Chicago, Illinois, USA

8/12/2006

The border went by relatively quickly for me, in spite of my fears. It seemed to take way longer for the other people on the bus.
We got to Chicago around 5:30, local time. I wandered around, found where I would be meeting up with Lizzie later on at Union Station, and then set off to find the Chicago police academy, where the memorial to the police who were killed at Haymarket was moved after it had been repeatedly blown up by the Weather Underground (or people sympathetic to its aims). This was one of three Haymarket things I wanted to find in Chicago.

[This would have been a better picture at night, I guess. When I walked by on the way back, the lights weren't on, so it's a good thing I saw it at all.]
When I arrived, I saw four or five public transit buses full of cops, and I felt pretty scared. I wasn't sure how this would work. I eventually approached the building to look in, after deciding not to remove the patch of Bill Ayers' mugshot from my backpack, and got right up to the front door before being overcome by fear. There was a sign telling visitors to sign in, and warning of arrest for unauthorized persons.

[The only picture of a monument to dead cops I got was of the plaque by the front door, dedicated to one who was killed on duty, and to whom the building is named after]
[I passed this on the way back. I felt like taking a picture]

On the way back, I had a coffee at this place that claimed to have the world's finest coffee. It was okay.
Then, I was approached by a man who needed money to buy a can of stuff to fill in the hole in the tire of his car, which he had gotten on the highway. He had left his ATM card at home and had no money on him. Yeah, right. I tried to tell him no, but he just kept going on and telling me that he made 19 dollars an hour as an electrician. I kept telling him that I didn't have much money on me, and was just visiting, but he wouldn't give up. He said he need $2.80. Grudgingly, I pulled out a five dollar bill. Suddenly he was saying that he needed another $2.80, that he had said he needed $7.80. He asked if I had a ten dollar bill. I said no, and then he told me that he would mail me the money back and that I should give him my address. I told him to forget it, and walked on.
It left me feeling really angry. Here I was, not two hours in a new city, and some random asshole had scammed me just because I couldn't forcefully say no. What I should have done was walk with him to a store to buy the stuff, because if he didn't really need it and just wanted my money, he'd probably have just given up. And if he had needed it, I wouldn't have minded helping him.
After that, I walked around forever trying to find visitor transit passes for me and Lizzie. It was ridiculous, but I finally found them.
[There was a cop on a Segway at Union Station. I also saw security guards on them at Grant Park, as well as a Segway tour, meaning 20 or so people on them all together. I wish I had taken a picture of that.]

[I took a picture of this because I thought the sign was kind of funny. Sure, I understand the words, but they don't really go together like this.]

[Random picture]

8/16/2006
I got back to Toronto yesterday. Leaving was kind of rushed, and so I didn't really have time to do stuff like send postcards or write more in a journal.
Now I'm at home and sick, so I have ample time for a de-briefing.
Chicago mostly involved walking around taking pictures of buildings and things, riding in buses and trains to get to restaurants and stores, drinking 5 dollar smoothies, and trying to figure out how to compare the city to Toronto (in terms of size, neighbourhoods, etc.).
On the last day, we tried to find the Haymarket Martyrs' memorial, which was located way out, somewhere near the end of one of the subway lines, in Forest Park. We wandered around in a cemetery for a while, but it was the wrong cemetery. We gave up. So, that combined with not being able to find the actual Haymarket Square, left me 0 for 3 in my Haymarket Quest. I've since found out where the square was, and that I probably walked by it, or at least near it.
[NOT Waldheim Cemetery]

Then we went to the Art Institute. I took pictures of lots of stuff, just because I could. Then we went for a final Chicago Diner meal, before rushing back to the hostel to get our bags and get to the Greyhound station (me) and O'Hare (Lizzie). The trip home was mostly uneventful. I got into Toronto around 6, stopped off at home, and went to work.

[I knew this picture would be wicked, even if Lizzie was hesitant to do it.]


[The only reason to come to Chicago.]