Chicago!

Surprise trip to the Windy City! Woo!

And I can say that beyond a doubt I love this City. I want to be its mistress and have illegitimate children with it.

So first some facts and figures. Cause if you know me you know I love facts and figures. Especially when we’re dealing with Cities and Countries.

At not even 200 years old, Chicago is the third most populated City in the United States at just 2.7 million residents. Being the biggest by far in the Mid-West and home of O’Hare airport, the second busiest airport in the world. Everybody wants a piece of Chicago it seems.

Chicago is also the stronghold of The Democrats (those who lean to the left, politically that is not physically), and was the City that brought along the rise of Barack Obama.

Being the first home of the Skyscraper, gangs also populated Chicago. Having 1000 gangs by the end of the 1920s. But most vandalous of all, the world's first controlled nuclear reaction took place in the University of Chicago as part of the Manhattan Project.

You may not know it but you might already have seen a lot of Chicago. Being the set for many movies including Home Alone, the new Batman Begins series, What Women Want, The Blues Brothers and High Fidelity.

“And each time I roam, Chicago is
Calling me home, Chicago is
One town that won't let you down
It's my kind of town”

So on to the interesting stuff. So if you’re at all interested. Even though driving as always would be quicker, Chicago is pretty easy to get to from South Bend. Just hop on the South Shore Line which takes you all the way deep into the heart of the city. Crossing through many towns and suburbs along the way. Not just going through them, but actually going along the street in residential areas. Imaging pulling your car out the drive one day only to be hit by a speeding train just in front of your house. These crazy Americans.

So me and Allen, my colleague who works upstairs who is in fact from Newcastle, headed along one of the many main streets only to notice what we originally thought was many Argentina flags hung everywhere. It took a short while to work out that we have a embarrassing misunderstanding of what the Argentinean flag looked like, and that Chicago has its own flag which is seemed, it was almost more proud of than the American flag. Which I can assure you is everywhere. Just in case you wake up one morning and forget what country you’re in.

As with most Cities, art is plentiful. But Chicago has some of the interesting structures I’ve seen in America. One very peculiar one being the Crown Fountain. I believe youtube has the best way of showing you what I mean by peculiar.

Notice how the LED face smiles when the old man gets his camera out. They can see us man, they know all.

None of the sculptures though caught my heart more than the massive shiny bean however. As soon as I saw this magnificant bean I know that was is. My search was over. “Jonny my man” I said to myself, “you are in love and you gosh darn know it”.

If I could take this bean home I would. I would take it everywhere with me and love it and polish its shiny exterior always. The only obstacle in my way of course is that I know the bean is happy where the bean is. And I couldn’t take that away from the bean. We both have out careers to think about after all. I want to travel the world, the bean needs to stay in Chicago being a bean for all the millions of people who ponder at it every year. But we will always have a place in each others hearts.

So while walking around Allen showed me a good game to place. Stand at the bottom of a Skyscraper, look at the top of it, then try and walk in any direction while keeping focuses on trying to see the top of the building. It’s particularly amusing. One Skyscraper we headed towards to see the views of the City from up high was the John Hancock Centre. The second highest Skyscraper in Chicago at 1127 feet (334 m) and 100 stories tall. The 44th story of which features features Americas highest indoor swimming pool. Allen having been to Chicago before knew a trick of the trade or two. When you enter you have the choice to either pay $15 and go to the observatory on the 97th floor. Or take a separate lift which will take you to the restaurant and bar which is only one story lower. By doing so you can spend that same $15 on a very good cocktail. Which of course I did without question, and proceeded to have the most alcoholic Long Island Ice Tea I’ve ever tasted. If you do ever find yourself in the Signature Lounge of the John Hancock Centre though and you want a tip from me, get ‘“The Perfect 10” Martini’. As you will then be served something which seems to be nothing else but 6 shots of gin.

The view from this building though is almost surreal. You spend your day enclosed by all these magnificent and tall buildings with no chance of seeing any sky except that straight above you. But when you see above these great buildings you see what seems to define most of the mid west. Flatness. Just flat land with the horizon the same distance away whichever way you look. If you wish could draw a line where the Skyscrapers in the inner city end and where the suburbs begin. And then another line when the suburbs end and there is nothing but flat land until you reach civilisation again. You may have your own opinion and it is probably far better grounded than mine. But the simple design of most American Cities and Towns are also their downfall. The almost Utilitarian way of the streets grid system, and the such precise well defined boarders as I mentioned above. It was as if every time they build a town they know exactly from the start what the town will look like hundreds of years from that point, and not leave it room or chance for natural growth that isn’t already decided beforehand, or even just a bit of chaos that make places so much more interesting to live in.

After such copious amounts of alcohol so early in the afternoon the only next logical step of course was to have an all you can eat Curry. After finishing only just my second plate and feeling the way I did I was beginning to understand why most Americans don’t seem to like walking very far.