If you attended Wizard World Chicago 2016 and stayed at the Hyatt across the street, or at another nearby hotel linked through the same skybridge network, you missed this mural.
(Consider this entry the scene after the “Wizard World Chicago 2016 Photos” end credits.)
Though it’s named for the Windy City, Wizard World Chicago is held each year at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in the suburb of Rosemont, which was incorporated January 20, 1956. We’ve done WWC eight times and still find something new in Rosemont every time we visit. That three-story mural in the lead photo adorned the free parking garage attached to our hotel for the weekend, known to WWC fans as “The Other Hyatt” — i.e., the one a mile north of the con and far away from all the good parties. It’s cheaper, quieter, and easy to make reservations there by accident if you don’t pay attention to the differing street addresses on Rosemont’s two Hyatts.
The Other Hyatt’s mural was our first notice about Rosemont’s 60th anniversary. On Saturday as we walked through the center corridor of the convention center parking garage, from the con over to MB Financial Park for dinner, we discovered another tribute to Rosemont’s 60th in the form of famous paintings brushed large but altered with homages to various Rosemont points of interest (some more interesting to the locals than to us out-of-towners). Anyone who didn’t walk the same walk, or who didn’t look closely while driving in our out, would’ve missed them easily. We caught a few of our favorites to share here for posterity as a sort of post-con epilogue. Enjoy!
The Mona Lisa poses by the brightest, most visible structure across the landscape, Rosemont’s rosy water tower. Nothing we could do about the drooping painter’s tape.
M.C. Escher’s “Relativity” spruced up with infinite roses.
Dogs playing poker at the big casino across the street from The Other Hyatt.
Grant Wood’s awkward “American Gothic” couple go shopping at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago, located southeast of the con. Presumably they buy all their high-end farming clothes there.
Michelangelo’s “Pieta” repositioned in front of, appropriately enough, Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church.
Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” abandon their usual dinner for sixty-dollar luxury at Gibson’s Steakhouse, a place probably frequented more by WWC guests than by fans.
If you ever attend WWC, you’re supposed to try Giordano’s Pizza at least once. They now have locations elsewhere (including two here in Indy), but the one in Rosemont is always packed for hours. The family from Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” skipped Thanksgiving dinner just to check out a rare slow night.
Happy 60th, Rosement! Thanks for letting us hang out on your turf. I’m still upset that you guys let the Quizno’s go out of business, but Happy Anniversary anyway!