Yesterday I went down to meet my co-worker Ruben at the Mechanics' Institute, a private library located downtown in a beautiful, 100-year-old building. He's a member, and often goes there to play on the tables at their chess club. For the uninitiated, the scene inside is a little intimidating. The room is dead quiet except for the occasional shuffling of the contestants, most of whom are wizened old men who look like they've been playing for sixty years or more. Ruben himself is very sharp, and I lost to him after making an impulsive sacrifice in an attempt to gain center control.
The best part of the building is it's spiral staircase, shown in the photo above. I snapped a few photographs and was quickly accosted by the doorman, who insisted that I go upstairs and sign a permission form before taking them. The man in the office explained that so many photos of the building were being posted online that it had gained reputation as a tourist destination, and that the forms were intended to discourage random people from coming in to take photographs. I imagine it had something to do with grumpy older patrons not wanting to be disturbed by too much commotion, though he wouldn't have admitted it.
