#chq

[betterbooktitles]

My wife and I got married in the Hamptons of Cleveland, a small gated community an hour south of Buffalo called the Chautauqua Institution. A year later, steps from where we had danced to a Beatles cover band, someone stabbed Salman Rushdie. 

I worry Chautauqua will be known for that attack someday. When I tell a friend where we were married, will I see their face change in subtle recognition? Will it become like saying you went to Columbine High School but graduated years before the shooting?

Probably not. The Chautauqua lore is so rich that it’s unlikely to be known for any single event. It’s been praised by the New York Times for being a spiritually and intellectually satisfying retreat, and bashed in the New York Times for its Boys’ and Girls’ Club, the oldest children’s day camp in the country, one that still separates the sexes. 

“Chautauquas,” according to the first few pages of Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance once littered the United States. Intellectuals toured the country giving lectures during the Lyceum Movement, an experiment in adult education for the masses. Chautauqua, New York was the flagship community and is also one of the few Chautauquas that has survived.

An entire page of my sophomore American History textbook was devoted to Chautauqua. Writers, politicians, comedians, and essayists all traveled on the lyceum circuit to get their message out to the world. William Jennings Bryan was likely the most exciting speaker, a man who I first heard about in the play Our Town where the Stage Manager excitedly tells the audience that “Bryan once made a speech from these very steps here.” Thanks to my family’s yearly vacations in Chautauqua, I too had seen some steps where Bryan had once made a speech. Exciting stuff. I was walking through a page of my history textbook every summer.

Though I knew the place was somewhat famous, Chautauqua’s history often seemed embellished. Once, a nice white-haired lady walking past me on the road, unprompted, pointed at a patch of grass beyond the institution’s fence and said “You know, Amelia Earhart landed her plane on that golf course once.” Sure she did, lady. Then a few days later, I’d found myself in the Chautauqua library staring at a giant black-and-white photo of Amelia Earhart standing on the Chautauqua golf course. It’s near a few photos of FDR in front of the Chautauqua Opera House. 

It’s difficult to describe Chautauqua to the uninitiated. I happily let my wife describe it for others whenever the subject comes up: “It’s the set of Dirty Dancing.” Aside from the fact that it’s not in the Catskills and the spirit of the place is a little more centered on intellectual/spiritual edification, it is exactly like the set of Dirty Dancing, complete with a treelined lake, an enormous hotel, and a house full of actors and dancers at one end of the grounds who let loose, partying every night to the wee hours (10 PM) when everything in the Institution closes and strict quiet hours are enforced. Women can even take Ballroom Dance classes with young men, though I get the sense that both parties are a little more puritanical than Swayze and his students. Unfortunately, also like the movie, thanks to a few speakers from the Heritage Foundation, there are also several Chautauquans who like Ayn Rand.

For the kids who grew up going to Chautauqua every summer, it was a giant playground. We went during Week Five of the season consistently and became fast friends with anyone our age. Boys’ and Girls’ Club hours went from 9 AM to noon, and from 2 PM to 4 PM so parents could attend talks or a pottery class while the kids were playing dodgeball and rehearsing for Air Band (a lip-syncing competition for all club attendees). Because the Institution is safe compared to nearly every place people visit from, the kids roam free. They have carte blanche to do whatever they please during daylight hours. We biked, ate mountains of ice cream, or played ping pong for hours when we weren’t at club playing GaGa Ball, a game where you hunched over and used your hands to hit your opponents’ ankles with a volleyball.

Read more here.

[streetsofdublin]

TRAVELS INTO SEVERAL REMOTE NATIONS OF THE WORLD

SAND SCULPTURE TRIBUTE TO SWIFT

[chillosophyin]

Mood 2: Punk of 1800s / 🎩 . . . #chillosophy #CHQ #chillsopher #newcollection #staytuned #moodboard #fashioninspo #victorian #victorianvibes #collageart #collage #vintagemood #steampunk (at Chillosophy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnRTGL4o1gV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[secondhnd]

@chqstarter

Going to the bar after studying all day was something that Fletcher did to unwind. She wasn't a big drinker, certainly not a fan of the taste of it. She took a sip from her drink and set it down. "Ugh, that is the ickiest thing that I have tasted in my life," she announced with a bit of a pout as she pushed the glass away from herself. "I asked for something that didn't taste like alcohol, but I guess the bartender didn't hear me. Or didn't pay attention. You can so totally taste it!"

