wires in oak — that presages that era’s Scandinavian furniture craze.Wright, in fact, aimed to echo the simplicity of ancient temples, asking that the building be named a temple rather than a church. While the concrete exterior is impos-
ing, the interior attributes help create a low-key, intimate atmosphere. That the sanctuary can hold 400 is surprising. And the sense of intimacy extends to the interaction between the congregation and its ministers. The lectern is placed relatively low to the ground, in keeping with the principle of egalitarianism, and the exit doors are directly behind the pulpit to encourage congregants to cross that space before leaving. The color scheme in particular pro-
duces a warm, transcendent feeling , as sunlight strained through the unusual yellow and brown stained glass suffuses the room.Wright amplified this sense of
MoreTravel this week
FRIDAY Escapes prepares to say au revoir to Philadelphia’s Le Bec-Fin, inWeekend.
NEXT SUNDAY The Impulsive Traveler hits Florida’s panhandle to hunt for bargains and clear beaches, in Travel.
airy illumination by leading visitors through a dim gray entrance tunnel that gradually broadens and ascends to the sanctuary for maximum emotional im- pact. The journey 400 feet up to the Sky
Chapel at the Methodist Chicago Tem- ple, which was completed in 1924, also heightens the effect of reaching the destination. Although you can sneak a glance at the soaring skyline through a cranked window in the cozy carpeted chapel, the best panorama is available from the pastor’s quarters just above, where the Gothic patio is framed by the Willis (originally Sears) Tower and the JohnHancock Center. When you reach this lofty pinnacle,
you may ask whether there’s any other worship space so high up. The answer is no. The spire is also the world’s tallest, according to the church’s literature. It is aided in this achievement by sitting atop a skyscraper, separated from the large lower-level sanctuary by lawyers’ offices, one of which was once tenanted by the famously agnostic Clarence Darrow. The uber-modern setting is some-
what ironic, since the congregation is the city’s oldest—in fact, it predates the city itself. Today it takes its role as a Chicago institution very seriously, min- istering to businesspeopleandthe urban poor, depicting the city’s history in its stained glass and featuring an altarpiece with images of the surrounding skyline. A companion to a separate altarpiece where Christ cries over Jerusalem, in this one Jesus weeps over Chicago. Perhaps because of the Cubs’ record.
travel@washpost.com
Krieger is aWashington-based writer.
Giordano’s 730 N. Rush St. 312-951-0747
www.giordanos.com Chicago’s legendary deep-dish pizza doesn’t get any better than this.Well worth the double-digit wait for a stuffed pie, which runs from $13.45 to $29.25.
WHAT TO DO Bahai House ofWorship 100 Linden Ave.,Wilmette 847-853-2300
www.bahai.us/bahai-temple Upstairs auditorium (worship space) open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Visitors center open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free.
Unity Temple 875 Lake St., Oak Park 708-383-8873
www.unitytemple-utrf.org Take a self-guided tour of a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece. Open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. $8, students and seniors $6, younger than 6 free.
Chicago Temple 77W.Washington St. 312-236-4548
www.chicagotemple.org Sky Chapel and pastor’s patio open to visitors Monday through Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Free.
INFORMATION
www.explorechicago.com
—H.K.
All flight and lodging information valid as of press time Thursday.
KLMNO
SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010
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