Chicago Report - Last Part
Dec. 9th, 2007 07:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tinkabell007Okay, I know, I've been a bit lazy the last couple of weeks, but at least I got the most important report aka J2 up quickly, right? *g*
So, if anyone's still interested *g* here's the last part of my Chicago trip - Monday and Tuesday:
Monday:
Oh noooo… Sunday’s already over? *sad sigh…* No J2 this day… but lots of pretty little Chicago places and buildings… where most of them are still unknown to us LOL But hey, at least we snapped lots and lots of pics *gg*
Anyway, our day started around 7 am-ish. We wanted to leave early to get a head start.
But first of all we had to say goodbye to our lovely roomies *sad-sigh* Girls, I loved hanging out with you and it was so awesome to finally meet you in person!!! I hope we have the chance to meet again some day. Next con, anyone? :D
Okay… in the lobby we asked for the best way to get downtown… and tadaaaa… train it was. It took us about 45 minutes and finally we were really standing in the heart of Chicago …figuring out how to read the stupid map Marion had bought *lol* The first thing we found was Starbucks… well, shocker, I know. Mainly because basically there are Starbuck Cafes on every corner. But hey, we felt proud nevertheless and grabbed breakfast. And then… the walking began lol
I have to say I’m still impressed by the friendliness of the American ppl. We were standing at a corner, trying to read our map as a guy came up and said that we looked kinda lost, maybe he could help us. And he did… we wanted to go to the Sears Tower and he describe the way for us perfectly. If you ASK someone here on the street, most of the ppl just look at you like “WTF… why are you even talking to me?” and then just go away.
So yeah… back to Sears Tower. On our way to this main attraction we passed by many awesome buildings. The only name I really remember was Union Station :D (but hey, that’s something, right? *g* )
Unfortunately the whole town was wrapped in a fog, so the view down from Sears Tower wasn’t as impressive as Marion and I hoped for. And I was glad to even survive the elevator ride *lol* (I’m not doing very well with elevators lol I even get a crisis when I have to get up to a fifth floor. And well, the Sears Tower observatory deck was on the 109th floor! *LOL* Yeah, that was so not working for me. But I had Marion with me… so, of course, I survived. )
After that, we went on the hunt for the Chicago Hard Rock Café. And after a loooong walk, we found it. Oh, on the way to that we passed by a film set. I have no idea what they were shooting, but it looked awesome. We watched for a little while but then continued our journey.
At the Hard Rock Café we met Mr. Ficker! *ROFL* (yep, not spectacular for you English talking ppl, right? But let me tell you, his last name translated means “Fucker” :D See… funny! He even pointed it out himself, btw!! So, it wasn’t our fault at all.
As we were exhausted, we grabbed some drinks and Nachos at the Café and Mr. Ficker was our waiter. He was awesome. Very funny and nice *g*
Okay, back on the road. Ahhh… I forgot something on our way to the Hard Rock Café. Suddenly a car started hunking and a guy was half-hanging out the window yelling at Marion to give him her phone number! *LOL* (Sweetie, your green card would have been right there *giggles* )
Okay… now back on the road for real. I think the next thing we hunted down was the Water Tower. After a short walk we were actually standing right in front of it but were too blind to see it lol So, we circled it a few times and suddenly we went all… OMG, that’s the Water Tower LOL Yeah, now the Water Tower and us will always have a special connection. And we saw a police man on a horse!! LOL (I know there’s definitely a correct term for this, but I have know idea) Anyway, I knew those existed but it was still odd seeing it with my very own eyes :D
Just a block away was the Hancock building. We also went up to the observatory deck (hello, elevator to the 94th floor) and we had a much better view. The fog was half gone and from the deck we saw the town on one side and lake Michigan on the other. VERY PRETTY… and very high *g* Good thing neither of us has vertigo. *g*
After the never-ending elevator ride down (yeah, sorry, I promise this it the last time me whining about an elevator) we decided to head to the beach and walk all the way back to Navy Pier with lake Michigan on the our left side. Very awesome and very idyllic. On one side you have the skyline of Chicago, on the other side the water mirroring a bit of said skyline.