[fadedstarsfms]

OPEN STARTER @chqstarter Location: Super Market

To say that Bianca hated grocery shopping was an understatement. There were always too many choices and in general it was too boring for her liking. Which was why she liked to play little games with herself when she could. The most fun to her was shopping cart bowling, and at the end of her trip she tried to get a perfect score by pushing her cart into the return when it gave an unexpected veer to the right hitting a car. "Oh shit!" Bianca said before looking around and finding someone who watched the whole thing. "Listen I'll give you $20 if you don't snitch." She offered before a sudden thought came to mind. "Or I'll buy you lunch if that was your car."

[andante--andante]

ophelia: hey i made a ton of kimbap and i can't finish it. come over and grab some pls thx

[hcartachesx]

open starter (@chqstarter)

"Ugh, I am having the worst time trying to find my Halloween costume. I went through so many of them at the store and they were all just cheap and tacky. And now I'm trying to find pieces for another idea and there is like nothing here!" Kendra complained, wincing at another dress before moving on to the next rack. "Maybe I need to just admit defeat and make my own. Though I haven't designed or sewn anything in like a year now."

[acefms]

open starter : @chqstarter where : hell & high water.

“You’ll have to tell me how the drink is,” he insists, motioning towards the person stood at the bar seemingly ordering the newest drink addition to the menu. “I’m told it will be a big hit, but I’m not so sure. On the house, of course— granted you say only good things,” he jokes, though his smile doesn’t quite reflect that. Of course he does desire an honest opinion.

[windovvaving]

who: aileen aodh with: anyone ( @chqstarter ) no longer accepting replies. where: the green ( downtown )

sitting underneath one of the many trees in the green, aileen was browsing home decor sites. they were moving onto remodeling the guest bedroom and needed some ideas. and budget-friendly ideas at that, having spent far too much on the main bedroom. "hey, you," she kicked out at the passer-by. "what makes a good guest bedroom? like, what makes it less like a hotel room and more like a place you could feel at home. but not too at home! you still have to leave at some point."

[rando1ph]

𝐖𝐇𝐎 :  jupiter + anyone // @chqstarter ⦗ CLOSED ⦘ 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 :  night and dine - national waffle day

       the night and dine was the usual spot where jupiter ended up going to whenever he felt any sort of inspiration for writing. today was no different, but what he was not expecting was the night and dine fully packed with people, and plates filled with stacks of waffles. he completely forgot about waffle day, partaking to this little HOLIDAY in the past. he looked around to see if he could find a spot to sit, but he felt like the only spot available was at the counter. " is anyone sitting here ?? "

[oscarhopeful]

𝐖𝐇𝐎 :  gabriel + anyone // @chqstarter ⦗ CLOSED ⦘ 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 :  main squeeze

       after many hours spending it between the library and at the gym, gabriel needed a quick pick me up. he made his way over to the main squeeze, and he looked at all the different drinks that were available. gabe struggled to choose what he wanted, and then he was curious what kind of smoothies they had. he looked to the person next to him, who seemed to be waiting in line, and he nodded. " what are you getting ?? like any RECOMMENDATIONS ?? anything here with boba ??"

[streetsofdublin]

VERY FEW CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AT THE CHQ

In case you don't know Condé Nast Traveller has named Dublin as one of its top spots in the world to celebrate Christmas.

[chillosophyin]

Mood 1: Victorian Vibing / 🦋 . . . #chillosophy #CHQ #chillsopher #newcollection #staytuned #moodboard #fashioninspo (at Chillosophy) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnEhTy_IWzT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[xallmywolvesx]

who: open @chqstarter

where: Meteor Shower Night

Carleigha tucks her bag under her arm, picnic blanket stuffed inside. Her eyes skimmed the Green for an open spot. It appeared she wasn't the only one who'd had the idea. With a soft curse as she struggled to see over the menagerie of people, she climbs up on the nearby bench balancing a foot against the back as she tries to spot an open area for her blanket. Her head tilted as she noticed someone joining her at the bench. "The bench will be free in a moment I promise, just hoping I can catch a spot on the green, there's so many stargazers out tonight"

[deviloutofluck]

@chqstarter

Kayaan's eyes were glued quite carefully on what seemed to be a couple on the opposite side of the street, letting out a hum at the outbursts from the lady who seemed anything but joyful in these trying times. They had been going at it for a good five minutes now and yet it was still uncertain what had sparked the need to argue in the middle of a busy area. "Wonder if he cheated or sum, kinda looks the type if to be honest. Oh! Did she just call him a pig? Yeah yeah... he's screwed."

[andante--andante]

open starter ! @chqstarter location: hell & high water

"Seriously, I know it's fall and people love their seasonal drinks and everything, but who thought a pumpkin spice cocktail was gonna taste good?" Ophelia squeaked, face scrunching from the sip she had just taken from her autumnal drink. Pushing it away from her on the counter, she shook her head with disgust. "Do you want to finish this?"