Chicago - April 30, 2014

[SarahZ]

(I feel like a ghost writer. I'm writing my thoughts and uploading my pictures, but I'm also conveying Beth's thoughts and uploading her pictures.)

My friend, Beth, has never been on a passenger train. (She's been on the L and other subway systems.) We were excited about the opening of the World's Fair exhibit at the Field Museum, and she asked if we could take a train instead of driving.

Well. Duh.

We bought our train tickets in early January, and as the months and weeks passed, she got more and more excited. It was contagious. The night before we left, I felt like it was my first time all over again. I have taken the Wolverine to Chicago a million billion times - I know most of the conductors' names - but I could hardly sleep!

When we got to KAL, the status board said the train was about 10 minutes behind. I told her that was fairly normal and that we should be okay as long as we didn't hit freight snags near Chicago. I think she's destined to be a train traveler because she said, "I don't care. That means more time on the train. And they have booze!" (Now you understand why she's my best friend.) ^_^

She liked the easy boarding process and commented that it seemed "pretty chill". We were both surprised at how crowded the train was. I figured the first train out on a Wednesday would be pretty empty, but it was packed. We ended up getting the very last pair of forward-facing seats, and it ended up being the quiet car. We were right behind the loco, so she got to hear the horn loud and clear. We always use "library voices" in public since we can't stand loud conversations, so being in the quiet car wasn't a problem.

We hadn't even cleared the platform yet, and she took this picture. Her comment was, "Haha, cars. YOU have to wait for US." I told her I feel that way every time I'm on a train during a work day.



The conductor came around to scan our tickets and check IDs. This is the first time I've had to show my ID in about three years, so I was a bit surprised. I didn't care; I was just surprised.

I was glad we were on the right side of the train, because she got to see my house as we passed and then the intersection where I'd been hoping to block my boyfriend on his way to work. He normally leaves around the time the train starts to pass our neighborhood, so we were planning to wave at him as we passed the crossing, but he wasn't there. Boo.

Shortly after that, and right around the time we started accelerating to 110 mph, Beth decided it was selfie time.



Blurry, but happy.

We talked about how cool it is to go through towns and backyards, along with places where cars and pedestrians don't normally go. She liked that we get to see scenery that non-train travelers don't. She took a shot of Dowagiac because she liked the small town look and the fact the town is obviously built in relation to the tracks:



She also loved the industrial sections near and in Gary, IN:





Her comment: "It was so old and industrial. And totally deserted. It reminded me of an ancient civilization -- you could see a very important way that people used to live that has all but been abandoned now."

Once we got past Michigan City, IN, we could see Lake Michigan on our right. She took a picture and said, "I can see the lake!" I had to explain why I started cracking up.

Here you go, Ryan:



We got a liiiiiittle bit delayed by freight at this point, but it wasn't bad. The conductor kept us updated every few minutes, it seemed. He told us we'd be about a half-hour late, but just then, we started picking up speed, and he sounded genuinely surprised when he came back with, "Neeeever mind, ladies and gents. Looks like we'll be rolling into Shy-cago in the next couple of minutes."

Sure enough, here came the Dan Ryan. I told Beth that you can normally see the skyline at the "end" of the highway, but that they'd taken the skyscrapers down for cleaning that day.



Part 2 coming up; I'm running out of pic space.

 

[SarahZ]

As we were pulling into Union Station, she commented that she'd never been there as an adult. She grew up in the suburbs and had been there as a little kid at one time, but she didn't remember it at all. So, our first stop was the Great Hall. She found the "Untouchables" staircase immediately.



I'd spotted the gigantic poster advertising the Amtrak/Wrigley Field sponsorship, so that was our next stop. I'd wanted a photo of myself next to it since they put it up a few weeks ago.



Since we were right there, we ate at Metro Deli. They always have such a good selection. I had a salad, pork loin, and a piece of carrot cake, and she had an Italian Beef sandwich with a Caprese salad.



Once lunch was finished, we debated our CTA options and decided to splurge on a cab to the Field Museum. We thought the exhibit was going to be huge, so we didn't want to spend 30-45 minutes on transit. Plus, it was pouring, and even though we had umbrellas, we decided it was worth the $10 to cab it. We arrived in about 10 minutes.



