Day 216
Chicago, Illinios USA
We were up late! And enjoyed our breakfast (didn't see the Breakfast Raider this morning!) and waited for the shuttle bus to take us to Newark Airport for our New York to Chicago flight. Arrived there early.........(as we always are..hehe) and so we indulged ourselves in our 'favourite things'...
Greg had Hershey chocolate and i bought he local rag! I love reading the local news..i think it reflects what is goingo on in the place we are. In New York it's baseball, baseball, baseball...and it seems to me the front (and back) cover has news of the METS and YANKEES on it!
So that's the frame of mind of the New Yorkers...sport and nothing else!!! Wait, there were shootings, gangs, the latest court case.....and of course, what Bush is doing!
And that was it!! Nothing about Europe or other countries...and where is Australia?
I miss my Daily Mail!!!! I love that paper! We got it everywhere in Europe...although it was expenive ie two fifty euro in europe compared to fifty pence in England. But i made sure i got it at least once a week to catch up. Now no Daily Mail or Daily Express. Can't even get it here. So, no news about Maddy either. Or anything about Gordon or Africa or Health issues which were issues always in the English papers. Here, in America..there is no world news in the papers. It's very local. Maybe i'm reading the wrong paper. Not sure. Front page definitely is all about the World Series.
Anyway...we sat at the airport...read all the guff and then boarded. We both got searched this time!!! Twice. First it was just a basic body search. Then we were both subjected to a thorough search. Greg thought it was OK because he felt sercure that at least they check people and the sercurity was good. I felt dubious as usual..and afraid..like as if they were going to find something!! Look at Chapelle Corby! Anyway...got over that, again, and 2 hours later, with no food on the plane (American Airlines) we arrived at O'Hara Airport!
And.....there she was!!! At the baggage terminal. I couldn't miss her! It was KATE. Looking as gorgeous as ever (better, albeit healthier and happier than she was when i last saw her in Tasmania 8 years ago.
It was just as if i'd seen her yesterday.
We DID NOT stop talking....on the way to the car to put our packs in her 'van' (huge!) and back again to book into our hotel (at those phone in hotel/motels that we now know about in the Accomodation section of US airports)and back to the car, and all the way to where we were meant to go!!!!
And....we ended up at a completely different place to the original place where we were booked into!! Don't ask how we did THAT! (We somehow couldn't find the original hotel, rang them, and ended up at at a different hotel of the same brand!) So funny!
The motel (NB: It's a motel!) is nice. Spacious. No microwave, fridge or coffee machine..but who needs that! We're in AMERICA! The land of fast foods!!! We don't need to cook, heat up or do anything except step out, buy and eat! Most hotels in the US seem to have coffee in the lobby anyway (as does this place!) We have two queen beds in the room (?) and our own shower and 'lavatory'. And very decent compared to some of the hovels we've stayed in!
We continued talking...and catching up...and somehow ended up back in Kate's van to go 'downtown' Chicago! Poor Greg, listening to us tarts carrying on! He is so patient. And had to listen to us catch up on Old Times. People that we knew. We just couldn't get enough!
Anyway.......
WE GOT LOST IN CHICAGO!
And i blame our constand nattering!
Kate was trying to drive, we were all trying to navigate and in the end we did find Navy Pier that was our original destination.
But in between Kate gave us the city tour. Includind seeing Chicago burbs (because we got lost!) It was great!!! We got a real feel of Chicago!
And we loved what we saw.
It feels like an old comfortable slipper of a town. Very architecturally beautiful with the old white gothic buildings.....and graceful towers. Sears Tower and Hancock Tower were brought to our attention. As was Broadway Chicago, the Water Tower, the various streets like WHACKER STREET! Mannheim Street. Lake Street. Grand Avenue. Chicago Avenue. We passed them many times as we were looking for Navy Pier.
We went passed some gorgeous suburbs too. Oak Park. And..we now know the difference between an apartment and a Condo! Thanks to Kate! An apartment is a studio room or 2 rooms you rent in an apartment block and a condo is in an apartment that you own! We passed some 'project' accomodation as well which is similar to our state housing.
So fascinating hearing everything from a local point of view. Kate was born in Gary, Indiana which is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and this is very close to Chicago, a place she just loves to bits!
We felt very privileged to be driven all around downtown Chicago by a local! And..i loved seeing an old friend. I've been missing my friends and having a good yak. We made up for the lack of it over the last seven months!!!!
Finally we found our way to Navy Pier and had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co Restaurant which is based on the movie Forrest Gump. And it looked like the movie set too. The waiter was hilarious, giving us a Forest Gump quiz and leaving us wondering how much we 'didn't' know about the movie!
The menu had names like Bubba Shrimp and Gumpberry Cobbler!!!!
Bubba Gumps!
And Popcorn Shrimp! Which Kate recommended and Greg had, and i tasted. I was typically Southern style and tasted great! I had a yummy salad that had a really delicious sauce with raisons in it..Kate had a fried shrimp dish that Greg ended up enjoying!!!
The ambience was fantastic. ALl the old rock and roll songs were played. They took me back and i felt like hopping in my seat! (That was also thanks to the VERY LARGE BEER they served!).
As you leave the Bubba Gump Restaurant you pass by the requisite souvenir shop to exit. It's full of "Forrest Gump" soundtrack music and old rock 'n' roll.
Somehow we found our way out of Navy Pier, through the streets of Chicago and back to our hotel.
It was a great night!
We love Chicago...the atmosphere..the people (Kate of course!) and just the feel of the place..it's so..well, it's Chicago. A great place to 'be'.
I wonder if we'll see any gangsters?
