To Chicago

I woke up in indiana a little before dawn Saturday morning. I had crashed at 730 the night before and had slept like a baby. I awoke and immediately grabbed my camera and was able to take a picture of dawns early light. I looked out and could see how cold it probably was. It's interesting when you travel this way, having traveled by bus before cross country, you end up seeing things you usually wouldn't see.

Northern indiana is a depressed place. Seeing the beaten down small towns and former industrial cities, I was reminded of Shawn Kemp the former supersonic who had fallen from grace. He came out of this world and rose to great heights before falling. Oh how I missed his electric style of play. Looking out at this depressed world it kind of made sense to me to see what had happened. When you come out of a tough situation and get instant fame it weird to see how a person handles it. You can get a Lebron James who handles it extremely well or you get a Shawn kemp WH crashes and burns. I guess that goes for all things.

We pulled into south bend indiana home to the bottle dame fighting Irish . Contrary to what they show you on TV south bend is not just notra dame. It's a city of vacant lots, boarded up business's , abandoned houses. I wondered had the university done a damn thing for the town? Probably not, that scandal had hit the school and they where probably doing damage control. As a kid I had wanted to go to Notre Dame and play football. When I relized that hey I was too small for football I thought about playing basketball even though it was a school not known for that basketball team. Of course than I wanted to just go to Notre Dame, but that didn't happen. Maybe that's where my mini hatred of Notre dame came from, a jealousy of not going. No that's exactly where it probably came from.

We pulled out of south bend and continued on our way to Chicago. About a hour and a half outside Chicago we stated going through the epic steelyards of Gary. It wasn't a factory it was like going through the city from metropolis. Smokestacks, blast furnaces as far as the eye could see. What was shocking was this wasn't even half of what the complex had been forty years ago. Forty years ago it had been one of the largest steel yards in America. Employing a whole town of people. But US steel became complacent and well you know the rest. Now Gary has gone the way of most cities in the rust belt of America , destroyed by greed and complacency. Mighty cities like flint, Detroit , St. Louis , east St. Louis , cities that had helped us win World War II had faded away a lot like the veterans who had served and won that war for us. Could they ever come back? Who knows , who knows.

Around 8 am we came to the outskirts of Chicago's south side . In the distance I could see the skyscrapers of downtown rising in the distance. I had visited Chicago a couple times when I had layovers during greyhound trips. So I had been in Chicago a total of 24hours. But it always had a speacal place in my heart. A good friend of mine comes from Chicago . He is stereo typical Chicago in many ways. Roots for the Bears, is loyal to the white six until the day he dies, even has the facial hair. To top it off he's polish Irish . If all of that doesn't scream Chicago I don't know what does. I saw an abandoned factory took a photo of it and sent it to my friends saying that was my friends moms house.

As we went through the south side I could see the poverty that had plagued the south side for over a century. Boarded up business's , vacant lots, substandard housing. Chicago had just become the murder capital of America, I could see why. We used to give a damn about poor people in this country, but that went out the window a long long time ago, thanks to certain leaders in this country. I dare someone to go up to some single mother trying to raise her kids amongst all the poverty and violence that has plagued the south side and say to her face this is your fault. Yeah it's easy to say it from afar if you haven't experienced first hand.

We went through the Bridgeport section, that nieborhood that brought us the Daley political machine. Now there's corruption that gets stuff done. We passed it all and ended up near downtown. As we pulled into union station, I could see the giant glass tower that is the Sears Tower.

We pulled into the station, it was a little after 830 in the morning. I put my duffel bag in a locker and went around Chicago to have a look around.

As I came to the great hall of union station I could see the staircase made famous by the untouchables . Would I end up seeing Kevin Costner and andy Garcia in a gun battle with Al Capons men? I could only hope.

I came out onto the street. It was cold but not as cold as New York had been . Still that wind was coming off Lake Michigan making it cold as hell. I crossed the Chicago river and walked towards LaSalle street. As I walked across the river in the distance I saw the suntimes building. Immediately I thought of Roger Ebert, my hero. The only real film critic who doesn't come off as an asshole or a pretentious bastard. Plus the man dated Oparha .

As I hit LaSalle street after having an all American McDonald's breakfast, I kept on thinking of all the great Chicago films that have been shot around here. From the Batman trilogy to the untouchables to blues brothers to that epic show boss. Boss now that's the show Kelsey Grammar should be remembered for.

I crossed over to Chicago city hall and the Daley Center. Like any kid who grew up in the 90s I remember how every single weekend tbs or TNT would show The Blues Brothers on TV. I must of seen that film over 100 times. Knew it like the back of my hand. That car chase was the greatest car chase of all time. Yes even beating out the French connection. I looked over at Daley center and thought "well they broke the law to save an orphanage, that's pretty heroic to me".

