| So here I am again, on another short | | | | me to Fullerton.I am usually pretty proud of |
| excursion away from home. I've been awake for | | | | my 'highly developed sense of orientation', |
| an hour already and decided the best thing is | | | | but when I left the Fullerton el-train |
| to get up and put my first impressions on | | | | station it was dark already and I promptly |
| paper. Since there is only a one hour time | | | | ended up walking westwards on Fullerton, in |
| difference between Toronto and Chicago I | | | | the opposite direction of where I was |
| decided yesterday I wasn't even going to | | | | supposed to go. I managed to successfully |
| change my watch over. So when I came down | | | | delay my arrival at the youth hostel by about |
| this morning to use the free computer at the | | | | 45 minutes due to walking in the wrong |
| Arlington Youth Hostel in Chicago, I realized | | | | direction and not being able to connect with |
| it's not 7 am, but actually only 6 am. Well, | | | | anyone who might have known where the youth |
| even better, that'll give me more chance to | | | | hostel is. None of the DePaul university |
| explore.A trip to Chicago has been in the | | | | students that I asked had any idea of where |
| works for a while. I have been here twice | | | | the intersection of Lincoln and Fullerton |
| before, once in 2001 with 3 of my friends, | | | | was, they were probably all new in town |
| and once in April of 2003 to meet my friend | | | | themselves. I finally arrived at the next |
| Linda who I have known from back home in | | | | larger intersection "Ashland" and realized I |
| Austria since we are 10 years old. You | | | | had walked about 2 or 3 km westwards, in the |
| realize you are getting old when you can say | | | | wrong direction.Pretty tired from rolling my |
| to someone that you have known them for 30 | | | | suitcase around I decided to catch the bus |
| years...So Linda, who now lives in Indiana, | | | | back east on Fullerton and arrived at the |
| and I decided to reunite in Chicago again, so | | | | Arlington House not much later. The Arlington |
| she is planning to come in today at 10:25 | | | | House with its large entrance hall full of |
| with the South Shore Railway Line. I, on the | | | | young (and older) travellers and its |
| other hand, decided to fly this time, instead | | | | absolutely spartanic rooms (no closets, no |
| of driving or taking the train (15 hours from | | | | night tables, no table lamps, no chairs, no |
| Toronto!!!) as I did the last two times.As | | | | desks - just a metal bunk bed for our private |
| I've done several times this year already in | | | | room) is always an experience. But I love it, |
| my trips to New York City and Vancouver | | | | it makes me feel young again to hang out with |
| Victoria, I decided to use my Airmiles to | | | | all these world travellers and adventurers of |
| come down to Chicago on a free flight, and | | | | different ages.I had originally planned to |
| what a great decision that was since the | | | | head downtown, but due to my detour I was |
| flight is just over an hour long. With the | | | | pretty pooped and decided to just go and eat |
| help of Airmiles, this is shaping up to be a | | | | something locally. I strolled south on Clark |
| really reasonable and cost-effective weekend | | | | Street which has many lively little |
| getaway in a great city that will allow me to | | | | restaurants and plopped myself down in a |
| keep my costs as low as possible.Yesterday, I | | | | place called Ranalli's where I had an |
| flew out of Pearson International Airport at | | | | extremely filling soup, salad and tiramisu |
| 4:45 pm and arrived at 5:30 Chicago time. | | | | dinner. After all this running around it was |
| Chicago's O'Hare Airport is the world's | | | | nice to sit down, read the paper, including |
| busiest airport, and judging by the size of | | | | the events calendar and try to figure out |
| the terminals, I can only concur. After | | | | what adventures could be in store for this |
| walking what felt like miles I reached the | | | | weekend.Today I got up early, actually an |
| level where the subway trains depart, and I | | | | hour earlier than I thought since I want to |
| bought a 3-day visitor ticket for US$12.00. | | | | do some exploring before my friend Linda |
| Chicago, similar to New York City, has a | | | | comes into town. I am planning to meet her at |
| great transit system, with a large network of | | | | 10:25 at the Randolph Street train station, |
| interconnected buses, subways and elevated | | | | so I have a few hours for exploring before |
| trains. I am fascinated by the "el-train" | | | | she comes into town.I might take a bus north, |
| system that runs through the downtown area | | | | or go south into the Old Town Neighbourhood, |
| and the "Loop" as it is called. The train on | | | | close to North Street.It's going to be |
| stilts has been in existence since the early | | | | interesting.....Susanne Pacher is the |
| 1900s, and it allows you to see some of the | | | | publisher of a website called Travel and |
| beautiful architecture that Chicago has to | | | | Transitions( Travel and Transitions deals |
| offer.My destination was the Arlington House | | | | with unconventional travel and is chock full |
| Youth Hostel, a place I had already stayed at | | | | of advice, tips, real life travel |
| during my earlier two trips. At US$56.00 per | | | | experiences, interviews with travellers and |
| night for a private room for 2 people (albeit | | | | travel experts, insights and reflections, |
| with a shared bathroom), you can't beat the | | | | cross-cultural issues, contests and many |
| pricing. The Arlington House is located in | | | | other features. You will also find stories |
| the beautiful neighbourhood of Lincoln Park | | | | about life and the transitions that we face |
| and literally just 15 minutes from downtown | | | | as we go through our own personal life-long |
| by el-train or bus. It took me 45 minutes by | | | | journeys.Submit your own travel stories in |
| train to get to the Washington Station | | | | our first travel story contest( and have a |
| downtown where I changed over to the red line | | | | chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on |
| which just took about 10 to 15 minutes to get | | | | the Amazon River. |