Day 14: Day of the Triffids

An action packed day of searching for and booking out hotels. After worrying about my budget yesterday I planned it all out today and if I can get BA to move my flight forward by a couple of weeks I'll be as good as gold with nothing to worry about. The itinerary has been written in ink and for the most part is set in stone. As it stands, here is what my journey will look like in the end:

Newcastle > London > Chicago > Washington DC > San Francisco > Los Angeles > Toronto > New York City > Chicago > London > Newcastle

I'm now far more optimistic about the rest of the trip and am looking forward to seeing new places. Tomorrow I will spend booking flights and train trips and if there's time I'll head into Chicago. If not, it gives me something to do on Wednesday.

Jambo out.

Day 13: Day-ed, Where's My Car?

Hmm... Strange day today. I've done a lot of thinking and brainstorming with my family and come to some conclusions. I need to start planning stuff for the rest of the holiday. After trying to find a hotel in Washington DC and having to settle for somewhere out in the sticks again I've decided I'd be better off staying in a Hostel as it's going to be a lot cheaper and will give me a more central location. However, the hostels are understandably booked for the next two weeks so what it looks like I'm going to have to do is to book the hostel when it's next available and then try and book something somewhere else in the interim. I've made a list of places I want to visit while I'm over here so hopefully I'll be able to get everything booked.

Also contemplating cutting the trip down by 2-3 weeks and leaving straight after New York as I kinda get the feeling I'd otherwise just spend time in the hotel room/hostel sitting around which I don't want to do. Instead I'd pack as much stuff as possible into a shorter trip which I think is the best way to go about it.

Off to the History Museum tomorrow so I'll mull over the options again and make final decisions/arrangements on Tuesday.

Jambo out.

Day 12: Day Another Day

Well, another day in quiet Illinois. I've started feeling better after what I believe may have been a touch of food poisoning. Had a nice big, hearty meal to celebrate before having a nice chat with Ahsan (Happy Birthday for yesterday, by the way) on iChat. Newcastle United ended up winning again which was nice - we're now two points clear at the top of the league thanks to a hatrick from Kevin Nolan and a rather nice freekick from Ryan Taylor. =D

Since I was feeling better I went grocery shopping and picked up some supplies including some cereal and some milk. Normally this wouldn't be blog-worthy; however, the aforementioned cereal is none other than Lucky Charms! They used to sell Lucky Charms in Britain but for some reason they stopped. I haven't had them in years so I'm hoping they taste as good as 10-year old me tells me they were.

One final quiet day in tomorrow I think - just to make sure I'm feeling fine - then the hustle and bustle of getting everything I want to do done before I leave. There's not too much left on that list though so it shoudln't be too bad.

Jambo out.

Day 11: The Living Day-lights

...

Anyway, it's been heaving it down in Illinois today and with me not feeling very well at all I decided it was best if I stayed in and got some rest. I finally had a shave so I'm no longer rocking the hobo-chic and have spent the day listening to music and reading. Housekeeping was meant to be done today but I think I slept through their attempts to get in.

I had a Skype chat with the family - it was nice to see Basil and Sooty again - and through that managed to find where I want to stay in Washington DC. The hotel is situated in Chinatown and it's meant to be walking distance away from most things of importance which is a huge plus for me. Come to think of it, how come Chinatown is a town? There's no mayor... It's more like a novelty street... Regardless, it's more expensive than it is where I'm currently staying but it'll definitely be worth paying that little bit extra to be more involved with the city and what it has to offer.

I'm not sure what I've got planned for the weekend. If I'm still unwell I probably won't stray too far. I'll probably just get stuff sorted out for the DC leg of the trip and see about going up the Willis Tower Skydeck.

Jambo out.

Day 10: Live And Let Day

Well, I partially did today what I planned to do. I got up a little later than expected to caught the 11:52 train into Chicago. I was going to get a bus to Michigan Avenue (a.k.a the Magnificent Mile) but eventually decided on walking the distance and saving a few dollars. After about 20-25 minutes of walking I ended up on one of the most impressive shopping locations I've ever seen. Massive Malls everywhere and loads of designer places. I definitely felt like an outcast in my jeans and t-shirt with a cumulative price of ~£15. I felt like splashing some cash and, considering everything in the States is almost certainly considerably cheaper than in ol' Blighty, this was the place to do it. I wandered down the street for a fair amount of time before stumbling across the Apple shop. I say shop, it was in fact more of a classroom dedicated to teaching those uninitiated with Macs and iPods how to navigate the interfaces. But there was a shop tacked on at the end so I walked out with an Apple Remote meaning I can control music and DVDs from a distance now which is nice.

