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 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.