I know people are approaching Week 18 of the NFL with different mindsets. I’m done, especially since the only reason to watch the Bears (Justin Fields) isn’t happening. Instead, I’m going to run through some highlights of my 2022 season. Since I didn’t see as many games as Jon, Steve, Tom’s and some relatives, I’m going to include some off-field activities.

Usually, I try and coordinate my road trips to include art museums and baseball. I find the combination to be extremely beneficial for my mental health. This year it happens that I saw more exhibits of artists that aren’t among my favorites.

I don’t pretend that my pursuit is high brow, but I don’t chase the least common denominator either. The more hyped an exhibit is, the more I question how much effort I want to exert.

An early visit to the Dunn Museum in Libertyville proved to be a real surprise. Seemingly everyone loves Ansel Adams but he never did it for me-despite my interest in photography. This exhibit highlighting his early years was very well curated and I learned a ton. That my sister joined me and was equally as surprised made for a great morning.

As often happens, I couldn’t sync up a Cardinals game with SLAM’s quirky, Paintings on Stone: Science and the Sacred so I made the long dreary trek down 55 for the exhibit and a smaller in-house Impressionism and Beyond. I covered this trip earlier in the blog.

During the baseball season, my first attempt at baseball and art was a trip to Indy to catch an Indians day game and see Andy Warhol’s West at the Eiteljorg Museum. Unfortunately, the game was cancelled due to rain and the exhibit proved wanting. I did enjoy a few pieces but was disappointed in the scope of the exhibit.

My only multiple day, overnight trip of the year was a success on many levels. I visited Columbus, Ohio for the first time and loved the Columbus Museum of Art and the Veteran’s Memorial and Museum. While not a fan of Roy Lichtenstein’s commercial work, Roy Lichtenstein: History in the Making was entertaining and offered insight into his later, pop schtick.

While on my trip through Fort Wayne to Columbus, I was able to check two more zoos off of my growing list. Hitting the Ft. Wayne Zoo before an afternoon Tin Cups game is definitely doable, however hitting the Columbus Zoo (located in Dublin Ohio) isn’t as workable.

I grew up at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago and love spending time outside and operating at my own pace. While my favorite art museums have outdoor sculpture gardens, navigating museums is a little more difficult with other people (save for my brilliant sister). She and I are of the belief that the viewer should determine his or her pace at going through a museum, gallery or exhibit. Too often visitors feel compelled by ego or pressure to spend a certain amount of time fixating on specific pieces whether one likes them or not. I know that some people really don’t care as much about the curation as I do and that’s great too.

Circumstances didn’t provide me many opportunities to enjoy live music after day games in 2022. Hanging around Wrigley Field after a Saturday afternoon game isn’t my scene anymore. I try and get out of the neighborhood sooner than not-it’s not as practical to deal with the postgame drinking crowd.

Thus, my only postgame show was at Schmidt’s in Columbus, and it was in the form of a one-man accordion wrecking ball named Mike. Since I didn’t spend a night in Milwaukee, I missed the entertainment at the Mason Street Grille in the Pfister (for the first time in years).

Like baseball games, I think people should enjoy what they want about any museum, concert, venue or other distraction. Don’t base your enjoyment on someone else’s dictate-no matter how brilliant they may be.

Hopefully, I’ll have better luck combining my various interests during the 2023 baseball season.

I hope you take the opportunity to find time to see and do other things when you go to an out-of-town baseball game or catch a game when you are on vacation pursuing other interests.