Goin to Chicago -- myArmoury.com

Joel Chesser · Posted: Wed 12 Jul, 2006 11:37 pm Post subject: Goin to Chicago

Next week i'm going with my family to Chicago and i was wondering what, if anything, sword related was up there. Any recommendations for museums and shops would be appreciated. Big Grin

Jonathan Hopkins · Posted: Thu 13 Jul, 2006 5:14 am Post subject:

Yes, the Art Institure of Chicago has a nice collection of arms and armor: http://www.myArmoury.com/books/item.php?ASIN=0821222058.

Eric McHugh · Industry Professional

When I was there about two months ago, they had removed a good portion of their collection because of some remodeling. I'd give the Art Institute a call before you go because it could be a disappointing trip. Fortunately, I had gone to Chicago to drink beer...so all was not lost. I can give you some good recommendations for beer bars if you want... :-)

Chris Last · Posted: Thu 13 Jul, 2006 8:09 am Post subject:

There's always the Bristol Renaissance Faire (http://www.renfair.com/bristol/) for a good time. It's where my group makes its home during the summer and Arms and Armor and Mayhawke Armoury (Lutel dealer) have booths there. If you come on a Sunday you can watch us explode a watermelon with a pistol and cut a slab of ribs in half with an Albion Squire. Happy

Bob Burns · Posted: Thu 13 Jul, 2006 4:30 pm Post subject:

Yes, I would think you will love the Bristol Renaissance Faire, it's right off Int. Rt. 294 a mile or two north of the IL/WI state line. I believe my wife and I will be there this coming Saturday and next Saturday, I pop by the Arms & Armor booth a lot to talk to Dave Peck and will also be by a lot to talk to Chris Last. It's definitely a real fun place to be in my opinion!

Bob

Tim Lison · Posted: Thu 13 Jul, 2006 11:49 pm Post subject:

I haven't been to the Art Institue since they've started remodeling, but they do have some very nice pieces. It's definitely worth the trip. It's right downtown anyway, so there will be no loss of things to do in that area.

Sean Flynt · Posted: Fri 14 Jul, 2006 8:49 am Post subject:

As of late March when I was there, the Harding Collection at the AIC was condensed to only one side of Gunaulus Hall (and part of the middle-area) due to construction of the new musuem facility. The new facility will open in 2009 and the Harding Collection should then at least be restored to the entire Gunsaulus Hall.

At present, the collection is still very much worth a visit, especially for those interested in armour. Most everything on display--both arms and armour--is ca. 1500-1700. So, don't expect the number, variety and age of swords like you'd find at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. For now, at least, the AIC offers little depth, but great breadth. There are some real gems among the handful of swords on display. Keep in mind that the current display represents only about are only about one-sixth of the entire Harding Collection of 1500 items. I highly recommend getting a copy of the out-of-print book cited above.

Here's a link to the AIC site:
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/armor/index.php

Eric Allen · Posted: Mon 24 Jul, 2006 1:49 pm Post subject:

Sorry for the slight thread necromancy and hijack:

My wife and I actually ended up at both the Chicago Art Institute and the Bristol Faire over the weekend.
Got to play around in the Arms & Armor booth and caught the exploding cantelope (4th times a charm, eh?)

Bob Burns · Posted: Mon 24 Jul, 2006 6:38 pm Post subject:

I really wanted to go to the Bristol Faire this past Saturday but my wife wanted to stay home and play in her garden so I wound up going to the sword etc. store near me and bought a real nice 13 sword stand that displays the swords in a double row, 7 in back and 6 in front, also bought a pole arm stand. I am real sorry that I missed you Eric if you were there Saturday, glad you got to meet David Peck at the Arms & Armor booth, he's a real classy guy and the person who got me started in this obsession and additionally, David is a sword instructor. In fact he helped work on the fantastic German Longsword books by Christian Tobler. I cannot say enough good things about David!

Sincerely,

Bob

Eric Allen · Posted: Mon 24 Jul, 2006 8:15 pm Post subject:

I was there on Sunday, and even if we were there simultaneously, we probably would have walked right past eachother, neither of us being any the wiser we missed.

Unless David Peck is a skinny 20-something guy, I don't think I met him (though the guy running the booth was from the C.S.G.).

Chris Last · Posted: Tue 25 Jul, 2006 6:06 am Post subject:

Eric Allen · Posted: Tue 25 Jul, 2006 11:50 am Post subject:

Not really. My wife was getting tired, and we had a five-hour drive ahead of us, so we just left immediately after your demo was over.

Bob Burns · Posted: Tue 25 Jul, 2006 1:29 pm Post subject:

Nah, David is not the 20 some year old. Laughing Out Loud

But he is the guy that you spoke of who runs the booth, he's also a math professor. Attached is a picture of David and I on Saturday July 8, 2006. It's David's fault that I got hopelessly sucked into this obsession too! Laughing Out Loud

I hope you had a great day at the Bristol Faire Eric. From what I've learned, I am very lucky to be so close to such a big Renaissance Faire, then add on top of that I am even closer to an internet medieval sword store of which has the lowest prices I've seen anywhere. I really should count my blessings or is this a curse? Laughing Out Loud

I have not been back to the fair since opening day, I was dying to go last Saturday and my wife wanted to garden but this coming Saturday, come hell or high water, I will be at the Bristol Renaissance Fair Exclamation

To All, Keep Well!

Bob

Eric Allen · Posted: Wed 26 Jul, 2006 10:01 am Post subject:

Nope, I missed David. I think I saw him there, but when I was playing with the toys, he wasn't there.