We arrived in Chicago once again without incident (this is starting to become a habit) and after finding our smelly/decrepid room set off to meet Unity and Alan for dinner. We arranged to meet at their hotel and instantly became jealous as we viewed how the other half live. Ah Luxury!!
Junior couldn’t visit the city of Chicago without going to the United Centre and getting a photo with the statue of MJ. The suburbs that surround the stadium we were informed are a bit dodgy so we had to catch the bus. We were getting some grub at “Au bon pair” (not bad, healthy food for once) and June went to ask the chick behind the counter which bus we needed to catch to get there. As he walked up she first asked him if he worked out?? Yes, surprisingly the big guys guns are drawing more attention than they warrant! Anyway after that she also asked if he liked his dreads … Yeah … her reply was priceless (Nat was sitting at the table at this stage) and the African American shop chick said “ooooh you gonna get some assss!!” It was hilarious. Nat had her turn in DC at the Smithsonian and now it was Junior’s turn to receive a compliment, ha ha.
Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals between Chicago and Detroit was being played that night in Chicago and despite our best efforts we were unable to get tickets – even the scalpers were empty handed. We were able to find a really neat sports bar just near our hostel to watch the game (Nat even sat through it all, as the Bulls are Juniors team and he almost has her on board).
We had a wonderful time catching up with Unity and Alan at heir gorgeous hotel. It was so nice that we came back for a breather the next day after walking miles. Just seeing them and spending some time with them was great! I guess it felt like a slice of home in the windy city.
We walked from Lincoln park’s North pond along the “beach” to the city centre (about 5 miles). We found the Loch Ness Monster, hundreds of geese and a lot of wind on our way to the magnificent mile (Chicago’s Fifth Ave). From here we ventured up the John Hancock building to view the city from the 96th floor (see pics). Were meant to purchase a drink but did a runner instead as the minimum was $5 for a coke!
