On Saturday, Igor, mom, and I went to the Pullman Open House to tour the homes. The weather was gorgeous; I do not remember ever being on that tour on such a perfect day. Also, that was the best open house we’ve attended from the organizational point of view; the route was planned perfectly, the sights were clearly marked.
Most of the houses which were this year were the new ones. And this time, no pictures were allowed inside, except for two places that contained exhibits.
Mom got tired of climbing the stairs in most houses, but overall, she liked this whole experience, and I am glad we took her out. Like one of the older volunteers commented: keep her moving!
Inside the Greenstone ChurchAll houses had very narrow and steep staircases, which were challenging fro my momInside the Historic Pullman CenterThe last car made on Pullman factoryI am not sure how to interpret that:)One of a few signs from the 2014 Friends of Pullman project – the owner decided to keep itOne Florence Blvd building is being restored. It is projected to be open in Spring 2022. It will be a starting point of the new project: At Home in Pullman, which will feature several early Pullman resident families. The are going to have a gift shop, the much-needed coffee shop and more
Then something interesting happened. One of the stops of the house tour was a newly built home in the style matching the nearby historic houses. We entered the studio on the first floor. Igor started to talk to the homeowner, and asked whether he could possibly see her before.
As I said, the weather was perfect, the volunteers were extremely helpful, the only things I wish would be better was a very limited choice of food and the absence of coffee!
My name is Henrietta (Hettie) Dombrovskaya. I was born in Saint-Petersburg, Russian (actually, back then – Leningrad, USSR) in 1963, and immigrated to the United States in 1996.
I love Saint Petersburg, the city I was born and raised in, and I think it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. Similarly (but differently) I love Chicago, and can’t imagine myself moving somewhere else in the observable future.
I have three children, Igor, Vlad and Anna, all adults living on their own, and one (so far) granddaughter Nadia. I also believe that my children are the best thing that happened in my life.
As for my professional life, I am working in the field of Information Technologies. When I was twenty, I’ve declared that the databases are the coolest thing invented and that I want to do them for the rest of my life. Thirty plus years later, I still believe it’s true, and still, believe that the databases are the best. These two statements together imply that I think a person can have it all, and indeed, I think so! Keep reading my journals to find out how I did it.
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Hettie's Reflections 
FYI, Kartemquin Films, way back in 1981, made a documentary about the Pullman Company and it’s end. For the curious, it can be found at https://kartemquin.com/films/the-last-pullman-car
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OMG, it’s brilliant! Thank you for sharing 🙂
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Wow! Super! thank you!!!!
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