Maiden Voyage to Chi-Town

The first leg of my trip to the mid-west was a bit of a roller coaster ride. The ups and downs started with a chance meeting with an earth angel as my plane touched down on the cold, windy, city of Chicago. The parting was a very understated, “give me a call if you need any help navigating your way around the city.”

I gave a smile along with a “thank you, I’m sure I’ll be fine” to the earth angel.

I was eager to get things going, and more eager to find Columbia College because of it’s incredible reputation of pumping out an assembly line of ‘Academy Award’ winning graduates.

I was hoping my reception was going to be as enthusiastic. Unfortunately, my arrival was less than a ripple. No one actually knew I was coming. Columbia College students have made more than a splash in tinsel town. The faculty must be littered with brilliant and inspired professors. Where were they?

When I inquired as to why no one seemed to care that a Hollywood screenwriter (with a modicum of successful experience selling screenplays, pitches, and working on television shows) was visiting, I was told that only one faculty member was willing to let an award-winning screenwriter from Hollywood teach her class. Did the other faculty members feel my IMDB credentials were not enough to warrant more than one class? Oh, well. I had to accept that none of the professors felt I needed a red carpet with scores of trumpet players.

Anyway, notwithstanding, I had a terrific experience with the one class I was able to teach. The students were eager as well as intelligent. I only wished that I could have met a few more of them. I did manage to convince a few of them that film is indeed the ‘director’s medium’ and television is the ‘writer’s medium.’ I mounted my charges with explicit diagrams and personal testimonials that I scrolled across the white boards. That was a kick.

So, I decided to hold onto my tiny little victory and I looked forward to conducting a workshop on the upcoming the weekend. I was going to make a splash, even if only one student showed up.

I checked my calendar and saw that I had a few days to kill in the meantime.

My only problem was that I didn’t have the wheels, I didn’t know the public transportation system, and I didn’t know which direction I was facing or heading. Luckily, the earth angel called to see how my first visit to her city was going. I told her I was a little boxed in at the moment. The snow was plenty and my knowledge of Chicago was less than plenty.

Wouldn’t you know it, the earth angel did what typical earth angels do. She volunteered herself as my private chauffer. She picked me up and drove me North and South, East and West around Chi-town.

I understood some of the magnificence of this cultural town. My marvel was only a tiny bit thwarted by being covered in snow. I let my imagination fill in the blanks. What I did manage to see was captivating.

Chicago is a beautiful city. Even to the undeserving screenwriter from Hollywood.