Chicago, Tanya and Peanut!
Chicago - 41°53'8.40"N 87°37'47.05"W
My train arrived at 11.00 central time (10th Nov) - I'd gained an hour from Buffalo - and I made my way in a cab from Central station staight to Michigan avenue for a meeting at 12.15 at Roosevelt University. I was knackered, cranky and didn't smell wonderful, but I didn't have much of a choice.
The meeting went well but I won't bore you with that. I made straight for a bar and killed the rest of the afternoon with a pint (or two) and a newspaper until I could meet up with the family who were putting me up for a couple of days.
I headed across downtown Chicago to Gary's office where he and his wife then took me off to a 'Rugby' party for the Chicago Lions. Fancy drinks reception do with cheese and wine on the something or other floor of a sky scaper overlooking Milennium Park. The view was amazing and I started to realise just how big Chicago is!
The next day I caught the El' Train to downtown Chicago and spent the whole day exploring. This city is huge! The buildings are enormous and there's people and cars everywhere. The El' train looks like it's about to fall apart as it rattles around over your head whilst you walk the streets below. You can hardly see the sky from the height of the buidlings around you and on every corner there's a crazy man with only one tooth, dancing on top of a milk crate and singing the blues! .......(maybe not every corner, but I've seen a couple!)
I finished the day off at another bar where I had the pleasure of meeting two locals......
Tanya and Peanut were suitably miserable and they each took it in turns to out do each other with their tales of woe! It was kind of like that scene in Jaws, where they compare scars and get hammered on Vodka! One point of the conversation in particular though springs to mind;
Tanya - Why the name Peanut anyway Peanut?
Peanut - I can't tell you my real name, so don't be asking me that.......asawannagaDAMNmofo
Tanya - What's your real name?
Wallace - (wonders whether Tanya might be deaf)
Peanut - I don't use my legal name
Tanya - oh.......oh I see........
Wallace - (suitably confused)
Tanya - Where you from Peanut? Where's your family at?
Peanut - I've not got no family........ just my pops but I"ve not spoken to him for a long time!
Tanya - Why's that?
Peanut - Things changed after I shot at him......
Wallace - (eyes watering whilst trying not to spit Budweiser everywhere.....a small amount escaped from my left nostril though)
Tanya - Damn! Peanut, that sounds like some heavy sh*t
Wallace - (you're not wrong Tanya) Barman, can I get my bill please?
The next day I left Gary and Leslie, thanked them for their hospitality and checked into a youth hostel in downtown Chicago - 41°52'33.29"N 87°37'35.52"W
I spent even more time just walking around taking pictures and taking it all in.
Tonight I'm heading to a British friend of a friend's house. It'll be nice to have a conversation with somebody who doesn't keep asking me to repeat myself because they don't understand my accent.
Chicago's a great city and I'd definitely like to come back here again some day to spend some more time here. I reckon I'd prefer it in the summer months though, it's pretty cold right now.......not as cold as my next port of call though..........
In the morning I'm on a flight to Denver.
You'll hear from me again when I get there.
M
My train arrived at 11.00 central time (10th Nov) - I'd gained an hour from Buffalo - and I made my way in a cab from Central station staight to Michigan avenue for a meeting at 12.15 at Roosevelt University. I was knackered, cranky and didn't smell wonderful, but I didn't have much of a choice.
The meeting went well but I won't bore you with that. I made straight for a bar and killed the rest of the afternoon with a pint (or two) and a newspaper until I could meet up with the family who were putting me up for a couple of days.
I headed across downtown Chicago to Gary's office where he and his wife then took me off to a 'Rugby' party for the Chicago Lions. Fancy drinks reception do with cheese and wine on the something or other floor of a sky scaper overlooking Milennium Park. The view was amazing and I started to realise just how big Chicago is!
The next day I caught the El' Train to downtown Chicago and spent the whole day exploring. This city is huge! The buildings are enormous and there's people and cars everywhere. The El' train looks like it's about to fall apart as it rattles around over your head whilst you walk the streets below. You can hardly see the sky from the height of the buidlings around you and on every corner there's a crazy man with only one tooth, dancing on top of a milk crate and singing the blues! .......(maybe not every corner, but I've seen a couple!)
I finished the day off at another bar where I had the pleasure of meeting two locals......
Tanya and Peanut were suitably miserable and they each took it in turns to out do each other with their tales of woe! It was kind of like that scene in Jaws, where they compare scars and get hammered on Vodka! One point of the conversation in particular though springs to mind;
Tanya - Why the name Peanut anyway Peanut?
Peanut - I can't tell you my real name, so don't be asking me that.......asawannagaDAMNmofo
Tanya - What's your real name?
Wallace - (wonders whether Tanya might be deaf)
Peanut - I don't use my legal name
Tanya - oh.......oh I see........
Wallace - (suitably confused)
Tanya - Where you from Peanut? Where's your family at?
Peanut - I've not got no family........ just my pops but I"ve not spoken to him for a long time!
Tanya - Why's that?
Peanut - Things changed after I shot at him......
Wallace - (eyes watering whilst trying not to spit Budweiser everywhere.....a small amount escaped from my left nostril though)
Tanya - Damn! Peanut, that sounds like some heavy sh*t
Wallace - (you're not wrong Tanya) Barman, can I get my bill please?
The next day I left Gary and Leslie, thanked them for their hospitality and checked into a youth hostel in downtown Chicago - 41°52'33.29"N 87°37'35.52"W
I spent even more time just walking around taking pictures and taking it all in.
Tonight I'm heading to a British friend of a friend's house. It'll be nice to have a conversation with somebody who doesn't keep asking me to repeat myself because they don't understand my accent.
Chicago's a great city and I'd definitely like to come back here again some day to spend some more time here. I reckon I'd prefer it in the summer months though, it's pretty cold right now.......not as cold as my next port of call though..........
In the morning I'm on a flight to Denver.
You'll hear from me again when I get there.
M
posted by Wallace at
9:42 PM
2 Comments:
Okay Matt
You turn up in a city (big city mind) after a long train journey and you smell. You then get smashed in a bar all afternoon. And then you go and meet the family putting you up.
I thought this was supposed to be "hands across the water" and all that :)
(And for the record, I tried putting capital letters at the start of my name, but this web 2.0 piece of rubbish thought that was too Old Skool and decided that ed foster was more down with the Mypsace kids... grrrr)
By
Anonymous, at 9:32 PM
MELON!
By
Wallace, at 3:59 PM
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