I made my way towards the lakefront. Immediately I relized I had to use the bathroom. This wasn't like NYC where you can always find a bathroom to use. No this was Chicago. This was something else. I looked all around me. Their was nothing. My insides where screaming at me, I was starting to sweat. Something was going to give. Isn't their a Barnes and noble or something? Shit it's not even 10am! Damit! I had stumbled into a new condo development. You would think they would have some kind of business with a bathroom? Fat chance. More and more my insides where screaming at me. " you don't help us soon, well do this right here and now!"Christ I thought, why now?
As I made my through the courtyard of the condo complex I saw in the distance a subway sandwich stop.

Would this be my salvation? I could only hope. I briskly walked over. If I ran everything would fall apart on me. I entered the sandwich shop. Their was a bathroom, thank god! I knew the rules. You ask first if you can use the bathroom. It's the respectful thing to do. But the guy behind the counter was busey making sandwhichs for four construction workers. I stood waiting anxiously. This was going to take forever. The four construction workers where paying individually. My insides where now full on ready to let it all go. I had a choice: wait and possibly let it all go or break the rules and do what needed to be done. I did what needed to be done.

After the business was done I bought an orange juice from the subway and continued on my merry way. I made my way towards the navy pier and saw the great statue dedicated to Bob Newhart. See that's when you know a cities Awsome, when they dedicate a statue to a great American icon. Makes me ask the question, why doesn't Cincinnati have a statue dedicated to WKRP?

The lakefront water was a fresh looking blue that I had only seen in national geographics when you saw pictures of the arctic. Turns out it was because earlier Lake Michigan had been frozen. I could still see the ice flows. That's what got me when I first moved to New York was seeing the ice flows on the Hudson during the dead of winter. That's when you knew it was cold as fuck. It was getting to be around 11 so I headed towards the billy goat tavern.

The billy goat tavern is an institution in Chicago . It's the same tavern who's owner cursed the cubs after they refused to let him into wrigley field with his goat during the 1945 World Series. It was a favorite of all the great Chicago newspaper writers sense it was close to the tribune and suntimes. Studs Terkel and mike royko used to hang around there. But it's most famous for being the inspiration for the famed Chezeborger Chezeborger sketch from SNL in the 70s. I had stumbled across it during my first trip to Chicago and always made a point of going there.

The taverns located on one if the underground streets near the merchandise mart. You walk in and you see the place hasn't really changed since 1961. Same old tables with metal folding chairs,ugly tile ceilings, pictures on the wall of all of the famous people who have come in there at some point. Everyone from presidents to Bill Murray. But mainly dedicated to the Chicago writer, the kind you don't really see anymore. They where differant from the cosmopolitan New York or California writer. Those writers where true American writers. They wrote about everyday people and everyday things. They're a breed that has slowly faded away, until the next ones come along.

I was industry met by the guy at the counter an old Greek guy who with a thick Greek accent asked " what do you want? Double Chezeborger is the best! Want chips? We have coke no Pepsi!"
Man I thought these guys know how to put on a show. I ordered the double Chezeborger . I got my burger and say down. I ordered a Shlitz cause iam a classy guy from the bartender. On TV they where showing a soccer match on the other a college basketball game. I tried to get into college basketball , but for some reason I never could. Ill stick to the pros, at least they're honest about it being a business.

As I dug into my burger a whole mess of tourists came into the tavern. Like me they got the full treatment. Double Chezeborger the guy yelled. No Pepsi coke! Man I love this place. A couple cubs fans came in. I found it ironic that they would come into the bar that had screwed their team over. But hey the burgers are good what are you going to do?

I finished up my burger and made my way to the merchandise mart. The Chicago merchandise mart was where the Kennedy family got a majority of their money. That along with booze, Wall Street , and films had made it so that JFK had the money for all the campaigns. I looked around, it was basically a giant showroom with offices. Ah papa joe you where a hell of businessmen.

I made my way back across the river and saw the Boeing building . Before Seattle lost the supersonics to OKC, we lost our beloved Boeing to Chicago . Man it's been a crappy decade for Washington state.

I headed west toward the united center. In 1993 I discovered basketball. It was during the playoffs when Michael Jordan took on. Charles Barkley and the suns. I fell in love with Jordan and the bulls right away. This of course was before I relized how good the sonics where and long before I learned about Bill Russel and Jordan's infamous hall of fame speech. Back when we all wanted to be like Mike. Man Michael Jordan had changed the game so much. Of course four months later he retired from the game for two seasons. I never felt the same way about him after that. Of course over the years we heard the rumors about why he retired. I always wondered if he had had his own Larry bird to face, someone who was just as good coming out if the west, how much better he could of been. Who knows.

After getting as many photos of the United Center including statues of Jordan and the statues of Stan Mikita who made me think back to Wayne's world. I took some more photos of the cityscape. I thought back to how much I was going to miss the east. Was this the right decision? Who knew.

I headed back towards Union station, and waited for my train to California. In the lobby I saw a guy who looked like my Chicago friends evil twin brother. I guess everyone in Chicago looks like him. I boarded my train and we headed west.