Hasta La Ideas

Continuing on our sneak peek of the Art Institute‘s new Modern Wing, after we’d had a few drinks and chatted with our very lovely hosts (a handsome crowd, those employees, particularly the ones who invited us to come along to the party), we made our way up the stairs. This was a surprisingly nice treat and not just because the new building is pretty to look at. No, it was because Renzo Piano apparently knows someone who makes the most amazing handrails/banisters ever. We’re not sure what exactly it was, but they’re great. They’re thin, but sturdy, unobtrusive but immediately accessible. “What’s with you and the handrails?” this writer’s wife asked him after he wouldn’t shut up about them. “They’re just awesome!” he said. And then, maybe the first person ever in the building to do so, he took a photo of them:

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