As Chicago debates the life of the mind versus the life of the party, an alumnus returns to seek merriment amid the Gothic gloom.

By Bob Levey

Photography by Matthew Gilson

idnight at 57th and Woodlawn. As I tromp toward the corner through a dusting of snow, I notice a couple. They are lounging beside a traffic light--young, dressed in heavy coats, surely students.

I draw close. They draw much closer. The female of the couple arches up onto tiptoes. The male of the couple plants a large kiss on her lips. His arms fly around her, hers fly around him. They kiss again. And again.

As I pass, trying to be 3 feet tall, I hear her say:

"Fun. Mmmmmm, yes. Fun."

CONTINUED

Bob Levey, AB'66, is a columnist for the Washington Post and vice president of the Alumni Association's Board of Governors .

• CHICAGO JOURNAL
• INVESTIGATIONS
• EVENTS
• LETTERS

• Feature story, "Life on ice"
• Feature story, "Cut to the quick"
• Feature story, "The long way home"
• Feature story, "The crimes of silence"

• CLASS NEWS
• DEATHS
• BOOKS
• ALUMNI CHRONICLE
• ALUMNI PROFILES