Field Trip

We bid adieu to Marshall Field’s yesterday with an official ‘goodbye tour’ of the venerable Chicago landmark that is slated to become Macy’s in fall of 2006. (And never shall I enter it afterwards…)

A girlfriend and I took the free audio tour of the flagship store on State Street Friday and enjoyed it immensely. Do take the opportunity if you’re in town

We arrived just before ten a.m. and went to the Walnut Room as we heard they were giving out ‘pagers’ that would alert you when a table was ready for your lunch, and wanted to be assured a seating.

Upon approaching the desk, we were asked if we would like breakfast or lunch. Some other shoppers said lunch, and were directed to follow a maze-like route that would end in a line for a pager. At that time, the wait for a pager alone was half an hour!

We opted for breakfast and had a delicious meal of scrambled eggs with cheese and chives with a salmon-red potato hash. This might sound unusual, but was quite delicious. The tree was decked out in Swarovski crystal, prompting our speculation about promotional tie-ins and did they pay for ‘placement’ on the tree?

After making fun of some other diners and taking a few pictures, we left to pick up our audio tours from the Visitor’s Desk. The tour is free and there’s a handy coat check right next door. We wandered about listening to tales of the retailer’s history narrated by Bill Moyers (who apparently speaks six other languages, including Japanese, just press four).

It looked like the lunch line (just to get a pager, mind you) was up to about two hours by then! We weren’t sure just what the appeal of bringing three bored kids to stand in line all day in order to not finish their strawberry pancakes ‘because it’s tradition, damn it’, was exactly, but there were plenty of families on hand to prove us wrong. But this did explain why we saw so many parents having cocktails with breakfast that morning….

One of my favorite stops on the tour was the Narcissus Room, a banquet area that was silent – and unlocked. We wandered about listening to the story of the Narcissus Fountain (now topped by a Christmas tree – no Greek god in sight) and I found the light switch so we could take pictures. As I handed the camera to her, I sat on the edge of the dry fountain. She said the shadows were still covering my face, so without prompting I hopped in the fountain for my close-up. How appropriate. Ms. All-About-Me gets her portrait taken in Narcissus’ pool!

Daniel Burnham figures prominently in Field’s history, and I’m glad I read Devil in the White City, which I recommend heartily as a history of the area and a darn good mass-murderer story. Bet Jeffery Dahmer’s apartment building doesn’t have half as an exciting back-story. Take that Milwaukee!

Sorry. Anyhoo…we discovered Lost Staircases, Tiffany Ceilings, Juliet Balconies and Burnham Fountain (which I believe was not erected until after Burnham’s death, as Field thought it too ‘gaudy’)

In traipsing through seven floors of retail space, I came across an awesome little fainting-couch like piece with matching ottoman. It was soooo comfy – just the thing needed for reading by the fire. Gasping, I pointed out the $1100 price tag on the ottoman. Then I found the $3300 price tag on the seat. Nice to know I just had my shoes on it! That was followed by the admiration of the $11, 235 table and eight matching $1600 each dining room chairs…perfect for your next Boardroom meeting. You paid how much for this dinette set? You’re fired!

My friend complemented me for pretty much staying on track during the audio tour – she knows how hard it is for me to pass shiny things without buying them. We returned the equipment and got down to the business of shopping, buying a few clearance items at Fields. I hear the Christmas ornaments and anything imprinted with the Field’s name has long been sold out to rabid souvenir seekers and eBay profiteers.

We looked at the outdoor window displays a little; this year’s theme is Cinderella. I was disappointed I couldn’t discern any secret messages or sabotage efforts by disgruntled employees upset by the sale to Macy’s in the windows. Guess turning into a pumpkin doesn’t upset them all that much. They don’t seem creative enough for that stuff. We agreed we could have done much better window displays. At least make the wicked stepmother look like Ron Klein or something. I would have done A Christmas Carol with the head of Fields as Scrooge being visited by a Sam Walton Marley warning of the folly of profits first (and the dangers of not cleaning your public toilets – that hasn’t been done since 1921 either, I assure you). That’s just me.

We then visited a few other stores, where I fell in love with Nordstrom’s Rack. Great petite section and stupendous prices – I got a turquoise cashmere cardigan for only $19.98! Whoo hoo! Shopping success! Lots of other nice things too, lord knows I don’t have anything to wear in the New Year!

Well, that’s all for now, I need to get ready to play Emergency Waitress for the New Year’s Eve crowd at the restaurant. Hopefully everyone will be drinking so much they don’t notice I never brought their salad.



"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood"
Daniel H. Burnham, Director of Works, Columbian Exposition, 1893