Janay has always wanted to take a day trip to Chicago on the Amtrak train. Me......not so much. But being the wonderful husband I am, I agreed to go. Janay made the arrangements and even got our friends from Cincinnati, Greg and Susan, to go with us. Janay and Susan went to college together and the four of us have become great friends. Greg and Susan are world travelers and have been to Chicago several times, so going with them was a great idea. This entry started out with me typing everything that took place on the trip, but I soon realized it was going to take FOREVER if I continued on. You are now reading the condensed version.
The decision was made to stay in a hotel the night before. Greg offered to use some of his six gadzillion travel miles (I told you they were world travelers) to pay for our room. Thanks, Greg!! We ended up staying at the Hilton Garden Inn on the circle in Indy. The hotel was wonderful....we only wish we could have spent more time there since we had to get up at 4 am the next morning. We were trying to decide where to eat at, but Janay and Susan were too busy chatting so Greg and I made a decision to go to the Weber Grill. It was just a few blocks away and the short walk (roll) was enjoyable because it was such a nice evening. One thing we forgot when we planned our downtown stay was that it was Black Expo weekend. I'll just say it made for some interesting people watching.
4 am came very quickly. We had to be at the train station around 5:45. The train ride was fun because you get to see the landscape from a different perspective. Our conductor, Roby, was very helpful. He made people move to other seats so the boarding VIP's....I mean, the disabled guy....could have the seats at the back of the car. This allowed me to keep my wheelchair close and also put us close to the bathrooms. The train is a non-smoking train, but a couple of people must have been sleeping during the announcement. We could smell the nasty smoke as could other passengers around us. Everyone was commenting on how rude it was. When one guy finally emerged, Greg shouted out "we worried you might have caught on fire!" The man answered "oh no, no" and looked rather shocked someone called him out. He knew what Greg meant. Everyone around us erupted in laughter......I guess you had to be there.
I watched the weather forecast for Chicago the entire week prior to our trip. On Thursday the forecast was 2 to 3 inches of rain for Chicago on Saturday. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to believe it and prayed against it. I guess should have told more people to join me in prayer because the rain started while still on the train around Lafayette. When the train pulled into the station in Chicago it was pouring. Joy....
We all bought 24 hour bus passes and planned to use the city buses to navigate the city. We got a map that showed bus routes on one side and the free trolley routes on the other. Apparently you need to be a genius to understand the bus route map. The free trolley route map was color coded showing where each colored trolley went. Let's take the trolley!
We ventured outside and were greeted by masses of people under the awning at Union Station seeking shelter from the rain. We said the heck with it.....let's go! Armed with one umbrella for four people we were off. The trolley stop was easy to find.....just look for the larger mass of people who also had the bright idea to take the free trolley. Greg somehow managed to work his way to the front of the line and let the bus driver know there was someone in a wheelchair wanting to board. The three of them get on while I was told to head towards the rear of the bus while they lower the wheelchair lift. I must have looked extra pitiful at this point because a kind woman came over and shared her umbrella with me. So here I am, enjoying my Chicago trip, sitting in the rain watching the driver try to work the lift. He finally gets the door opened and everything in place and hits the button to lower it....but nothing moves. He says to hang on (like I'm going to go anywhere) while he flips the power switch in an effort to get the electrical system to respond.....nothing. The driver throws his hands in the air and says were just going to have to try to catch the next trolley. So my three friends, who all the while have been sitting high and dry, have to exit the bus (which Janay said was extra stinky and sour smelling) and join me in the rain amongst the crowd of people growing ever impatient with this minor hurdle. Maybe we need to fall back on Greg's engineering degree and figure out that bus map.
At this point we just wanted to go anywhere that was dry. Greg figured out the map and found the bus we needed to head to the shopping district, also known as the Magnificent Mile. I give two thumbs up for the accessibility of the bus system in Chicago. When the driver realizes he has a passenger in a wheelchair wanting to board, he stops everyone else from boarding, hits a switch that lowers the bus and flips out a ramp that allows me to roll right on. It couldn't be any smoother! I slide my bus pass through the system and I'm on. Where the driver failed was in showing me where to go once on the bus. There is an open area in the front of the bus for wheelchairs, so I take a spot. The problem was as soon as the driver hit the gas, I went rolling through the bus! I tried sitting facing sideways and the driver turned a corner and I once again went bouncing around the inside like a human pinball. The driver noticed me flailing around at some point and stopped the bus in the middle of the street. He then showed me how to properly us the equipment on the bus to secure myself. Now we are set! The photo below is when I was rolling around inside the bus and my three travel compadres were laughing. The driver didn't think it was too funny.
By the time the we get off the bus in the shopping district the rain has let up. It's more of a mist now which doesn't soak us like the steady rain did. Now we are all hungry and we have a wonderful lunch at the Grand Lux Cafe. With our bellies full, we head out for shopping. I couldn't begin to tell you which stores we hit except for the Nike store. One place had a pair of dress shoes for a couple grand. The hand bags didn't even show the price, so I assumed if you have to ask, you can't afford it. At one point I noticed an old building that said Chicago Waterworks. We didn't go in and find out more info, but it looked like and old water tower. The picture below shows it in the foreground, dwarfed by the surrounding skyscrapers.
Our final tourist stop was the Navy Pier. The are all kinds of rides, shops and restaurants. Our stop was brief.....hop off the bus, take a quick look, snap a couple of photos and head back to the bus to get to the train station. The below photo is probably a familiar scene from our trip....Greg scouring the bus route map looking for our next destination while Matt silently sits thinking about how much Janay is going to owe him for agreeing to go on the trip. Actually, I think Janay caught me keeping a close eye out for terrorist suspects. My wheelchair is the perfect cover for my secret undercover agent job. Good thing no one reads this blog or my cover would be blown.
So we catch the bus to Union Station to wait for our train. On the way back, Susan spots a Garrett's Popcorn, which was one of our planned stops, but the one we found in the shopping district was closed. The bus arrived at Union Station and we depart. The original plan was to order a couple of pizzas from Giordano's for the train ride back to Indy. I poo-pooed the idea because the train says you can't carry food on, but I'm thankful everyone else ignored me because the pizzas were awesome! Greg the Navigator did all of the final leg work while we waited at the train station. While picking up the pizzas, he also made a stop at Garrett's Popcorn. The cashew caramel corn is to die for. I think it was gone before the train reached the Indiana border. Thanks for the extra effort Greg!
The train ride home took longer than expected. The conductor informed us that the signal lights along the tracks were all red due to a storm passing through. The train engineer relies on the signals to determine the speed at which the train can safely travel. Since the signals were red, our speed topped out at a whopping 15 mph. The delay put our arrival into Indianapolis at about 12:30 am. Black Expo was in full swing at this hour so the downtown area was once again full.
My condensed version of our trip turned out to not be so condensed after all. Overall, we had a fun trip. We always have fun with Greg and Susan no matter what we do. Chicago can not be seen in the short amount of time we were there. It appears to be a wonderful city with endless things to do. Maybe some time we will go back when we can spend a few days there. I wonder if we could do a day trip to New York City.......
