It is a hot and humid mid-July morning as I walk east through the neighborhood of Lincoln Park. The main streets are home to clothing boutiques and specialty pastry shops. The quiet, tree-lined side streets are populated with brick townhomes.

The neighborhood ends at the entrance of Lincoln Park, the 1,200-acre expanse along the northern section of the city’s 26 miles of lakefront parkland. At this intersection, the city skyline appears like a picturesque mountain range behind the massive brick structure which is my destination.

Several sets of dark wood double doors with carved mouldings line the street-level entrance. Inside, I can hear the hum of voices as I walk through the chandelier-lit side corridor which wraps around the main auditorium. The corridor’s stately brick arches open into a cavernous hall.

On the main level of this large hall, there are four sections of pull-down wooden seats that remind you of a school auditorium. Overhead, the tiled stone ceiling reminds you of an old European cathedral.

A copper-plated railing marks the balcony that wraps around the oval-shaped auditorium. The balcony seats rise towards the sets of stained glass windows that have filtered the incoming sunlight into an array of yellow, blue, and green.

As the event began, a seven-person band led the audience in song. Behind them, tall and shiny brass organ pipes rose up along the auditorium’s wall and were framed on both sides by large projection screens displaying the songs’ lyrics.

The journey continues in the Old Town neighborhood on the near north side, at the corner of Clark Street and LaSalle.

Intro Theme Music: Victory Lap by QSTN ft. Mecca:83
Background Music: www.bensound.com/

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