On top of the world (2)

It’s Saturday when I decide to go to the top of Sears Tower, and the “skydeck” that we hear so much about. So I have breakfast in a restaurant along Michigan, and then walk the few blocks to Adams and along there to the tower. Being Sunday, down town is quiet and only a few hardy souls are out and about this morning. But the wind still makes its presence felt - the sign outside the Tower advertising the skydeck is being bent over by the strength of the wind!



This starts off as a hurry up to wait occasion - first we wait to get into lifts that take us down - yes down - to the first basement. Then we wait in line to but our tickets. Then we queue up to get into the lifts that will take us up to the 103rd floor. This observatory is totally enclosed, and with somewhat annoying music playing when I went. But it also has some interesting exhibits about the history of Chicago around in the middle.



This is not a totally clear day, and the horizon from up here is indistinct, but the view gives me a different perspective from being on the ground. Down there it feels very built up and crowded, but from up here there seem to be many open spaces and lots of green. And lots of water too - not just the mighty Lake Michigan, but also the jetties and waterways. I watch fascinated as a boat, one of the water taxis I assume, but looking like a small toy, moves along the river and under the bridges.



Further round and I watch a freeway intersection - all connected and crossing roads, and having a beauty, somehow, in its simple grace. All around you see sparkling new office buildings, and the incongruously, even among these, you can spot the occasional old building, often a church, still standing proud.



An interesting effect that we can see is the shadows of the occasional cloud passing by, making dappled dark and bright areas over the city.



While I’ve been here the deck has filled up more, and there is a really long queue to get the lift back down. As well as the normal collection of tourists, there are a number of young looking soldiers here, sightseeing with their parents on their last leave before departing for a tour of duty. Waiting in line does give me the opportunity to look at all the pictures that are here about Chicago history, and then eventually I get the lift back down to the basement. This leads us through the inevitable souvenir shop, before getting the stairs up to the ground floor, and out once more into the windy city.

Where are the sailors?

I’m on my way to Chicago’s famous Navy Pier, and the route from my hotel looks simple on the map - along Michigan, cross the Chicago River, and then a right to Grand, which leads to the pier. Indeed it probably would have been simple if I’d followed that route, instead of following my instincts and deciding that a walk along the bank of the River would be nicer. And it was a nice walk - just a long one, with a lot of turning back when I got to dead ends; eventually, even nice architecture and river views pail when your dogs are barking.


(Navy Pier entrance)

But I get there eventually, and there is a kiosk for the open top bus tour people - so I stop and get a pass for that, which comes with a free tee shirt and a book of discount vouchers. The shirt is interesting; I’d assumed that anything given away by a tour company would make me into a walking bill-board, or at least have their logo prominently displayed. In fact, these have a design of a building on the front, and on the back it says that this is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park - very nice!


(Looking back to land)

Having walked this far, I walk some more and out onto the pier itself. It is another blustery day, and before long the rain comes sweeping in and I take refuse inside. Here I try on my rain coat - and it’s not the most elegant thing I’ve ever worn, but it will keep me dry.


(A wet Navy Pier and Chicago Skyline)

Going further down the pier, I see a bus with a face looking at me; no, I'm not that mad, it is a promotion for toilet tissue, themed around being “kind to your behind”. They give out vouchers, but also invite you in to have a massage - although I’m not sure I totally see the connection, a free massage is not to be turned down, so I take them up on the offer.


(A “soft and comforting” bus)

Then on to the end of the pier, and a hazy view out across Lake Michigan. Out here, on this wet and windy early spring day it’s easy to believe that I’m really on my own out here, and my only companions are some nesting birds, who seem surprised to see a person way out here.


(At the end of the pier)

Back inside the buildings I get to peek into the grand “family pavilion”, closed at the time I visited, and to look round the many shops and exhibitions there are. It’s odd sometimes what you see where - and here there is an exhibition of stained glass, very pretty, but I don’t see the connection.


(Looking out to the lake)

You can get boat rides from the pier, and on a whim I get a ticket for the “skyline” tour - a short ride that just goes out into the lake to allow a different view of the Chicago Skyline. This is exciting - but very VERY windy, to the extent that I’m actually glad this is only a 30 minute cruise.


