I’ve been to Chicago only once before and never really noticed hope open-spaced and far apart the buildings downtown are from each other. They stand in marked contrast to the more densely packed grid space of New York. I think this is what makes New York, after all is said and done, a 19th century city, whereas Chicago’s more open design makes it more 20th century and modernist. Someone mentioned to me that this has or might have something to do with the way Chicago was rebuilt after the Great Fire. Wide boulevards open out the place. I woke up early Monday morning at the Association of Jewish Studies conference. I had left the blinds open because I had a good view and wanted to see the city. This is what I saw at about 6:00 AM, jazzed up with too much late coffee from the night before. All that space between the isolate buildings. Is that what Chicago looks like?