Greyhound, is an excellent bus service. They're mostly on time; and when they're not, the driver puts the hammer down. There are plenty of stops, not all of them for resting, and major terminals for long-breaks on all destinations. This, naturally, extends an already long journey, which is why Richmond to Chicago took twenty-four hours. Considering that I only traveled a third-of-the-way across the country, the bus journey shows, just how BIG, the United States is. My route from Richmond traversed Washington D.C., Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Toledo, Gary and Chicago, with other stops in between, according to which direction one was going. The panhandle of Maryland, Northern West Virginia and Southern region of Pennsylvania below Pittsburgh are all very scenic in comparison the flatness of Northern Indiana and Ohio. I was surprised by Pittsburgh, which was one of the stops on the journey. I thought, as an industrial city, there would be more urban decay and abandoned factories. When crossing the Monongahela River I got a spectacular view of the Downtown skyline whilst the sun was setting, and considered how modern and revitalised the city looked.
Like any long journey, they're uncomfortable, but you do get a lot more foot-space than on an aeroplane. You also get a cup-holder, plug socket and your own little plastic bin to get rid of any rubbish. Seating is non-prioritised. If at the beginning of a journey, all seats are available and you can sit where you want, most people sit in a row by-themselves, for extra space. But as you progress throughout your journey, the bus fills-up, people depart and it fills-up some more, all according to the destination and which weekday you're travelling. Because it is the poor-man's way of travelling, it is a lottery who could be sitting next to you. My neighbours tended to be on the higher scale of normal. Whilst at one-stop and eavesdropping, I heard one woman, who throughout the outward journey, was rather loud, talking about her own situation. She was heading to her home town of Baltimore after recently getting out of prison. The reason for her incarceration time, was her inability to pay the final $700 of a $2700 debt she had accrued where she was living. Because she couldn't pay the final amount, she was also being fined, adding more to her debt problems. Not knowing the legal and criminal proceedings of her case, and whether or not she was telling the 'full story,' jail time seems excessive for someone who is 'probably,' in a economically desperate situation. I was however glad when she got off the bus because I like peace and quiet - she was loud. Most people keep to themselves, and the drivers themselves, have rigid guidelines they announce to you, to minimise the amount of noise coming from their passengers. Peace and quiet is good, but you can't do anything about people who snore - apart from gagging!!
I arrived at 4:55 Sunday on the day of Mr Lau's race. We'd spoken the Thursday prior and planned to meet before the race just after I arrived in Chicago. Unfortunately our rather unplanned plan did not go to plan. Greyhound's intermitant wifi and our own data roaming costs and phone charges, meant that communication by phone was impossible and as it turned out, my phone had internet problems anyway. At that time in the morning, no other runner was there, and therefore you'd think it easy to find just one person waiting by the entrance to the race venue. Well, Grant Park, where the race began, is a massive park, and there were several 'Gates' at which to enter, none of which, I knew where my friend would be waiting. I asked at the Info Desk, walked up and down past all the gate entrances and couldn't find a soul. I was waiting throughout the early hours of the morning, knowing that my friend's start time was at 7:30, getting frustrated as other runners appeared, until it turned into a torrid flood of people. As it turned out, after we had finally met after the race, Kyt, my dear buddy, had already gone into the staging area, where spectators weren't allowed to enter and he, not allowed leave. I then went to get breakfast and figure out what to do.
After asking a few people whether or not they could track my friend, all runners had tracking devices, to no avail. I went for wander, went to Dunkin' Donuts for a hot chocolate and a doughnut and then after 3hrs, around the time I thought Kyt would finish the race, I placed myself as close to the finishing line to watch my friend in the final part of the race. Waiting for sometime time..., and Kyt was slow (I think he should retire from running), I almost walked off and head towards the "runner and spectator post-race meet-up." Alas, and it made the whole Greyhound journey and morning "meet-up" worthwile, I saw Kyt, who was struggling on the final hill (he had a foot problem), run past! I was sooooo elated! I screamed Kyt!; go Kyt!; For Royal Mail!; but he did not hear me. It was then I made my way over to the post-race meeting area I met my friend in the glorious Chicago sunshine. For the record, Kyt offered his post-race beers to me and because I'm an alcoholic, could not refuse! We then both waited for Mel and Hung to meet with us, which again, was a patient endeavor.