After this I wandered further north and found Macy's, a massive designer department store with eight levels! The sunglasses I'd taken with me had been warped by the heat so I needed a new pair so I bought a nice pair of Ray Ban aviators for considerably less than I would have paid back in the UK. Right across from the sunglasses hut was a watch stand selling designer watches. I've been a little worried about the lovely, lovely watch I brought with me as I'm always paranoid that it's going to get stolen or damaged in some way and it means so much to me that I ended up buying a watch that I wouldn't mind if it got nicked or damaged seeing as it has far less sentimental value. Straight across the road from Macy's was a Borders book shop so I popped in and grabbed a new book (Kathy Reichs; 'Bones to Ashes' if you must know). I carried on walking till the shops finished then walked all the way back down which took ages so when I looked at the time it was getting late so I walked back to the station (picking up a shaver on the way) and got on the train back to the hotel. Here's a snap of the stuff I bought:



After checking the Chicago History Museum's website it's a good thing I didn't go today as it's free to enter on Mondays. So, that's Monday sorted!

Jambo out.

Day 9: Dawn of the Day-ed

Urgh... Feeling most unwell after the 'delights' of the Baconator. It's been so bad it's forced me indoors on what has turned out to be a rather nice day. In my current state of being, movement is a no-go at the minute so I'm hoping I'm better in a few hours as I need to get some groceries in. The fresh air will probably do me good as well. So, I've decided to leave Illinois a week earlier than anticipated and head to a new destination. I was torn between Boston and Washington DC so I left it up to Lady Luck:

[There was going to be a video here but the Internet connection is so unbelievably lame that it can't upload a puny 10MB video file so here's a description of what happened: I shuffled a deck of cards thoroughly then cut the deck. If the card I chose was red I'd go to Boston, if the card was black I'd go to Washington DC. I ended up picking the 5 of Clubs.]

So, Washington DC it is! I can't wait! I've been doing a lot of reading of stuff to do and if I stay for a week and a bit I think I'm going to be busy every minute of every day! There just seems like so much stuff to do! Definitely going to try and get a hotel right in the middle this time. I've got just under two weeks left here though so I'm going to get train tickets sorted out, a hotel booked, and then visit the few remaining places I want to check out in Chicago before heading off to a new State. =D

I've got to be feeling better by tomorrow morning though - I've got an action packed day planned involving a trip to the big shopping areas, a bite to eat, a museum visit and then a wander around Itasca before making it back to the hotel.

Day 8: Shaun of the Day-ed

Strange weather again today - it couldn't decide whether it was going to rain or be sunny so it did both, but mostly it rained. After a nice Skype chat with the family I got showered, settled the bill at the front desk, and went for a walk in the rain. It quickly dried up after 5 minutes or so. On the way back I stopped by Wendy's and, wanting to sample a true taste of American culture, ordered the highly anticipated Baconator burger with fries and a Coke:



It was good. An epic burger to live up to an epic name. The square burgers took a bit of getting used to but the hickory smoked bacon was delicious. One thing I have noticed during my stay here is that Coke taste different - worse in fact. After doing a bit of reading on the 'Net I found out it's because in most places in the World they use pure cane sugar in Coke but in the US they use the fructose corn syrup. Definitely not a good thing. Think I'll be sticking to Mountain Dew or plain ol' orange juice in the future.

I had a chat with the people at the front desk and it turns out I can cut short my stay here by a week if I so wish - something I'm incredibly tempted to do as, in hindsight, a month is probably too long to stay in one place. Been pricing up train tickets to a bunch of different places so I'll make a decision on where to go next shortly.

Jambo out.

