Leslie Across the USA

Chicago - I'm so sad I couldn't stay that I've got the b.l.u.e.s.

Chicago was great, and I truly can't wait to go back. Sure, a lot of that has to do with the fact that I was hosted so fantasically by my friend Mya, but it is a really beautiful city. I arrived in the afternoon, and I was glad to gain an extra hour of time by crossing the date line in Indiana. I know that some of my ancestors came from Indiana, but so far it was the most boring state to drive through. So flat......and I was really struck by the abject poverty you can see from the highway as I came through Gary, Indiana. It just reminded me that the midwest is a lot more than cornfields. Anyway, I was glad for Chicago, even though I was welcomed by one heck of a thunderstorm. I strolled around the Art Institute of Chicago, and was blown away by the Impressionist paintings. I have to go there with my mom. I know she'd want to set up her paints right in the museum. After that, I met Mya outside. She had taken the train in from Rockford, and we walked around Millennium park. There is a crazy fountain there that is really hard to describe. You just have to see it. There are two towers made of glass bricks that enclose two large screens. The screens display a rotating movie that was made by filming close ups of the faces of local Chicagoans. At various times they wink or blink at you, and it's a little freaky at first until you realize it's a movie and not a painting or photo. Then, they form a little O with their mouth and the fountain spits a hefty stream of water out on anyone standing in the fountain. There were lots of kids frolicking - it was super hot and humid, and I thought it was just hilarious. I want one of those fountains in DC! Then we went up the Sears Tower, which was more high than I was prepared for. I did all right, though, but Mya kept making me nervous as she leaned way far over the railing to look for more landmarks to point out. Yeah, the building's observatory is totally enclosed by glass, and there was absolutely no chance of her falling, but I still got a little shaky in the knees. I was kind of dizzy at first, but I quickly adjusted. Mya and I actually lost track of time up there, and we had to scurry to make it to our boat cruise on the river. As we bolted out of our cab and across the bridge, I saw the boat start to pull away, and we stood there, panting, sweaty, and crestfallen. Then we realized it was the wrong boat (ha!). But when we found the right boat, we had missed that one, too. We took a rist and bought tickets to the next one, a two hour sunset cruise on the river and lake. We killed the time by walking up to Garrett's Popcorn, where we purchased a delicious dinner of the sweetest, stickiest, most delicious caramel corn I've ever had. We ate it on the deck of the boat as it floated out to Lake Michigan. There, we watched the sunset, saw Oprah's apartment building, and saw fireworks. It was awesome, and we ended up being really glad we did it. Then we went into Lincoln Park to a jazz club called B.L.U.E.S. where they had a fantastic band playing. The line-up was a rotating group of killer drummers, bassists, guitarists, and singers. One particular drummer had a rather loyal fan in this short, drunk white kid who kept doing the running man and banging his head. The waitress, Mya, and I (and the rest of the bar for that matter) had quite a laugh watching him rock out to the music. To his credit, the music was pretty righteous. Mya and I liked this one guitarist, Dan, so Mya called him over and we chatted with him for a bit. Mya got his number (he's cute - call him!) after he said that he didn't really pick up chicks even though he was an adorable guitar player (liar). The hour was late, though, and we still had to drive all the way out to Rockford, the second largest city in Illinois. Mya put me up in a comfy bed with new sheets, and I slept so well that I missed out on most of the morning's massive thunder and rainstorm. We greeted the morning with a chat with her delightful dad and then went out for Swedish pancakes. There's a big Scandinavian community in Rockford, and they sure can cook! We busted our guts we ate so much, and I really didn't eat much for the rest of the day after that meal. Mya showed me around her neighborhood, which was a Civil War training camp, so it has some pretty remarkable homes. Then, I reluctantly said my goodbyes and headed for Wisconsin. I easily had the most lovely day of driving so far. Wisconsin had lovely rolling hills, trees, and occasional rock formations that jut up into the horizon with a jarring grace. I passed several huge resorts whose main features were indoor water parks where "the weather is is always 88 and sunny!" Not sure I would like that kind of vacation, but they seemed to be packed with people, so someone is dropping a lot of cash on it. I settled in Minneapolis for the evening, and my original plan was to stay at the youth hostel. I ended up opting for an inexpensive hotel downtown where the action is, and I found a great little internet cafe where I am writing this right now! If you're here, check it out - Espresso Caffe on Hennepin and 13th St. So today it's off to the Walker Art Center and Sculpture Garden, and then I head to North Dakota for a few days with Hope! Check ya later...

posted by Leslie @ 11:23 PM