For any poor soul who decides to travel by train on the Lakeshore Limited from the East Coast to Chicago, don't. Well not unless you like to be stuck on the train for 4.5 hours more than you bargained for. And so that's how my last weekend started... a text at 6:46 am from my friend who was stuck on that train saying the train was late by 2.5 hrs, which over the course of the morning turned into 4.5 hours late. That would be ok, if he wasn't spending only one night here!
Since I had time to kill, I decided to take the Metra downtown, instead of the 'L' (the metro lines), just to see what it was like. The Metra is the local railway. Far fewer stops than the regular 'L', $2 more expensive (which at $4.25 is practically the same price as a bus ticket in Turku). But, it got me right to the part of town that I need to be, in about a third of the time. Like all things in the US, the trains are big. The seats are pretty nice, if you get one on the way down to town. The thing that amused me the most is the fact that the carriages resemble cattle cars with the split upper level. I'll let the pictures below speak for themselves.
Finally, after getting downtown late and braving Michigan Avenue (Chicago's answer to Oxford St/5th Avenue) to run an errand, I finally met my friend at Union Station. A much needed beer was had at the bar in the station and then we headed on out. I had arrived to the station via the Loop. The Loop is pretty much what it says on the tin. It is a loop around central downtown Chicago. Unlike London or New York central subways, the Loop is an overground metro line and the stations remind me of the rickety wooden roller coaster ride at Linnanmäki. However, being overground gives you a fantastic view of the skyscrapers. I din't really want to take the Loop back into town with my friend, I wanted him to see Chicago from the water instead. Considering the short amount of time we had, we took a water taxi so we didn't have to shell out $40 and spend 90 precious minuteon the tour boat.
After the hellish train ride, I decided to honour my friend's request of hunting down some Chicago style pizza at Lou Malnati's. OMG, the pizza was massive, the crust was so good and buttery. The thing with Chicago style, is it isn't just about the crust. It is almost an inside-out pizza, the cheese is on the bottom and the tomato sauce and other toppings are on the top. It is so incredibly filling that we took half the pizza home with us. We got the train home, freshened up and headed back downtown to check out the Lincoln Park neighbourhood.
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| A medium pizza was far too much for two people |
The Lincoln Park neighbourhood is supposed to be one of the nicer, more trendy areas. After getting our bearings, we found some really lovely pubs and craft beer along N. Lincoln Ave. First stop was Lincoln Station - great pub, with a fantastic beer selection. We both fell in love with the Akari Shogun. We worked our way up a few of the bars, before settling down at this cute place, with mismatched furniture and a friendly crowd. The beer was chased by some lovely bourbons, including the Bulleit Bourbon.
The following day was pretty chilled. After wandering round Evanston and the Northwestern Campus, and getting a Chicago style hot dog, we chilled out in Millennium Park, which is a beautiful place to get away from the hubbub of the city. There was all sorts of music playing in the free concert area, mosly radio hits and we heard a live band. We even got to see the "Bean"! Perfect place for hangover chilling.
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| The meadow garden in Millennium Park |
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| The "Bean" |
Goodbye's were said and I headed home. Only to get a text saying that my friend was on a 4 hour bus ride to Toledo, Ohio because the train back to the East Coast was there instead of in Chicago... Gotta love Amtrak. Not looking forward to the train ride to St. Louis next week!
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