Day 7: Day Another Day

Another quiet day in Itasca, Il. I'm actually enjoying a little bit of quiet time. It's so serene out here in the sticks that it gives you time to contemplate and prioritise. I've been spending a lot of time reading and planning things to do in future cities I'll be staying in. It has also given me time to heal and I can safely say that I'm 100% now. I went out before to the grocery shop and picked up a couple of cartons of microwaveable Campbell's soup and some Coke. Was going to go for the Baconator but I fear it has intimidated me once more. The weather looks pretty interesting for the next few days:



I'm going to try and get into Chicago providing the trains are still working. That's it for now.

Jambo out.

Day 6: Return of the Jed-Day

C'mon, you've gotta give me that one. It's getting harder and harder to think of appropriate film titles.

Massive shout-out to my brother-in-law Iain for doing the Great North Run today. He raised a lot of money for charity. I'll buy you a beer for your efforts when I get back.

Anyway, my feet were still killing me when I woke up so any plans of walking for any conceivable amount of time were thrown out the window in favour of another comfy day in the hotel room. I've exhausted my supply of Mountain Dew so will have to pick some up tomorrow on the way back from Chicago. I'm considering a trip to the Magnificent Mile tomorrow as I desperately need a pair of shorts and a shaver and it's somewhere interesting I haven't been yet.

I think I'm going to spend the rest of the day getting something to eat (the Baconator from Wendy's sounds pretty good!!) and then browsing the 'Net and my travel guide for places I need to visit while I'm here.

Looking ahead to Tuesday, I think I'll explore the parts of Itasca that I keep threatening to and find a local watering hole. In other news, I finally won a game of Patience! Grated, it's a one player game, but I didn't have to cheat this time! Majorly chuffed with that.

Jambo out.

Day 5: ...

Absolutely shattered from the massive trek yesterday and my legs and feet can barely keep me upright let alone transport me anywhere so I've decided to take at least today and maybe tomorrow off and just have some recovery time in the hotel and around Itasca itself if I can muster the energy to go out. Next week I want to check out the Chicago History Museum and the Magnificent Mile - I may need to invest in a pair of shorts (it's so warm out here!). I think there's a Chicago Fire match on the 26th so I'll look into getting to that. Had another really nice Skype chat with my family sans Dad who had gone out fishing. Going to go and fall asleep or watch a DVD or something - too tired and warm to do anything productive other than write this (and yesterday's) update.

Jambo out.

Day 4: Live Free or Day Hard

I'm aware I didn't post an update last night but to be honest by the time I'd eventually made my way back from Chicago I was too knackered to post anything. I ended up falling asleep watching Anchorman. So, here's yesterday's blog:

Woke up early again and checked my emails and double checked my route before setting off for Medinha Metra station at 10am. I got there with about 5 minutes to spare. Today I was getting off at Grand/Cicero - a stop I hadn't been to before - and catching the number 73 bus from Grand/Cicero to N Clark St which is right next to Lincoln Park Zoo. That was the plan, but unfortunately things didn't work out that way. I spent about 10 minutes trying to find the no. 73 bus stop but to no avail. I had to ask someone for help and they suggested getting the no. 72 which also went to Clark St but was a bit further away from the Zoo. The bus stop was just at the end of the road so I took his advice and caught the number 72. Now, differences between US and UK buses. In the US, the drivers don't have any change on them so if you don't have the right change then you've got to pay extra. Also, the driver doesn't give you a ticket. I'd like to add that the drivers in the UK are far more understanding and helpful and a lot less arrogant. So after standing around for a few seconds waiting for a ticket or some change I was told to "sit my ass down".

While I was minding my own business, looking out of the window for the names of the stops, I had my first encounter with a crazy guy. He came on and sat next to me and started having an argument about Jesus and Muslims with the two ladies opposite me before trying to drag me into it. I just sat there and nodded. The guy had really crazy eyes - like the character in Adam Sandler's Little Nicky when his bag gets stolen - and I wasn't going to disagree with him. He ranted extensively about how the woman infront of him thought he was crazy, about religion, and about racism before eventually getting off the bus and leaving me in peace.

So, I arrive at N Clark St and follow the road up to N Avenue Beach as I remembered from Google Maps that the Zoo wasn't far away from there. The beach is stunning - there's a really nice juxtaposition between work and play with the beach in the foreground and the looming skyscrapers dominating the skyline in the background.