We reached Navy Pier but decided not to go all the way to the front. It seemed that not much was going on there… just a few ppl but nothing else.
Instead we grabbed the free Trolly Bus back to the heart of Chicago, did a little shopping and of course took lots of pictures. The sun was already sinking and the town was bathed in half darkness, with all the huge buildings being lighted. I’m telling you… soooo pretty!!
We decided to head slowly back to the train station … and believe me the headword is slowly indeed! Our feet were killing us *lol*
But before we left downtown completely, Marion wanted a picture of the subway. So yeah, we waited until one came and then snapped some pics *g* Us? Tourists? Naaah…. lol
Okay.. finally we were back on the train and the ride back to the hotel only took us 30 minutes.
We were exhausted and hungry… but believe me when I say this day was far from over yet *lol*
Next and last part: OMG I want to die… NOW!!!
Monday evening:
So, downtown we saw lots and lots of shops but not single one of them were a Best Buy or Wallmart. We were desperately in need for DVDs so we decided to google the nearest Best Buy in Schaumburg. Well, as it turned out there was one just on our road. The hotel was located 1800 East Golf Road and the Best Buy was on 900 East Golf Road.
To quote Jensen here: “It’s not that long… we can make it” *lol* Well, not long, right? Except… it was LOL We’ve been walking and walking… for an hour until we FINALLY saw the Best Buy sign. Let me tell you: Worst.Idea.Ever!! We just should have stayed in the hotel... but noooo, of course we had to go there *rolls eyes*
We found a couple of things we really wanted to have for a long time (and it was much cheaper then ordering it) So we were happy. Well, at least until we got out of the store and realized: Fuck, now we have to walk the whole way back?!
Me: Marion… can you fly?
Marion: Uhm…no… :(
Me: Can you hot-wire a car?
Marion: Uhm… no… at least not that I know of.
Me: You could try?!
Marion: Yeah, but the whole being arrested thing wouldn’t be fun.
Me: *thinks* But at least they would give us a ride.
Marion: *thinks about it*
Then we walked like 5 feet and I asked again “Can you fly now?”
Marion: *sighs*
It took us one and a half our to get back to our hotel b/c we were walking SO slowly - even a snail could have outran us easily *lol* But we had lots of fun, laughing about every little stupid thing. A few times we’ve even considered to just throw ourselves on the grass and sleep for a couple of hours.
But we survived… obviously. *g* On our way back to the hotel we passed by a Starbucks and wanted to grab something to eat but… “sorry, we’re closing” *sigh*
So, back at the hotel we ordered some room service before we fell dead into our bed.
Tuesday:
We got up early again to get packed and ready. Our flight was in the evening so we decided to check out, leave the luggage at the hotel and went back to the mall. Though we said we WOULDN’T buy anymore stuff b/c there was no way to get it all in our suitcases, we came back with 5 bags (!!) filled with stuff. Oh, that was so much fun trying to stuff it all in our backpacks and suitcases.
The taxi ride back to the hotel was funny as well. Our driver was… well, how to put it? A bit crazy? *lol* He asked tons of questions where we were from, what we were doing here, if we were “special friends” etc. Yeah, airport please? Now? Just before we arrived at the airport he gave me a piece of paper and a pen and I had to write down his private cell phone number and name. Next year, when we’d come back (sure!! lol ) we should call him. I thought it was way more easier to write his number down before arguing with him. After I was done I handed him back the pen and he was like “Okay, and what’s your number?” LOL And I was like “Hey, I’m not giving you my number, I don’t know you” lol
Again, he pointed out that we should definitely call him as soon as we were back.
Then Marion asked how much we owed him for the taxi ride and he said “whatever you have is fine” *lol* We gave him the same amount of money we paid for the ride from the airport to the hotel and went inside… quickly *lol* One of the first things we did? Get rid of the number :D
Well, we checked in, went through security and then soon we were back on our way home :(
Chicago was truly awesome. It was SO worth it – J2 alone were so worth the stress and money. The weekend was filled with fun and squeeing I’ll never forget. *happy sigh* Even though a few ppl still think it was insane, I’d do it all over again – anytime.