The museum was pretty empty, which was awesome. We didn't have to wait to buy tickets, and the ticket guy gave us both student discounts even though I was the only one with ID. There were a couple of student groups, but they weren't huge, and the rest of the patrons were stay-at-home moms with kids in strollers. The museum has some pretty awesome kid areas, so it's not a bad choice for a rainy day.

Our ticket got us into all of the regular museum areas along with the special exhibit for the World's Fair, so we checked out Sue the T-Rex right away.





I need to work on my "dinosaur". Hers is pretty epic.

Edit: I just realized it's nearly 1:00, and I work at 8:30 tomorrow. :unsure: I'll have to write the rest of this during my lunch break.

 

[Acela150]

Since you stopped at the metro deli.. Did you get the 2 Joe's beer pitcher special??

 

[SarahZ]

Since you stopped at the metro deli.. Did you get the 2 Joe's beer pitcher special??

We did not. We prefer wine and fruity drinks that have swords and umbrellas in them.

 

[Ryan]

At least someone got to see the lake.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Nice pix, and great friend-time trip!

 

[CaliforniaMom]

What a fun trip! How nice to share with someone who's just as enthusiastic about trains as you!

 

[SarahZ]

As I said, the World's Fair exhibit wasn't very big, and it wasn't quite what we thought it would be (very few things on display), but we still had fun looking around. We read every card and description, and we were still finished within 45 minutes.





(Sadly, they did not have any of the original boxes or packaging. That would have been fun to see.)



The picture above was pretty neat. They had these scattered throughout the exhibit. They looked like old photographs and posters advertising the fair, but then every so often, a couple people would come to life and act out a little scene. On the posters for the fair itself, a silhouette of a lady or gentleman in old-fashioned clothing would "pass by" every couple of minutes.



I believe this is called a "gamelan". It's an Indonesian instrument.









I think the guestbook was my favorite part. I loved seeing the old-fashioned handwriting - I actually learned similar cursive in Catholic school but could never write so beautifully. I also enjoyed seeing where everyone had come from. Those pages of the guestbook had everything from South Dakota to British Columbia to Norway.

 

[SarahZ]

Since the exhibit didn't take us nearly as long as we thought it would, that gave us most of the day to explore. We decided to check out the Egyptian area of the museum and then head up to Michigan Ave. Beth had never wandered the "Magnificent Mile" before.







We debated catching a bus outside of the museum, but it started pouring again, so we took a cab. I asked the driver to drop us off at the Hancock building since there's a cute, little, Italian deli and bakery to the left of The Cheesecake Factory. I had never tried gelato before, and it's one of Beth's favorite things. She finally had a chance to go to Italy last fall, and she was pleased to see L'Appetito offered lots of genuine Italian beverages (imported) and food.

There were many flavors to choose from!



I ended up getting two scoops - coconut and chocolate hazelnut. Beth got cappuccino.



I was a bit surprised at the tiny scoops, but then I realized gelato is very rich and creamy, so a little goes a long way. I could barely finish it, even though it had been 2-3 hours since we'd had lunch.

We decided to wander along Michigan Ave, as the rain had stopped and it was starting to warm up a little. Beth liked the juxtaposition of the old houses and buildings in the middle of all the skyscrapers.



We stopped at Ghirardelli's to get free chocolate samples, and then we went to the Hershey store to look around.

 

[SarahZ]

After the Hershey store, we walked across the street to Water Tower Place, which is a huge shopping center with a seven-or-eight story Macy's and so on. Mostly, we were there for the LEGO store, but we decided to enter through American Girl Place.

For those unfamiliar, American Girl dolls have been around since the early 90s. Each doll has a book that accompanies it and tells the story of that doll. They started with four or five, from all different eras in American history. I worked at the library when I was in high school and remember how popular those books (and dolls) were. The stories are engaging and teach quite a bit of history.

Since then, they've added a ton of new dolls, and they aren't all historic anymore. Some are dancers, athletes, etc. They still have the historic dolls and have added many more to that collection, but it's become this gigantic THING, and the store reflects that.

