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Sweet Home Chicago
September 21, 2006That song by Robert Johnson couldn't sum it up quick enough.
My dad lived in the Chicago area growing up, and then he joined the military. Last week my dad and I returned to his old stomping grounds to (1) see the Cubbies and (2) hang out with my dad’s brother.
Here are a few random thoughts concerning the "Windy City:"
1. The Cubs suck, but the lore of Wrigley Field has a way to transform the north side of Chicago into Yankee Stadium. You're either a die-hard cubs fan, or you're from out of town up there. There are only a few "sacred" baseball stadiums and Wrigley is up there.
2. The public transit system up there is quite an experience. The Red Line, the Blue Line, the Pink Line....it feels like you are trying to jump on the Underground Dr. Seuss Subway.
3. The food is heavy. Any type of meat you want you can get. It seemed like the Chicago area beats Texas at its own game - portions. But the price you had to pay was ungodly. Think Matlock's, downtown by the library, but everywhere up there.
4. Traffic is awful. Unlike one of the biggest cities I think I've been to, Dallas-Ft. Worth, you can't just pass through Chicago. If you are going that way, you can't keep going. Everyone's trying to get to the same spot, so traffic - although I was on the train - looked like it sucked.
5. Driving through Oklahoma past sundown is the pits. The signs creep up on you and before you know it, you're in the wrong lane. There are too many tolls and the roads are bumpy as hell. (I know it was thoughts of Chi-town, but I couldn't help it)
6. Even the port-a-potties are nice. I went to a place called Governor's and they had an outdoor concert. The john's had everything except a high-speed internet connection. Hand sanitizer, toilet seat cleanser, a motion sensor light....and air freshener.
7. The real estate market is next to ridiculous. For $200,000 you too can have a downtown Chicago apartment/condo. My uncles said people are resorting to moving into them in groups, just to make the mortgage payment.
8. As a journalist/writer I love reading. So I was awstruck to see the New York Times on newstands. Holy Cow. Top Notch stuff. Starbucks and the New York Times should join together to put that paper in every coffee house.
All in all, I had a blast. I waited too long to write this sucker, so if anything pops up before next time, I'll be sure to let you know about it.
Posted by Clayton Hein at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Comments
Clayton:
I am doing my genealogy and attempting to find the families of my Grandfather's brothers. Peter, my Grandfather, had two brothers, Ed and Joe. I understand they were both Chicago Police Officers. If anything sounds familiar please contact me.
Regards