I stopped at the top of the beach and had a sit down and a drink under the shade by a tree. I must've sat there for about 20 minutes but it's another place, like Buckingham Fountain, that is in my favourite bits of Chicago so far. Just so laid back and a great atmosphere. So, after that little sit down I made my way to Lincoln Park Zoo. LPZ prides itself on being on of the few remaining free Zoos in the World and, despite the lack of income from punters, it didn't disappoint! I arrived just in time to make it to the Seal feeding which was pretty cool - it also taught me the difference between a Seal and a Sea Lion! Here are some photos I took of the animals:












After the zoo I'd planned to walk to the Magnificent Mile and then from there to Adams St where the train leaves from Union Station. However, after leaving the Zoo I didn't know which road I was on so I remembered from Google Maps that if I followed the beach down Lake Shore Drive I could get to Michigan Ave and back on route. The walk down Lake Shore Drive was lovely but the sun made me desperate for a drink and I was unfortunately out of juice. I tried following a sign for Michigan Ave but gave up and instead walked the entire length of La Salle St. I naturally stopped off at the nearest shop to get myself a massive bottle of water. The walk back took about two hours in total and totally wiped me out and made my sore feet even worse. So I make a right onto Adams St and get on the train back to Medinha. The walk from Medinha to the hotel was arguably the most agonizing 40 minutes of my life as my legs and feet were just seizing up with every step. Still, I made it to the 7-11 to grab some Mountain Dew then headed back to the hotel room. That about sums up Day 4.

Jambo out.

Day 3: Day Hard with a Vengeance

Today I got up very promptly after a cool early night being soothed to sleep by the sound of the air con (a complete God send) with the intention of getting to Itasca Metra station by 10:52 in time for the train. However, I got distracted by a book and by the time I'd got out of the shower and was dressed it was already past 10:52, so I decided I'd stay in a bit longer and suss some info out. Last night as I was browsing the net trying to plan today I found a potentially nearer Metra Station on Medinha Road so I figured I'd find the route on Google Maps, take a photo of it to refer to, and set off to try and catch the next train which was at 11:52. Along the way I saw this fella:



Anyway, the distance between Medinha and Union Station is pretty much the same distance between Newcastle and Sunderland so I was used to this sort of train ride. Nothing to note really other than you pay for your ticket once you're on the carriage (but if there was a ticket agent at the station you have to pay an additional $2) and there's loads of leg room. The seats were leather and were pretty comfy. Also, the train had two floors! Awesome!

So, I made it to Chicago's Union Station unscathed (other than bumping my head as I stood up to leave). I figured seeing as I didn't know where I was going that I would head right and see what I stumbled across. Incidently what I did stumble across was alot of very tall buildings and a lot of restaurants. After about 20 minutes of ambling, I find a Staples and head in as I needed a notebook and pen so I could jot down directions so I wouldn't get lost again... Notebook - check. Pen - Hang on? Where're the pens? Unless you're after chunky permanent markers or multi-packs of mechanical pencils then Staple's is not the right place for you! I headed into the next 7-11 I found and bought some orange juice as the heat was making me crazy with thirst. After a bit more walking I find the Chicago Institute of Art and the stroll alongside it took me right next to a rather nice looking park. A further investigation revealed that I was right next to Buckingham Fountain so I thought I'd pop by and see what was what:





It took me a pretty long time to get back to Union Station but after asking a couple of the locals made my way back okay - my internal sat-nav instinctively taking me in the right direction but requiring confirmation along the way. So, I hop back on the Metra to Medinha after some 4 hours of ad-hoc exploration in Chicago. I've been doing a lot of walking recently and I can't see me stopping any time soon. I'll be fit as a fiddle in no time! Anyway, that's all for now - my feet are killing me so I'm going for a lie down and a read.

Jambo out.

Day 2: Day Harder

Well, I was still feeling a bit jet-lagged so I had another incredibly lazy day starting with a shower and following with me sitting infront of the laptop listening to music and trying to sort out directions and locations on Google Maps with some sense of success. At midday (my time, 6pm UK time) I'd arranged to have a Skype chat with my parents, sister and brother-in-law. It was great seeing and hearing from them - never thought I'd have a use for a webcam but it's really going to help stop me feeling homesick over the course of the next 87 days. Anyway, we chatted for about 30 minutes as I gave them a tour of the hotel room and talked about the weather and how everyone was doing. After that I spent a further 30 minutes confirming where things were on Google Maps and looking at train times before deciding I was too tired to actually head into Chicago itself today so instead I thought I'd go for a walk and check out the local surroundings.

