American Adventure: Part 2

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So, Our adventures in New York were complete (for now at least!), and we had an early start to pick up the hire car (which we named Billie-Jo) and start our epic drive to Chicago via the Niagara Falls. Rosie drove, I navigated, and Becky kept us entertained. We had brought a pile of CDs with us, so we put on the tunes and hit the road.

Navigating was startling straightforward after we got out of the city, with interstates that just go on and on. although it meant it was difficult for Rosie to stay alert on the boredom-inducing drive. Still, we kept ourselves awake and entertained by singing loudly along to the songs, regular coffee boosts, and sticking our faces out of the windows as we whizzed along. By about 4p.m. we had reached the Niagara Falls, having passed through New Jersey, a corner of Pennsylvania and New York State.

What a truly amazing, once-in-a-lifetime sight! As we walked through the park, we could hear the rushing water, and suddenly, there they were, the Niagara Falls. We explored the American side first, whilst it was still light, getting so close to the water that we were getting drenched by the mist. It was incredible. When it got dark, we crossed over into Canada, where we had dinner and admired the falls from a distance as they glowed in a colour-changing light-show. Everyone says the Canadian side is better, but I would have to disagree. You get a good overall view in Canada, but on that side of the border, you feel like you are in a theme park, with hotel and restaurant complexes, whereas on the American side you have the Niagara national park, and it is from this side that you can get really close to both sets of falls, as well as the rushing rapids, which culminate in the falls.

After dinner and a wander round, we set off again, crossing back into America and continued on our way. We followed interstate 90 past lake Erie and back into Pennsylvania, where we stopped and grabbed some shut-eye, sleeping in the car for a few hours before freshening up in the service station and driving on early the next morning. New York state had had some picturesque scenery, but Ohio and Indiana, the states we had to completely cross, were incredibly flat and boring, meaning even louder singing and even more coffee to stay alert. Finally, in the afternoon, we began bouncing with excitement as the Sears tower loomed into view and we reached Chicago. We were staying with friends of Rosie's in Elgin, a lovely suburb of Chicago. Their generosity knew no bounds, they made us feel like family with barbecues and long conversations over a chilled glass of wine in the garden. We really got a true taste of American life here; Rosie had worked here as an au pair for a year, so we met up with lots of her friends, who were without exception friendly and sociable, and we had some brilliant times with them.

On the first full day there, we took the train downtown to sightsee and shop. In the centre of town, there is a sculpture called the bean, shaped not surprisingly like a bean, with a mirrored surface so that it reflects and distorts the skyline and any passing people, and you can take some crazy, almost hallucinatory pictures, which of course we did. By the stadium, we met some freestyle beat-boxers having a practice. We got talking to them, and they gave us an impromptu performance with a improvised beat-box about England and then one they had written about Chicago. It is the kind of city which inspires creativity. We then wandered along Michigan Avenue, one of the main streets, and shopped in Urban Outfitters, one of my favourite shops! Losing track of time in shopping heaven, we had to run to catch the train back in time to go to an open mic night, where Wes and his brother Jamie, who we were staying with, were playing. It was a great night, we got to meet the rest of their band, Memphis4Now, and the music was great.

The following day, we went back downtown and ascended the Hancock tower for some fabulous panoramic views of Chicago. Once we had taken in the views and got plenty of photos, we went back down and had Mexican food for lunch at a restaurant on Navy Pier. Feeling full, we walked it off along the beach by Lake Michigan, which is more like being by the sea. When they say the Great lakes, they mean it! In an all-too familiar scenario, we ended up sprinting across Chicago to make the train, and went back to have a barbecue with Wes and his family. Kathy, his mum, had made us some great food and we talked and laughed long into the night.

The next morning, we decided to go to Geneva, a small, charming town near Elgin. It is the most gorgeous place, true American suburbia, but with unique, arty shops, which I am a sucker for. The sun was shining, there was a fantastic ice-cream place, life was good. I spent a happy half-hour in a vintage shop, where I couldn't resist buying two old books. They had originally been printed in Covent Garden, over a hundred years ago, so I sort of felt like I was bringing them back to their home. Once I had made my purchase, we walked through the nearby nature park and enjoyed the sunshine. When we got back, Kathy had a surprise for us: she had managed to get hold of 4 Cubs tickets from work, so we were going to get a trip to Wrigley field, one of the most famous baseball grounds in the States, to watch a game.

So that's where we went the next day. The atmosphere was incredible. Cubs fans are some of the most die-hard in the country, even though the Cubs don't do that well, in fact they have made a reputation for themselves based on the fact that they have never made it to the World Series since 1945. The rules of baseball can be a little hard to follow for the uninitiated (i.e. me) and games can go on forever, but it is the best experience. The crowd goes crazy if someone so much as hits the ball, and the place absolutely erupts if there is a home run. An unexpected highlight was the 'beer ninja' (he's on Youtube), who can open and pour a beer faster than anyone else on the planet, a strangely captivating skill!

That night, after watching Memphis4Now perform, we ate junk food and hung out with everyone, whilst dog-sitting two gorgeous British Bull-dogs, Angus and Lola. At the end of the night, we had to say goodbye to everyone, which was strangely hard, considering we'd only known them a few days. But we had to get back to New York for our flight home.

So we did the road trip in reverse, this time in Billie-Jo Junior, and finally had one final night in New York. We stayed in the Jazz Hostel, far inferior to the Loft Hostel we'd originally stayed in, with tiny rooms crammed with bunk beds, and a crazy lady occupying Rosie's bed. She insisted it was hers, and even after we'd called a member of staff, she wouldn't leave until she'd yelled at the poor guy and he'd threatened to get security. It was a bizzare, but fairly hilarious final night.

Then, all too soon, it was time to go back home. But we hadn't quite had our last surprise. We thought we'd seen it all, but on the metro on the way to JFK airport, we got chatting to a woman who blew us away with her remarks; the conversation went something like this: "So you guys are from England? Wow, it takes, like, two days to get there, right?" "Um, no, about 6 hours." "Oh wow, that's fast. Do you guys have television over there yet?" "Yes." "But you still live by candlelight, right?"

Only in America.

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Photos

The morning after
We slept in the car. Enough said.

Comments

[Eric]

I enjoyed your American road trip post. I am American and always wanted to do that. My blog is looking for travel photos and travel reviews. If you have time, check us out at dirty-hippies.blogspot.com Continued fun on on the road, Eric