(on Lake Michigan)

I like Navy Pier, and go back a few times, but get the bus there and back for the rest of the occasions. I make a particular point of going back one evening to see the funfair lit up and working. It’s still off season, and so not that many people are about, but it’s exciting and I decide to ignore my fear of heights and go on the Ferris Wheel. This is an experience - it is in continual motion, and so you get on and sit down as it moves by - and then off you go up and out over the water. They tell me it takes 7 minutes - but the strange thing is it seems timeless - suddenly from the noise of the funfair you’re in the inky blackness of a windy Chicago night, with just the noise of the Wheel turning for company.


(The Ferris Wheel at night)

I like this sort of place - I think it’s the combination of water and land - the not quite knowing which this is part of. Navy Pier is certainly one of my favourites.

A City lives up to its reputation

I arrive at Chicago Union Station around mid-day, got my bags off the train, and eventually found my way out of the building - every place I go I have to try to work out the way their particular signage works, plus I don’t know the things that are obvious to a resident.

But soon I’m outside and quickly find out just why this is called “the windy city” - all the time I’m there it seems to be a gale force wind. It’s not far to my Hotel, but walking through a busy city at lunch time pulling a suitcase and carrying a backpack is not that easy. The first thing I see as I cross the Chicago River is one of the bridges opening to let a boat through, so I stop and watch like the tourist that I am.


(Chicago River traffic)

This allows me to stop and see how the buildings here are right on the river, and it’s an interesting contrast between the ultra modern office blocks, and the older, more solid bridge. But it’s too windy to stay here long - plus being annoying to those business people who want to get on with working - so I move on am soon walking into “the Loop” - that area of down town that is circled by the elevated railway. My Hotel is just the other side of the Loop on East Harrison, and I manage to find it without too many wrong turns. I book in and get a nice room on the 11th floor with a small kitchen and lots of space - and with a view across the street to a parking garage. The phone rings as I’m looking round, and it’s reception to ask if everything is OK - I say that I like the room, but have they got one with a view that is worth looking at? Seems not, but it IS a nice room, and at least I can see more than my New York Hotel!

After some food and a rest, I really want to try the elevated railway system - The EL - so go down to the station, get a ticket and join a train - by now it’s after 4 and the trains are crowded, so I need to stand, but this is fine actually as you get better views that way. I get off at Merchandise Mart to investigate this building, and the first shop I see is a kitchen goods store - so I go investigate!

After a while of browsing, I’m asked if I’m there for the cooking demonstration - I admit I’m not, but ask if it would be a good idea to go. It turns out the shop - along with them all in the Mall - is about to close to the public, but that they are opening to a special demonstration, as it’s the start of the “Artopolis Art Show” and tonight is the International Antiques Fair preview party - all the great and good are going to be here for the opening at 6pm, and a number of the stores are putting on special events. But not open for normal browsers like me!

Since I’m there, I start to walk along looking at the shop fronts, and notice that more and more people in formal ware are arriving all the time - guests for the opening I assume. There are areas where you need to show a guest pass to get in, but the main areas appear to be open to the public, so I carry on walking. Soon, I get to a very crowded area, where there is a drinks reception being held, I think it’d be really easy to just grab a drink from a passing waiter and join in - but my travel clothes do not seem to fit in well with the rest of the guests, so I decide to beat a retreat.

Back outside I trace my way back to the station I arrived at - but it’s an exit only, and I can’t get in that way. A friendly local tries to direct me to an entrance, but we do have some communication difficulties, as he is Chinese and I’m English! The entrance is actually back in the Mart building, so I go back the way I came. It’s started to rain, and I stop on the way back to the hotel and buy a rollup plastic rain coat - it’s way too windy for an umbrella, and way too wet not to have any protection from the rain.

So that’s enough for one day - found the hotel - used Mass Transit - got windswept and wet - and had a fantastic day!

To travel, hopefully

When I was planning my trip to America, I had this romantic notion of doing a lot of travel on Amtrak - visions of seeing the sun rise over the plains; of craggy mountain passes; of eating dinner and watching the ocean go past.