Not only are the dolls, clothing, and supplies expensive, but the store in Chicago has a photo studio where you can have portraits taken with your doll, a tea room with chairs that fit parents, kids, and the dolls, a Halloween costume shop, a hair salon (where you can change your doll's hair) that has doll-size salon chairs, and so on. Some hotels in the area have packages that give you gift certificates to the store, and I've seen countless red "American Girl" bags on the Wolverine when returning home on Sunday.

Beth is a librarian, and as as such, she's seen the influx of books over the years and was interested to see the historical doll displays. Each doll was in a room fashioned to meet their historic period, and it was kind of neat, like a museum. Unfortunately, we didn't get any decent pictures, just an overall shot. The sales clerks kept hawk eyes on everyone, and I felt like they'd freak out if we started taking pictures. (Some stores, especially those with popular trademarks, frown upon that.)



I thought about buying a doll for my older niece, but then I realized she'd want clothes and furniture and such to go with it, and I don't want to put that kind of financial pressure on my brother and SIL. (The outfits are thirty freaking dollars alone.) If I do decide to buy one, I think we'll make it clear that the accessories and such are Special Presents from Auntie Sarah and only come a few times per year. I'd love to take her to the store someday, and she's always wanted to ride a train, so we might have to make this happen at some point. I'm a sucker for my nieces, and since we don't have kids, that means I have money to spend on other people's kids.

Anyway, after American Girl Place, we went to the LEGO store. Yay!

I had my picture taken with Ironman.



Then we wandered for a bit, and I found something I hadn't seen when I was there with Brent the previous weekend.



The skyline is pretty neat. They added superheroes to it.







The rest of the afternoon was spent window shopping at stores we can't even afford to walk into. We spent a lot of time in Crate & Barrel, which was full of way too much temptation. Now I know why people register there.

After that, it was time to head back to CUS to catch our train. We got on the #151 bus around 4:50, so we crawled through rush hour traffic and had to stand with a bunch of other people. It was packed pretty tight, but it was mostly commuters, so everyone was good about letting people get on/off at their stop instead of blocking the door, not moving back, etc.

I was happy that we got to CUS around 5:10 because Beth got to see the huge exodus of people from the Loop. When you look at the swarms/masses of people coming across those bridges on their way to CUS, it looks like the city is evacuating. It's really neat.

CUS was an organized madhouse, if that makes sense. There were a TON of people rushing to Metra trains, but it was orderly, almost robotic, and it was fun to stay out of the flow of traffic and just watch the sea of coats and briefcases.

If you're familiar with the Food Court area, this will be easy to picture - all of the people heading down to the South Concourse walked along the side with Cajun Grill, and everyone headed the other way (toward Adams?), walked on the side where the Snuggery was. Two perfect lanes of traffic, moving so fast that I actually waited to cross, as if they were really cars. I know I wouldn't have gotten hurt, but everyone was in a hurry, and I didn't want to interrupt that flow. It was really neat to watch; I'd never seen it during rush hour before. I'm usually in the waiting room already.

There was a bit of drama while we were in the news stand (Relay). We heard these two guys shouting, and everyone sort of paused. It turned out one guy freaked out and started shouting at some guy, thinking he was carrying a gun. The guy told him to chill the F out and showed Freaked Out Guy that it was just his briefcase, tucked under his raincoat so it wouldn't get soaked. It got really heated for a bit. Apparently, Freaked Out Guy kept trying to grab at Briefcase Guy's coat while yelling for an Amtrak cop. Meanwhile, Briefcase Guy kept showing him it was a briefcase and nearly punched Freaked Out Guy to get him to let go of his coat.

We also saw some guy get yelled at and practically pushed because he was standing on the left side of the escalator, the one going down to the South Concourse. He was playing on his phone, totally oblivious to the backed-up traffic, death glares, and shouting behind him. Stand right, walk left, dude.

So that was fun.

The waiting room was crowded, but not badly so. The Wolverine line had already started to snake back a bit, but we grabbed some seats and figured we'd wait for the boarding call. It didn't look nearly as long as usual, so I figured we'd get seats together without a problem.

When they called our train, the line started moving super fast! I realized it was all adults, no kids, and nobody had luggage. So everyone shot through that door, and the line never even paused. Everyone had their ticket out, and nobody stopped to ask questions. It was awesome.