So, if anyone's still interested *g* here's the last part of my Chicago trip - Monday and Tuesday:
Monday:
Oh noooo… Sunday’s already over? *sad sigh…* No J2 this day… but lots of pretty little Chicago places and buildings… where most of them are still unknown to us LOL But hey, at least we snapped lots and lots of pics *gg*
Anyway, our day started around 7 am-ish. We wanted to leave early to get a head start.
But first of all we had to say goodbye to our lovely roomies *sad-sigh* Girls, I loved hanging out with you and it was so awesome to finally meet you in person!!! I hope we have the chance to meet again some day. Next con, anyone? :D
Okay… in the lobby we asked for the best way to get downtown… and tadaaaa… train it was. It took us about 45 minutes and finally we were really standing in the heart of Chicago …figuring out how to read the stupid map Marion had bought *lol* The first thing we found was Starbucks… well, shocker, I know. Mainly because basically there are Starbuck Cafes on every corner. But hey, we felt proud nevertheless and grabbed breakfast. And then… the walking began lol
I have to say I’m still impressed by the friendliness of the American ppl. We were standing at a corner, trying to read our map as a guy came up and said that we looked kinda lost, maybe he could help us. And he did… we wanted to go to the Sears Tower and he describe the way for us perfectly. If you ASK someone here on the street, most of the ppl just look at you like “WTF… why are you even talking to me?” and then just go away.
So yeah… back to Sears Tower. On our way to this main attraction we passed by many awesome buildings. The only name I really remember was Union Station :D (but hey, that’s something, right? *g* )
Unfortunately the whole town was wrapped in a fog, so the view down from Sears Tower wasn’t as impressive as Marion and I hoped for. And I was glad to even survive the elevator ride *lol* (I’m not doing very well with elevators lol I even get a crisis when I have to get up to a fifth floor. And well, the Sears Tower observatory deck was on the 109th floor! *LOL* Yeah, that was so not working for me. But I had Marion with me… so, of course, I survived. )
After that, we went on the hunt for the Chicago Hard Rock Café. And after a loooong walk, we found it. Oh, on the way to that we passed by a film set. I have no idea what they were shooting, but it looked awesome. We watched for a little while but then continued our journey.
At the Hard Rock Café we met Mr. Ficker! *ROFL* (yep, not spectacular for you English talking ppl, right? But let me tell you, his last name translated means “Fucker” :D See… funny! He even pointed it out himself, btw!! So, it wasn’t our fault at all.
As we were exhausted, we grabbed some drinks and Nachos at the Café and Mr. Ficker was our waiter. He was awesome. Very funny and nice *g*
Okay, back on the road. Ahhh… I forgot something on our way to the Hard Rock Café. Suddenly a car started hunking and a guy was half-hanging out the window yelling at Marion to give him her phone number! *LOL* (Sweetie, your green card would have been right there *giggles* )
Okay… now back on the road for real. I think the next thing we hunted down was the Water Tower. After a short walk we were actually standing right in front of it but were too blind to see it lol So, we circled it a few times and suddenly we went all… OMG, that’s the Water Tower LOL Yeah, now the Water Tower and us will always have a special connection. And we saw a police man on a horse!! LOL (I know there’s definitely a correct term for this, but I have know idea) Anyway, I knew those existed but it was still odd seeing it with my very own eyes :D
Just a block away was the Hancock building. We also went up to the observatory deck (hello, elevator to the 94th floor) and we had a much better view. The fog was half gone and from the deck we saw the town on one side and lake Michigan on the other. VERY PRETTY… and very high *g* Good thing neither of us has vertigo. *g*
After the never-ending elevator ride down (yeah, sorry, I promise this it the last time me whining about an elevator) we decided to head to the beach and walk all the way back to Navy Pier with lake Michigan on the our left side. Very awesome and very idyllic. On one side you have the skyline of Chicago, on the other side the water mirroring a bit of said skyline.
