Daniel Cann

We arrived at the Chicago Greyhound bus terminal at 5.15am, not the best time to be perfectly honest but at least we would be staying here for a while. I was pleased to note that the Chicago bus terminal was exceptionally clean and tidy.

Most of the stations we had encountered in America so far were disgusting and packed with the strangest collection of oddball’s known to humankind! But this one was on a par with an airport departure lounge (well, almost). Maybe I just needed some sleep in a comfortable bed but I already could see how Chicago has a reputation for cleanliness and efficiency.

My reverie was soon interrupted as the taxi driver that drove us to the hostel in a pleasant leafy suburb in a block of old fashioned buildings, ripped us off to the tune of $20 for a $7 dollar journey. I think Ben and I were just too exhausted and travel weary to argue the point. It did leave a bitter taste and was not the most auspicious of starts in the Windy City.

‘Nice to see crime is still the number one pastime here.’ I muttered as the taxi disappeared into the distance. After a long rest and a shower we decided to acquaint ourselves with the city, hopefully things would improve.

Well, I am pleased to report that they did. I found Chicago to be a very clean and sophisticated city with trams, bridges, canals, lakes, parks and some very impressive buildings, chief among them the Sears Tower. We could not go to Chicago and not visit the Sears Tower, so this is what we did next. At the time of our visit in the late 1990s it was the tallest building in the World. As readers will know this status changes quite frequently as architects and engineers across the globe try to out do each other with irritating regularity. Why we have to build so high is beyond me but that is by the by.

The Sears Tower was 1,4454 feet tall, that’s 110 stories, or a quarter of a mile high! On a clear day, we were informed, you could see four different States from the top: Illinois (obviously), Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. Sadly for us it was not to be a clear, cloudless day for us! We were still impressed with the views and glad to emulate Ferris Bueller.

After the scale of Sears Tower we got our feet back firmly on the ground and walked to Lincoln Park and saw the statue of the former President as well as the fountain made famous by the television show ‘Married With Children.’ After this we walked along Lake Michigan and visited the Navy Pier. It was nice to mingle with the pedestrians, joggers, cyclists and roller bladers who, fortunately did not collide with us! It was a long but rewarding first day, I had taken to Chicago after a shaky start.

After a long sleep I emerged from my hostel room at 11am. The weather was a bit cold and grey but Ben and I decided to go to Wrigley Field, the home of those unbowed underdogs: the Chicago Cubs. We spent the afternoon watching a baseball match between the Cubs and the LA Dodgers. There were twenty four thousand in attendance, a lot more than for a football match at Exeter City’s St James Park! Ben managed to catch a baseball from the ‘bleachers’ and grinned like a Cheshire cat for the rest of the day. Not bad for a Brit! We both thoroughly enjoyed being in a place with such a warm atmosphere despite the gloomy, overcast weather.

That evening we went to a cinema as it had started to rain. We spent our final day wandering around downtown Chicago sampling the delights of ‘Starbucks,’ ‘Subway’ and McDonalds.’ I say this with tongue firmly in cheek. I much preferred the independent diners but America is full of fast food franchises and back then it was the turn of the café as ‘Starbuck’s invaded every corner of planet earth! Still, enough about globalization, we had a border to cross…