Bounty of the North

I'm back in Chicago and starting to get into full swing with "1001" at DePaul. It's weird to be back at my school as a quasi-adult professional, but it's a great project. The play is a sort of mash-up of contemporary hipster-y grad students in New York and a fantastical Arabian Nights storybook. Pretty cool, huh? I've been scouring the Chicago fabric market before I make my Mood order, and once again Devon delivers. Yeah, Devon Avenue, way up north and specifically, the Indian/Pakistani neighborhood that hovers just west of Western. Besides the great food (the whole street smells like curry!) and tunes (even a pasty girl like me can bust a move), there are endless fabric stores and sari shops. Sari fabric is usually one 6-yard length, not too wide, in any color or pattern you can think of, with one end of the length having a big chunk of decoration. The colors are so beautiful, and the polyester sari fabric totally looks like silk on stage. I also picked up a salwar kameez, a type of women's pantsuit, and found all sorts of things to return for. I also love getting star treatment and haggling with the shopkeepers, it keeps the transaction friendly and personable. I concluded our shopping trip with a popsicle. Overall, not a bad day at work.