Chicago

I woke up early on Monday morning, I hadn't slept terribly well. A good sign that I was all caught up from my missing sleep during my road trip and recovered from my hiking. I got my gear together, Katie dropped me off at the light rail station and I went to the airport. Denver airport is relatively new but not terribly well designed. With the exception of Los Angeles airport, all the other airports I have been through "mix" departing and arriving passengers. In the U.K. and Japan when you get off a flight you are sent down separate corridors to the baggage reclaim / customs area and don't have to walk through the shopping part of the terminal. I prefer this to having to fight my through a crowd, for one thing everyone is going the same way. And another thing, why are the baggage carousels in a public area, easily accessed from the street in U.S. airports? Anyone could walk in and steal your luggage. I don't understand it. And I never thought I would say this but there is something that Heathrow does extremely well compared to U.S. airports. That's the security checks. In London the whole procedure is fast and you don't have to take your shoes off, here in America it's a right pain in the arse and I am convinced that it's all pretty much for show. The security staff at American airports are "protecting your freedoms". What a load of bollocks!

You wouldn't know it from this but my flight went well and I arrived in one piece in Chicago and didn't lose my luggage to a luggage thief. The instructions to get to the hostel were spot on and I was soon checked in and relieved of my ruck sack.Always a bonus. I left the hostel and headed to the lake front, on the way I saw a sign for a performance of the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. I asked at the symphony hall box office and they had "rush" tickets available. I'd think it over.I went to Millennium Park and took a look around. It was only 4.30 in the afternoon but it was already getting dark and I was hungry. I took a few photos and headed to a local pizza restaurant to get my first taste of of Chicago Deep Dish pizza. It was o.k., not as good as I was expecting, but generally these things never are when you build them up in advance. I headed back towards the hostel and spent an hour in the library on the way.
I had to move rooms in the morning, the hostel had a large school group arriving and they had booked all of the large dorms out. I wasn't too impressed with this as I had to move to a more expensive room but then if I don't book in advance, what do I expect? I went to the symphony hall and bought my ticket for the performance. They explained what a "rush" ticket is. It's a ticket for the main floor of the hall, so the most expensive after the box seats. If a season ticket holder doesn't show up they will rush you to the seat five minutes before the performance. I am so excited to see the orchestra, but more excited to see Sir Simon Rattle conduct. It had crossed my mind to go and see him when he was conducting the Birmingham Symphony orchestra but of course, I never got around to it. I walked back through Millennium Park and down to the lakefront. Lake Michigan is huge, it looks more like a sea than a lake. I guess what they say about America is true, everything is bigger. I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art and was disappointed. Half of the museum was closed as they are getting ready for a new exhibition,shades of Denver Art Museum. Well, I hadn't paid to get in so I didn't have much to complain about.
I headed north to the John Hancock Tower. There is an observation deck on the 94th floor, I decided to save my cash and go to the bar on the 96th floor. I bought beer with the admission money and the views are just as good. In fact the ladies toilet is definitely a room with a view. I got talking to a couple of guys from New York and had shared a few beers. A nice way to spend the afternoon. Wandering down the "Magnificent Mile" I found the Apple store and checked my email. For some reason some Chicago streets have honorary names in addition to the real ones, so Michigan Avenue is also known as the magnificent mile. I didn't have anything better to do so I went to see the Bulls play. I know nothing about basketball, it's another American sport that we don't really have in the U.K. on a large scale. And I never played it in school, in fact I gave up running at the age of thirteen so I would never have played it even if it had been an option.
I sat down to enjoy the game and noted that each quarter was just twelve minutes long. Therefore I didn't plan on a late night, the game started at 7pm, I'd be done by 8.30pm. No problem. I should know better by now, just going to watch a game is not enough in this country. You can't have people waiting for the players to do their thing, you have to entertain them. Not only was there entertainment between the quarters but also whenever there was a time out and of course music during the game play as well. There was a cheer leading team, a Frisbee catching dog, a kiss cam, break dancers, t- shirts parachuted into the crowd and video games. And that's just to name a few of the entertainments and if you're not entertained by that you can always buy overpriced beer! Ins spite of this the game was great and it went down to the last second and the Bulls won by a point. I got back to the hostel on a specially laid on bus service for the game. I am glad that I got to see a basketball game. I will see the orchestra next week, so I just have to get ticket for a professional football game and an ice hockey game.
The next night was a complete change of pace, I went to a comedy improv show with a group of people from the hostel. It was great, until my phone started ringing during the show, but that got worked into the sketch so... I am always getting scam calls and the crappy thing is if you pick up you have to pay for them. Same with scam texts, you have to pay for them. And as for paying when someone calls you, that is so wrong. People of America unite, do not accept this second rate mobile service any longer.
I got back to the hostel before anyone else which was a bit unexpected as most of our group had left the club before me. Ah well. I sat in my dorm and chatted with a couple of the other inmates! I had breakfast with Collette, she had arrived the night before from Dublin and was just starting her trip. I know that I am in the midst of a trip but I still envy other people their travels. I am also always glad for them , I really do believe that travelling is an amazing thing and you gain so much from doing it. Collette and I headed out to the Field Museum, Chicago's natural history museum. The exhibit on American peoples was amazing, as was the Egyptian exhibit. I can't remember having seen a real mummy before I am a little sad to say that the thing I noticed most was the size of the mummies. They were tiny, short and had small feet. Science tells us that a humans average size has increased through the ages with their longevity but it is another thing to have physical proof of this in front of you.
We walked back to the hostel and I picked up my ruck sack and went to catch the train. I was off to Wisconsin baby!