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