Kyt and Hung had begun their eating binge way before I arrived who had gorged themselves on a Chicago Town deep-dish pizza at Giordano's. What makes Chicago's pizza so famous is its depth, and is more like a pie than a pizza. To celebrate Kyt's marathon, we all went to Miller's Pub. The food, beer, and pub ambience were exceptional and I would recommend anyone if in Chicago, to seek it out. The only complaint that I had, was that the food could have been hotter. For dessert I had apple pie a la mode, which could have had more filling to satisfy my culinary lust. In one of our ventures out of Downtown, we went looking for a pie shop, (which shut after 19:00), so Kyt could get some pumpkin pie. It was here that we discovered Cozy's Corner. the American diner where we would have our final breakfast. Before that, for our 'goodbye Chicago meal' we went to Rudy's Bar and Grille, which is good ol' fashioned American burger bar,' for dinner. Another reason, because Kyt has "sinister motives," for going to this particular restaurant, was that they had an eating competition. Kyt had firmly decided that he wanted to participate in this exercise of gluttony, also attempting to rope both Hung and myself into his little fantasy too. Hung and I resisted, but Kyt too, was advised not to do the eating contest, because he had no "professional" training. Although the waitress was lovely and very amiable. So we went back to Cozy's Corner to have our fair-well breakfast. As some of you have seen from the photos, it was terrific. I had crispy bacon, two eggs (over-easy), two slices of (sweet) French toast and additional hash browns. Again, the the Mexican-American waitress was gorgeous with an engaging smile. We also went to Frojo's for frozen yogurt and the Cheese Cake Factory.
We ascended Willis (Sears) Tower to the skydeck and got excellent views of the city and Lake Michigan. The guys and gal had visited the Shed Aquarium before I arrived, but we went to see the Science and Industry Museum. I think it was geared more for children and families; therefore, finding some of the exhibitions rather elementary. I would have preferred going to the Field Museum of Natural History. The U-505 exhibit was excellent. Until you see a machine of this size up close, you can't appreciate its size and the very cramped conditions inside. I now want to see a USS Ohio Class Submarine in museum setting. What was disappointing, was the American "spin" on submarine warfare during World War Two. That U.S. Navy T.G. 22.3 was the "first" capture of a German submarine containing enigma and code books. The British captures of German submarines didn't exist in this tour guides version of events. We also took a river and lake tour of the city, which explained the origins, beginning with the Great Fire of Chicago, of the varieties of architecture found in the city's skyscrapers. It was also on this tour that I discovered the origins of the term "Windy City," relating to Charles Dana, editor of the Sun newspaper, and Chicago's bid to host the Columbian Exposition.
Kyt also experienced his own random events. Whilst Downtown, I can't remember where we were heading, we walked past a bus stop, where one guy was "having a piss." Not knowing what this man was "actually doing," inquisitive Kyt had a sneaky peak, when he got a blunt response. "That guy is staring at my dick!" Even after we had moved on, in the background we could still hear this guy: "Hey!, that guy was staring at my dick!" I don't know why anyone would be urinating in broad daylight at a bus-stop?! Closer to the hotel, an argument had broken out between a local store owner and some blacks who hung-around the area. We didn't know what caused it, but you could hear it up and down the street. I've heard the word "nigger" a few times now, between African-Americans and in discussion with Chris the decorator, but I've never heard used in an aggressive way. I think the store owner was Italian-American (he had attitude), and the African-Americans were homeless, or just loiterers. As we approached, he said: "That's why I hate you Fucking Niggers!!" Of course we walked on minding our own business, but there was no response, and as far as I'm aware, ended peacefully. Of course, I was hoping the cops would be called and a shoot-out take place!! I think I've played GTA 5 too much! Killing make's my dick hard!!
On that note...
Benny 'Al Capone' Kenny.
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