Chicago

After a couple of nights in Lincoln, Nebraska we swapped the Greyhound bus for the Amtrak train and set off on the 11 hour trip to Chicago (Another 4am start that day!) The train was an excellent way to travel (a bit more expensive than the bus which is why we are only doing it once!) Lots of room to move around and a great viewing carriage where you could sit in comfortable chairs facing the windows and watch the scenery go by. There were a few stops where you had time to get off and stretch your legs and then when the first whistle blew you knew it was time to go. Come on CK "git back on board!" After Nebraska we went through Iowa and then it was onto Illinois and Chicago! We had a little apartment within walking distance of Lake Michigan (the largest lake totally in USA - untouched by Canadian feet - as a tour guide later in the week kept telling us!) There was a walkway that you could take in various directions around the lake and once down there you could tell how Chicago got its nickname 'The Windy City!' We walked to a little marina one day and came upon the famous Michigan Mist! At first we couldn't see a thing past the first few boats and then gradually the mist began to clear and the Chicago skyline came slowly into view in the background. Millennium Park was also a great place to wander round. You had a great view of the skyline from there but by far the most fascinating attraction was Cloud Gate, which was actually made by a British artist Anish Kapoor. It was inspired by liquid mercury and is forged of a seamless series of stainless steel plates. It was amazing to go underneath and see yourself mirrored back from all sorts of very weird perspectives! The day we went there the sky was a cloudless blue which was perfect for seeing the sky and buildings reflected in it. Amazing! Another day we decided to get one of the hop on hop off bus tours as we got a special deal which included neighbourhood tours as well for the same price - bargain! It was part open top double decker bus and part trolley bus and took you down the Magnificent Mile (Chicago's answer to Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills or 5th Avenue, New York - or in other words expensive shopping district!) It was nice to sit back, relax and see the sights from the comfort of a bus for a change - accompanied by the witty repartee (mostly!) of the tour guide. The locals were very friendly too! As we drove along in the trolley bus, in the South side of the city particularly, lots of people were waving to us and shouting out "Welcome to Chicago!" Also on the South side we had a tour of various houses which had belonged to famous people such as Louis Armstrong and Mohammed Ali amongst others, as well as the one in the photo which still belongs to a certain Mr Barack Obama! It was surrounded by trees and had security guys outside so we couldn't really see it all that clearly. The driver was under strict instructions to keep moving and not to stop the bus at any time in front of the house which was quite funny as he drove past the house not once but twice and every time he drove past the security guys he shouted out of the window "I'm not stopping - I'm still rolling, still rolling!" Which is what we are doing now that our week in Chicago has come to an end - still rolling on! This time to Cape Cod in Massachusetts! Where incidentally a certain Mr Barack Obama has just returned from! We are beginning to think he is following our itinerary as a few places we have been recently either he has just been or he goes there after us! Weird!