Rohde's Adventures in Chicago

My first stop is 1516 West Wright wood Avenue. The house here was shown at the beginning and during the opening of the credits for the show Family Matters. The show was the second longest-running U.S. sitcom with a predominantly African American cast. 

My second stop includes visiting the Edgewater nieghborhood near Sheridan road. I followed all of the condominium towers along the road and found 5901 N. Sheridan Road. This was the home of Bob and Emily Hartley of the Bob Newhart Show. 

Here is myself at Buckingham Fountain with my hands in my pants waistband in the vein of Al Bundy from Married with Children.

The next stop that I made was the place called home by Emmanuel Lewis and his NFL-pro godfather portrayed by Alex Karras and his socialite wife played by Susan Clark. The house from Webster is at 1432 North State Parkway. While the show focused primarily on the married couple, the congenial Webster was the center of the plot.  

Next, I visited the old Cook County Hospital located at 1801 West Harrison Street. This hospital was the old facade for the show ER. The show took place at the trauma center which took in a lot of gang-related gunshots and stabbings.

I couldn't help, but be interested to see if Oprah's picture was still up at Harpo Studios and indeed, it was. Harpo Studios is a multimedia production company that was named after Oprah (spelled backwards).  

The last stop that I made was the original playboy mansion. Much of the sexual revolution started in the basement of this mansion that was built in 1899. Hugh Hefner bought in 1959 and hung a brass plate over the door saying, "If you don't swing, don't ring." 

Flat Sarnoff and I: The Billy Goat Taveren

Here we are at the Billy Goat Tavern, it was really difficult to find (got a little lost along the way ^_^’).  May I suggest that if you order from here never ask for fries, a regular burger, or Pepsi.  I did and Flat Sarnoff was embarrassed to pretend he didn’t come in with me (the traitor).  ‘Cheezborger Cheezborger Cheezborger, No fry . . . Chips’

Flat Sarnoff and I: On our way to the Museum of Broadcast Communications

Flat Sarnoff wanted to take a selfie so we decided that a great spot was by the Newton N. Minow Way street sign on 42 S Dearborn.  Minnow is most famously known for his speech on how the TV industry was a “vast wasteland”.   Fun fact: the ship from Gilligan’s Island ‘S.S. Minow’ was named after him because of that speech.

Here we are at the MBC, this is right inside by the entrance it’s a tree of technology.  All parts seemed to be working, Flat Sarnoff and I watched the small segment that’s on that screen there.  The workers were very nice there, and they had a Svengoolie Exhibit, I love that show I use to watch it all the time with my brothers when I was younger.  We also enjoyed Bozo’s Circus segment, they had the costumes of the characters.

Flat Sarnoff and I: ABC 7 set

Okay, so I went with Flat Sarnoff yesterday to go visit the ABC 7 location on 190 N State St.  It’s a great spot to visit, it use to be a theatre and is was used by several different television networks before it was bought by ABC.  I had to use a manila folder because poor Flat Sarnoff was blending in the background despite his bright colorful and festive self.

This is what the set looks like, it’s kind of weird seeing it in person with no one there.  It was very dark and lifeless looking, I’m so used to seeing it so much brighter it just seems livelier on the screen.