Chicago

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The first thing I noticed about Chicago was its sheer size it took 40 minutes on the train to get to downtown from the airport. The second thing I noticed was how friendly the people were, everyone was eager to help, and people showed a genuine interest in our trip what we had done and what we were doing. It was a real positive and happy atmosphere. The third thing I noticed was after I came up to street level, and it was how beautiful the city was. The various styles of architecture gave Chicago a sense of identity different from any other US city. Its position next to lake Michigan acted as a stunning backdrop to the glorious high-rising towers & skyscrapers that fill the Chicago skyline. The city, which burnt down in 1871, attracted architects from around the globe to come and help rebuild the city and they gave it the character and style it has today.

Forced into a HI hostel for two nights we dug deep into our pockets. I believe Ben actually had to sell a kidney at this point in order to afford this massively overpriced hostel. After dropping off the bags we went looking for a good place to eat. I finally managed to persuade Ben into selling his remaining kidney and eating out at a genuine Chicago town pizza restaurant. The pizza made not of dough but of pasty was extremely filing and I could only manage one slice. It turned out to be quite cost effective as the remainder of the pizza served me for another three meals.

That evening we me a guy called Brett and arranged to go out drinking with him the following night.

The following day we took a free walking tour provided by the hostel, very informative and interesting it pointed out some of the architectural highlights. A place noted on the tour, which we later came back too was a giant reflective kidney bean that altered your image when you stood in different locations.

That evening we met with Brett and hit the town. Starting in an Irish bar and finishing in a bar called ‘Howl at the Moon’ that had duelling pianos, it was a very good night. The next morning, feeling worse for wears, we moved out to a cheaper hostel 40 minutes out from downtown. We spent the rest of the day exploring navy pier, a large entertainment and shop complex on a pier. To conclude the day we went to a cinema to watch De Vinci code, outside a couple of religious fanatics protested against the film, obviously not understanding the concepts of fiction and non-fiction.

For our final day in Chicago we explored downtown further including some of the more famous buildings, including the water tower and the Wrigley building. Later that evening we prepared for our upcoming time in the wilderness and went to bed early. The next morning we headed to the train station where we boarded the California Zephyr to start the first leg of the 2,422-mile journey to San Francisco.

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Photos

Chicago
The Chicago skyline from Navy Pier. The Sears Tower can be seen in this picture.

Chicago Town Pizza
Real authentic Chicago Town Pizza, from Unos.

Chicago Architecture
Chicago is full of interesting and unique buildings

Apartments
These two buildings are Chicago apartments, in the lower part of the building there is a House of Blues bar.

The Tribune Tower
The Tribune Tower has parts of other buildings embedded into its walls, such as the pyramids, Houses of Parliament and the Coliseum.

Public Art
Chicago is full of public art, like this water fountain/video screen.

Arty Bridge
Another piece of Chicago art. - A bridge

Outdoor Arena
Another piece of Chicago art. - An outdoor arena for free concerts.

Kidney Bean
The giant Kidney Bean - another Chicago art project.

Kidney Bean reflections
The shape of the Kidney bean produced some interesting reflections. This is our attempt of art. I think we were feeling somewhat inspired.

Me in the Bean
Me in front of the bean

Saturday Night
A big night out in Chicago with Brett.

Ben and Brett
In the 'Howl at the Moon' bar

The Group
The end of the night. From Left to Right: Carrie, Heather, Ben, Lauren, and Angus. I'm taking the picture.

Da Vinci Code
Protestors outside the Cinema where we watched the Da Vinci Code