This was one of the most horrible bus rides of my life. It was actually not the duration (22h is not that new to me). It was rather the tiny seats and the fact that you had around 12 stops. At many of these you actually HAD TO leave the bus for around 20-30 minutes and wait in the cold. I heard that they increased the number of seats to earn more money. The price per seat was actually the same as flying Dallas – Chicago (if you exclude luggage). I really don´t understand how the most wealthy country on the planet has by far the shittiest long distance busses (busses and trains in Vietnam are a dream in comparison). However, I survived and arrived safely in Chicago. The clear and fresh air of a golden autumn day was a pleasant welcome after hot and dusty Texas :D.
Although I had very little sleep, the first day turned out to be one of the most eventful. Again I had an offer to stay with a couch surfer in some company sponsored hotel downtown (breakfast and dinner included). After heading down I had a first glimpse at the amazing architecture of Chicago's architecture (they were actually invented here). There was also a parade going on, celebrating the discovery of America (Columbus day). It seems so be mainly themed on Italy.
However, I have been couch surfing for such a long time by now. I felt that I needed some me-time and reserved in a hostel somewhere north. It is very quiet here, very residential but I really like it. There are some cool bars nearby and it looks rather European (good public transportation, everything in walking distance, and everything nice and cozy)
Well I actually wanted to stay near the hostel and have a quiet night. In the end, I bumped into new people who were crazy about showing me the best the city has to offer. So I went back to Downtown again. Saw one of the most favorite landmarks (the bean) had a lobster/cocktail dinner at the famous “Signature Room” with a great view across the city and some other places that I barely remember (these cocktails were pretty strong).
After 40h being up and about I ended up crashing on another couch (with a most annoying dog constantly licking my face).
Hadn't I decided to skip couch surfing for a while? Harder than I thought :D
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