So there we were, Amanda, Tami, and me. Shoving the last bit of stuff into Amanda's trusty Honda Accord, which was weighted down with a bike rack and a U-Haul trailer, ready to roll Amanda's ass up to her new home -- Chicago. The goodie bags filled with chocolate and other sugary sundries were also packed and ready. Let's GO, bee-atches!!
But, let's drop off the cable company's wireless router first. Ok, NOW, we can go. It's 3 PM, and we're bidding adieu to St. Petersburg by heading north up I-275 and I-75. Amanda's pet rabbit, Jackson (Jack), will not cooperate by riding in her jerry-rigged litter box. She will ride like the queen she is by riding...in the back window.
Rock on, little bunny. Just don't pee all over if you get excited. We made a couple of pit stops on our way to our first checkpoint in Tennesee. We had some Subway for dinner, and some McDonald's for fourth meal at 1 AM. Throughout the 12-hour trek, we traded off driving duties. I got the rainy, dark, a traffic-filled shift through Atlanta. Perfect, when a trailer is attached to the back of the sedan. I only made one wrong turn, and I blame the GPS for faulty instructions. I kept right, like you said, lady, and I should have kept from turning off the main highway.
We reached Almaville, TN at 2:30 AM on Friday, and Amanda's dear old friend Jeannie was waiting up for us. I think I remember saying hello before passing out on the couch for the night. The next thing I remember is waking up to the smell of coffee, which is one of the BEST scents in the world! It was a beautiful morning -- sun shining and fluffy clouds, with a hummingbird flitting by the front window -- and we would be spending the next 24 hours here before continuing on to Chicago on Saturday.
Rob and Jeannie are gracious hosts, and they showed the 3 of us around. I love summer in the north! It is so green and the colors so vivid. And the grass!! The real grass!! Again, I was having a little foot orgy in my bare feet on the grass. Right there -- real grass. One of my Top 5 Favorite Things. Feet down.
Later that day, as evening drew close, and after more friends from Cincinnati arrived, we drove to Arrington Vineyards for a picnic dinner. The location is beautiful! On a hillside overlooking the vineyards, you can picnic at the tables there as long as you buy a bottle of wine. And buy we did. The whites went perfectly with our fried chicken dinner and potato salad. We languished as we sipped the last of our bottles and watched the sun set.
After such a restful and enjoyable evening, it was hard to get up the next morning with the knowledge that we had to hit the road. We got a little bit of a late start because we stayed to chat and enjoy a homemade breakfast. Once we were on the road, it was cornfields and horse farms for a very long way through the last sliver of Tennessee and a good chunk of Kentucky. In Louisville, we stopped for "lunch" at White Castle.
OK, here's the thing. I've heard about White Castle before. I had never been there, but I heard the raves, and hell, I saw Harold and Kumar. I thought I was missing something, and I thought that THIS was my moment to experience WHITE. CASTLE.
I was...underwhelmed. Steamed on a bed of onions? Pretty much equals a bland tasting piece of square meat on a tiny bun. Oh well, you can't tell me I didn't try.
We forged on through Indiana, and then, made it to the threshold of Chicago. The tension was palpable. Amanda was at the wheel. I should say that the tension wasn't palpable because Amanda was at the wheel. It was because we were so close to Amanda's new home, and so far from her favorite home. That, and Amanda was at the wheel in an urban setting. SCAAARY!!!
We arrived at Amanda's new lodgings in Hyde Park around 6:30. The unloading of the car and the trailer went relatively smoothly and quickly. Thanks mostly due to the brawn that showed up -- Josh, Mr. Wallace, and Mr. Shadduck -- we moved boxes up 3 flights of wooden stairs and through tight spaces with relative ease. Amanda and I, after a lovely deep dish pizza made in a wood-fired oven, began setting up her new apartment. Our adrenaline took us all the way to 12:30 AM.The next morning, we took our time starting our day before returning the U-Haul. Once returned, we made our way to the Navy Pier for some sightseeing. My local resident friend, Erik, came to meet us for lunch and a walk around Millennium Park, where we saw....the Bean. That infamous piece of tourist art that provides no end of amusement and distorted reflections. I'll let you enjoy our day, just as we did, in photos:
I loved every moment of my time in Chicago, and I know Amanda is going to take to her new home like a duck to water. Sure, winter is going to blow frozen monkey chunks, but that's only for 8 months. The rest of the time -- it will be gravy. I definitely am going back to visit because 24 hours was not long enough. There is still so much more to do and see. Wrigley Field! Hot dogs! Oprah? Maybe not, but I still haven't wandered the waterfront drunk in the middle of the night, and I still haven't been in a parade singing "Twist and Shout." Next time, Amanda, next time. We're doing the town up right.
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