First thing I noticed after leaving the hotel was that there are no pavements, just road, so if you want to walk somewhere you have to walk right alongside the cars! I kept as close to the side as possible, hopping onto grass where available to keep me as far away from the cars as possible. Another thing I noticed is that no-one here walks anywhere. Over an hour of walking I saw maybe one person who wasn't in a car and even then they were walking from a shop into their car! Second thing I notice is that there are zero pedestrian crossings. So, I start my walk away from the way I came into Itasca just to see what's on the other side. I found the nearest 7-11 which will sort out all of my 24 hour Cola needs and I decided to carry on further up to see what was there and because it was a nice day I fancied the walk.

Itasca doesn't really have much in the way of... Well, anything really. The bars and shops are all right next to the Metra station so once I make my way there I should be sorted though it is an estimated 35 minute walk from the Hotel. Anyway, I carry on walking up until I find the train tracks that cut right through the centre of Itasca and I know from looking on Google Maps that to get the Metra station I just need to follow the tracks left. So I head back and take a left down this nice looking road mainly because it had a load of trees and it was boiling hot so the shade looked enticing. A red squirrel ran right out infront of me and right behind it was a duck hopping after it. I wish I'd remembered to take my camera as that was a Kodak moment if I ever saw one. I turned round once I realised the road didn't lead anywhere exciting and saw a group of ducks hanging out under a tree, slowly hopping in a circle around it. Was pretty weird but awesome all the same.

So I head back to the hotel - stopping at 7/11 on the way for supplies - then get back into the room and shove stuff in the fridge. I don't think I'll be heading out anywhere tonight other than maybe to Wendy's to get something to eat tonight. Instead I think I'll get myself stuck into the manual for my digital camera so I can take lots of pictures tomorrow then later on I'll settle down with a film before getting to bed early. Got a busy day in Chicago tomorrow!

Jambo out.

Day 1: Arrival

Whoa. That was a looong flight. I mean, I knew it'd be long, but at times it felt like the clock was going backwards. A few times I dozed off and awoke to find the estimated time had increased!

Got into Chicago O'Hare at roughly 8:15pm and made my way through to border control/customs and immigration, etc. One guy at the airport got quite rudely grabbed by the shoulder and shoved at the back of the line for no reason whatsoever so I made sure I was on my best behaviour. The queue went by quick enough and eventually I saw one of the officers and they asked me the usual questions (how long you here? Where are you going? How much money did you bring? etc...).

Just as I made it to the carousel my luggage swung by which was a stroke of good fortune so with that in tow I made my way to the Taxi rank. Due to the late time I had to pay 1.5x the normal rate. In the end it cost me $60 to get to the Hotel but it's better than having to try and make my own way there.

Anyway, got into the Hotel and got the key to the room. It's a nice big room with a nice big bed. Nothing spectacular but perfectly good enough for a base of operations. The Internet is pretty fast too so I can update with ease. Anyway, it's been far too long a day to carry on without sleep so I bid you adieu.

Jambo out.

BLAST OFF!

It's up to the stars we go!
And leave behind everything I used to know.



Less than a day then I'm on my way to America! This is probably my last post here until I touch down in Illinois and get to the Hotel.

One week till lift off!

Well, after months [read: days...] of planning I've finally got tickets booked and a Hotel sorted for the first month of my 3 month stint in America. I'm staying in a seemingly quiet little place called Itasca, Illinois which is a short train ride away from the centre of Chicago. Feeling very excited - maybe a little bit nervous - but I'm definitely looking forward to it! I'm currently making final preparations such as getting GPD changed into USD, getting a digital camera/camcorder and getting stuff ready to be packed; I think I'll be travelling lightly though to avoid loads of luggage...

I know I've neglected this blog a little bit over the last couple of months but this will be the main hub of my Stateside Adventure so it will be updated a lot more often in the coming months with photos, videos, and comments. I'm very much looking forward to the trip and I hope you are looking forward to reading/seeing/hearing about it.

Jambo out.