When we got out to the train, the conductors just kept saying, "Any car. Pick any car. Just keep moving. Any car is fine." That was a new one to me, but okay. Figuring everyone would get on at the first car (near the station), we ran toward the front end of the train. Unfortunately, even with that maneuver, we ended up getting the very last seat pair again. They had set aside some seats for groups of two and then another couple of seat rows for "Crew". Unfortunately, we noticed some people sitting in the seats for groups and saying, "We can be a group of two. What's your name? We'll just say we're friends," and so on, so that kind of backfired. They were even told to move, but they'd just point at each other and say, "Oh no... we're together..." So yeah.

I only took one photo on the way home. I love when the sky ahead is stormy but the sun is out behind me. It creates this cool effect where the world looks like a painting and colors are super bright. It's like the contrast is all wacky. Anyway, the sailboats looked awesome, but I couldn't get a very good picture, unfortunately. We were stuck in that weird space between windows.



We got home only ten minutes late. Overall, Beth loved her trip, and she said we should plan some more day trips so she can ride the train more often and see more of the city. We also talked about doing a LD trip with Brent and her husband, possibly to ABQ. Hooray for new train passengers!

 

[oregon pioneer]

Yes, hooray for new train lovers!

Your description of rush hour in CUS reminds me of the many times people have glared at me and Hubby in crowded places, for not knowing and obeying "the rules." We live in the middle of nowhere, so we don't come into contact with those situations very often. We just try to relax and keep out of everyone's way. We're usually not in a hurry, so like you, we enjoy watching the antics and body language of those that are!

 

[SarahZ]

Yes, hooray for new train lovers!

Your description of rush hour in CUS reminds me of the many times people have glared at me and Hubby in crowded places, for not knowing and obeying "the rules." We live in the middle of nowhere, so we don't come into contact with those situations very often. We just try to relax and keep out of everyone's way. We're usually not in a hurry, so like you, we enjoy watching the antics and body language of those that are!

Haha, yeah. I hung back for a second until I had a hang of the pattern/speed, and then we jumped into the fray. It was fun.

I used to work in Chicago, but I never used Metra. I was part of the rush to the L platform, which was its own particular brand of hilarity, especially when someone couldn't figure out the turnstile and everyone got backed up in the lanes like human cholesterol.

I admit that I'm a city girl and get really annoyed when I'm stuck behind a group of people walking slowly while taking up the entire sidewalk, but I'm not mean about it. I just scowl and mutter inwardly until I find an opening and then quickly walk around them. I understand that people are on vacation, might not know where they're going, might not be able to walk very well, might have a cold and can't walk quickly, etc. I do get that. It's when they're outright dawdling and screwing around that I feel like yelling, "HEY. WALKING HERE. SINGLE FILE OR SPEED UP."

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Yes, hooray for new train lovers!

Your description of rush hour in CUS reminds me of the many times people have glared at me and Hubby in crowded places, for not knowing and obeying "the rules." We live in the middle of nowhere, so we don't come into contact with those situations very often. We just try to relax and keep out of everyone's way. We're usually not in a hurry, so like you, we enjoy watching the antics and body language of those that are!

Haha, yeah. I hung back for a second until I had a hang of the pattern/speed, and then we jumped into the fray. It was fun.

I used to work in Chicago, but I never used Metra. I was part of the rush to the L platform, which was its own particular brand of hilarity, especially when someone couldn't figure out the turnstile and everyone got backed up in the lanes like human cholesterol.

I admit that I'm a city girl and get really annoyed when I'm stuck behind a group of people walking slowly while taking up the entire sidewalk, but I'm not mean about it. I just scowl and mutter inwardly until I find an opening and then quickly walk around them. I understand that people are on vacation, might not know where they're going, might not be able to walk very well, might have a cold and can't walk quickly, etc. I do get that. It's when they're outright dawdling and screwing around that I feel like yelling, "HEY. WALKING HERE. SINGLE FILE OR SPEED UP."

I hate when I'm alone and am approaching 2 or more people heading towards me and THEY do not adjust to a single file. Hellooo. I'm already walking single file, how about you doing the same. I'll refuse to move over/off to the side to let them pass which usually makes them adjust quickly to a single file.

 

[Railroad Bill]

Great trip report, Sarah. Glad you had some quality time with your friend. And you have recruited a new Amtrak lover..

We have to remember the escalator rule when we travel to large cities since we have no escalators within 50 miles of us.