We reached Navy Pier but decided not to go all the way to the front. It seemed that not much was going on there… just a few ppl but nothing else.
Instead we grabbed the free Trolly Bus back to the heart of Chicago, did a little shopping and of course took lots of pictures. The sun was already sinking and the town was bathed in half darkness, with all the huge buildings being lighted. I’m telling you… soooo pretty!!
We decided to head slowly back to the train station … and believe me the headword is slowly indeed! Our feet were killing us *lol*
But before we left downtown completely, Marion wanted a picture of the subway. So yeah, we waited until one came and then snapped some pics *g* Us? Tourists? Naaah…. lol
Okay.. finally we were back on the train and the ride back to the hotel only took us 30 minutes.
We were exhausted and hungry… but believe me when I say this day was far from over yet *lol*
Next and last part: OMG I want to die… NOW!!!
Monday evening:
So, downtown we saw lots and lots of shops but not single one of them were a Best Buy or Wallmart. We were desperately in need for DVDs so we decided to google the nearest Best Buy in Schaumburg. Well, as it turned out there was one just on our road. The hotel was located 1800 East Golf Road and the Best Buy was on 900 East Golf Road.
To quote Jensen here: “It’s not that long… we can make it” *lol* Well, not long, right? Except… it was LOL We’ve been walking and walking… for an hour until we FINALLY saw the Best Buy sign. Let me tell you: Worst.Idea.Ever!! We just should have stayed in the hotel... but noooo, of course we had to go there *rolls eyes*
We found a couple of things we really wanted to have for a long time (and it was much cheaper then ordering it) So we were happy. Well, at least until we got out of the store and realized: Fuck, now we have to walk the whole way back?!
Me: Marion… can you fly?
Marion: Uhm…no… :(
Me: Can you hot-wire a car?
Marion: Uhm… no… at least not that I know of.
Me: You could try?!
Marion: Yeah, but the whole being arrested thing wouldn’t be fun.
Me: *thinks* But at least they would give us a ride.
Marion: *thinks about it*
Then we walked like 5 feet and I asked again “Can you fly now?”
Marion: *sighs*
It took us one and a half our to get back to our hotel b/c we were walking SO slowly - even a snail could have outran us easily *lol* But we had lots of fun, laughing about every little stupid thing. A few times we’ve even considered to just throw ourselves on the grass and sleep for a couple of hours.
But we survived… obviously. *g* On our way back to the hotel we passed by a Starbucks and wanted to grab something to eat but… “sorry, we’re closing” *sigh*
So, back at the hotel we ordered some room service before we fell dead into our bed.
Tuesday:
We got up early again to get packed and ready. Our flight was in the evening so we decided to check out, leave the luggage at the hotel and went back to the mall. Though we said we WOULDN’T buy anymore stuff b/c there was no way to get it all in our suitcases, we came back with 5 bags (!!) filled with stuff. Oh, that was so much fun trying to stuff it all in our backpacks and suitcases.
The taxi ride back to the hotel was funny as well. Our driver was… well, how to put it? A bit crazy? *lol* He asked tons of questions where we were from, what we were doing here, if we were “special friends” etc. Yeah, airport please? Now? Just before we arrived at the airport he gave me a piece of paper and a pen and I had to write down his private cell phone number and name. Next year, when we’d come back (sure!! lol ) we should call him. I thought it was way more easier to write his number down before arguing with him. After I was done I handed him back the pen and he was like “Okay, and what’s your number?” LOL And I was like “Hey, I’m not giving you my number, I don’t know you” lol
Again, he pointed out that we should definitely call him as soon as we were back.
Then Marion asked how much we owed him for the taxi ride and he said “whatever you have is fine” *lol* We gave him the same amount of money we paid for the ride from the airport to the hotel and went inside… quickly *lol* One of the first things we did? Get rid of the number :D
Well, we checked in, went through security and then soon we were back on our way home :(
Chicago was truly awesome. It was SO worth it – J2 alone were so worth the stress and money. The weekend was filled with fun and squeeing I’ll never forget. *happy sigh* Even though a few ppl still think it was insane, I’d do it all over again – anytime.