Then I found out about the time and the cost, so most of my travel was by plane, but I did do a couple of Train trips.

My first Amtrak experience was when I was getting the train to Chicago, and to get the best (that is cheapest) ticket, I was up at 3.30am and made my way to the station to join the dozen or so sleepy people waiting for the train to be ready. I'm used to UK trains, where you walk along a platform, and step nicely across into the train - if you have luggage you just roll it over into the train, as we've on the same level as the carriage floor. But not so here - I walked along at wheel height, which is really allows you to see the size of the machine you're just about to try to climb into. And "try" is a good expression, when you have a wheeled suitcase and a bag over your shoulder - as I lift the suitcase, the bag falls off my shoulder and before you know it everything is jammed in the door. But I get help and stow the bigger bag on the lower level, before climbing more steps to the carriage proper. Getting a seat I have the strangest sensation - I want to put on a seat belt!! I do this so instinctively in cars and on planes that I feel somehow strange to be sitting without buckling up! Isn't it odd how something becomes so ingrained in us, that we only notice its absence.

We head out slowly at first - maybe a speed restriction on leaving a big city? - and then we are out and racing along through the dark early morning, and the lights are dimmed to let us sleep. But a lot of it isn't dark out there, I am amazed how many lights I can see, even on the apparently empty plains we are travelling through, you will see a light here and there from solitary buildings, the lights of cars on the roads, and then the occasional town with its street lights and road signs make for a sudden oasis of lights in the middle of the ocean of dark.

They kept the lights dimmed until something like 7am, and there were no announcements either, although we made a few stops. But 7 was the official wake-up time I guess, and the lights went on, and we were all welcomed and from then on we were told what stops we were coming to.


(passing a town)

I did doze on and off, and can't say I actually saw daybreak, but pretty soon it's kinda light, and I feel the need for breakfast, so go along to the "cafe". This is run by one of the most wide awake and outgoing people I think I've ever met! She tells me all about the great things I can do in Chicago, which is her home town, and is so bright and chatty and - well OK, I'll say it - loud:) that it really wakes me up as much to just talk to her as to have the coffee she serves!


(some freight cars, on their sides - why?)

We pick up more people at the stops along the way - the stops are amazingly brief actually and people must be really attuned to getting up and onto the train - we seem to simply pause at most places, but still people get on and off. Never do we get really crowded, but I'd say 75% of the seats were taken by the time we arrive.

We had started out really well - left on time and scooting along fine - but then we started to have delays - we went through sidings at one point, and we had to stop at each crossing, the guard would have to get out and ensure there were no people on the crossing, and then we'd go on. And we got stuck behind other trains and ... well there were many announcements, and we ended up 40 minutes late arriving. But somehow, that was not as frustrating as it is with planes - I think that because I was not restricted in a tiny space, and could still get up and move around if I wanted - at one point, I even went to my luggage and got out my laptop and played a computer game - not something it'd be possible to do whilst stuck on an airport runway.

But my lasting impression of that trip is of the steward in the cafe and her announcement that "we will be closing in 20 minutes, so come see me if you want to get coffee or food, or just to have a talk with me" :)

I also left Chicago by train, and here I was actually able to see the Illinois countryside more as we sped past it. Once again the towns came and went, each one seemingly with it’s store and gas station right there on main street. But the main impression of Illinois from the train is of the space and the sky - a storm developed and passed us as we travelled, and the sky went on forever.


(The Horizon goes on and on)


(and on and on)

My diversion for this trip was when I had lunch in the restaurant car - a really nice experience, and got to share my table with a youngster who was travelling all the way from New York way down to New Orleans to visit family. He had a sleeper and was getting all his meals on the train - what an adventure for the kid! He was a really charming young man, and as well as being interested in my trip, was happy to share about his own life and his family. At one point when we were ordering he asked about the vegetables being served - he knew how important fresh vegetables were, and he wanted to make sure there were going to be some:)


(In the observatory car)

Travelling on Amtrak give you a new view of the world, one you don’t get from plane or a car - and isn’t the journey part of the reason for going anyway?