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Betsy Melin's Day Off: Honoring Ferris Bueller's Zany Chicago Day

I woke up this morning feeling like Cameron: mildly yet vaguely ill, not wanting to go anywhere, generally filled with ennui. I was on day 2 of a cold that was more of a nuisance than anything, so I had to make some decisions. Should I: a.) soldier through class? Perhaps risking exhausting myself and infecting others? b.) fall back asleep and wake up sometime in the mid-afternoon having wasted a perfectly good day? or c.) play a little hookie. I let my inner Ferris decide. So I did the college equivalent of calling in sick and emailed my professors, and embarked on my very own "Day Off".

First things first: what to wear, see one of the things that makes Ferris Bueller's Day Off so iconic is the fashion. It is the perfect mix of on trend and completely out there. A great mix of expected teen fashion and trend setting. For my day off I chose an homage to Ferris Bueller's most well known outfit. I started with some embroidered jeans, I really wanted to lean into millennial trends with this choice. Next I chose a white teeshirt, a move straight out of Ferris' book. Then a long bright cardigan, unfortunately I do not own one with a zany, almost cheetah print fabric one so instead I elected for bright yellow. Finally I finished the look with a bomber jacket. Now normally I wouldn't wear this many layers but this was no longer about me. This was about honoring a day off.

My first stop was to slow down. The central message of the film is that sometimes you gotta slow down and enjoy life. I started at the lake. I have the immense privilege of living mere feet away from the beautiful Lake Michigan and yet I barely spend anytime enjoying it. I walk past it briskly every morning so today I made it my goal to stop and look. To appreciate the beauty that is right outside my door. Another aspect of this intentional slow down was to enjoy the plants around me. My campus does such a beautiful job landscaping and I do not appreciate it enough. It was a lovely treat to stop and smell the proverbial roses.

Next it was time to head to the heart of Chicago. Many films can be considered love letters. I believer Ferris Bueller to be one of them. It's a love letter not only to teenage freedom and rebellion but to the city of Chicago. There are so many perfectly Chicago moments, this movie could be set no where else. It belongs in Chicago, it celebrates the unique aspects of the beautiful city.

First it was off to the "Flamingo" statue, this can be seen briefly in the film as the characters talk to one another. Even though it isn't a large plot point or even discussed by the characters it adds some color and character to the background of this film. It is one of the details that makes this movie belong to Chicago and Chicago alone.

Next it was to Willis Tower, home of one of the most famous scenes in the film. The three main characters look down from the sky deck and realize the people down below look like ants. I had the opportunity to be one of those ants today. The whole point of that scene was for the characters to realize how small their problems were, this effect was not lost on me as I gazed up to the monumental building in front of me.

Then it was time to visit the Art Institute of Chicago. This was my favorite stop. There is nothing better than acclimating yourself with art from all around the world. In the movie two pieces are specifically focused on. The first is A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by George Seurat. In one of the most iconic film sequences of all time Cameron looks into the eyes of the little girl featured in the painting. The shot zooms further and further in, mirroring Cameron's face to the little girls until it is finally clear that the girl is made up of nothing but dots. It's a breathtaking scene that can be interpreted in many ways, which is one of the reasons this painting has become such a spectacle. I entered the museum just minutes after it opened and still by the time I reached the painting it was swarmed by people in search of their Cameron moment.

Next it was up to Chagall's stain glass windows. This is a brief moment in the film where Ferris and girlfriend Slone look at each other with the backdrop of the beautiful blue glass. It is a visually stunning and romantic moment, and it is hard not to feel the romanticism when staring at these beautiful windows.

This was a good experience for me. I often times think that it is easy to forget that "life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop to look around once and a while you could miss it."

Look below to see some images capturing my day!


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