 

[SarahZ]

I hate when I'm alone and am approaching 2 or more people heading towards me and THEY do not adjust to a single file. Hellooo. I'm already walking single file, how about you doing the same. I'll refuse to move over/off to the side to let them pass which usually makes them adjust quickly to a single file.

Heh. We do the same thing. Brent will always move behind me if we approach oncoming pedestrians, so we get super annoyed when THEY don't do the same thing and we're both forced to stop or move onto the grass or something while they walk by. It's so rude.

 

[MrFSS]

I hate when I'm alone and am approaching 2 or more people heading towards me and THEY do not adjust to a single file. Hellooo. I'm already walking single file, how about you doing the same. I'll refuse to move over/off to the side to let them pass which usually makes them adjust quickly to a single file.

Heh. We do the same thing. Brent will always move behind me if we approach oncoming pedestrians, so we get super annoyed when THEY don't do the same thing and we're both forced to stop or move onto the grass or something while they walk by. It's so rude.

What's even more rude is people in the grocery store lanes who push their carts on the left instead of the right.

 

[SarahZ]

I hate when I'm alone and am approaching 2 or more people heading towards me and THEY do not adjust to a single file. Hellooo. I'm already walking single file, how about you doing the same. I'll refuse to move over/off to the side to let them pass which usually makes them adjust quickly to a single file.

Heh. We do the same thing. Brent will always move behind me if we approach oncoming pedestrians, so we get super annoyed when THEY don't do the same thing and we're both forced to stop or move onto the grass or something while they walk by. It's so rude.

What's even more rude is people in the grocery store lanes who push their carts on the left instead of the right.

Or they leave it in the exact middle of the aisle while they spend 48 minutes weighing the benefits of regular Cheerios vs. Honey Nut Sugar Bombs.

 

[the_traveler]

I have money to spend on other people's kids.

Hey Sarah - I somebody's kid! :giggle:

The last time I was at the Field was ages ago when the King Tut exhibit was there. Boy Sue looks like she hasn't moved in years. Her feet must be tired by now!

 

[SarahZ]

The last time I was at the Field was ages ago when the King Tut exhibit was there. Boy Sue looks like she hasn't moved in years. Her feet must be tired by now!

That was the last time Beth was there too. I hadn't been there since the summer of 1999. We thought about wandering around the entire museum, but it was sort of warm and humid in there (it was one of those days that's cool enough to trick the furnace but humid enough to feel muggy). We looked at the map, and nothing really stood out, so we decided to spend most of the day outside, even though it was drizzly and chilly.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Cue Dean Martin singing "Memories are made of This!" And Sinatra singing "Chicago is"!

Fantastic trip and pics Sarah and the Missionary work for Trains is awesome!

 

[oregon pioneer]

Great trip report, Sarah. Glad you had some quality time with your friend. And you have recruited a new Amtrak lover..

We have to remember the escalator rule when we travel to large cities since we have no escalators within 50 miles of us.

I think I've got you beat, Bill. It's 150 miles from here to the nearest "real" city (metro area of 100,000). I *think* they have escalators in Bend! Hmmnn, I'll have to check when I go this weekend...

Anyway, not impeding traffic by taking up the whole sidewalk or escalator is merely a matter of paying attention to courtesy. We also hate it when people block foot traffic completely. It's when I get muttered at for not knowing the local customs, or moving right along as if I know where I'm going (when I don't) that I feel like a country bumpkin!

 

[Misty.]

*looks at this thread again, takes notes of stuff to do Thursday when she's waiting to get into her hotel out in Rosemont* :3

 

[bobnjulie]

Such a great report! Great ghost writing - hearing two sides! Love your pictures, especially the Wrigley Field and the staircase! I'll have to look for that when we're in Chicago in December. Also, I was just wondering how far the Hersey store is from CUS? I am such a chocoholic, I would love to visit that store!

 

[SarahZ]

It's not far, maybe two or three miles.

The easiest thing to do is board the #151 (Sheridan) bus on Canal St. Take it to the Water Tower and hop off. The Hershey store is to your left.

You can take #151 back to CUS. Just make sure you board the southbound bus.

 

[Riverviewer]

Great trip report....but what do you have to do to see the pictures?