Chicago...Is My Kind of Town, Saturday, Sept 18

“I know the trip is still two months away. But here is the official invitation to all TTers within driving distance of Chicago to join us on Saturday evening, September 18, to kick off the Isle Royale Moose-a-palooza trip.

More details to follow. I suspect Chicago-style pizza, beer, and blues will be involved.”

“Sweet, where is the sign up sheet! I am all over this like flies on sheyat!”

“A little trivia...

MDSHiker was born in Chicago but now resides in North AL.

:D”

“Cool!!

So MDS, you're coming to Sweet Home Chicago for the weekend then?”

“LOL

Ain't gonna happen...ya'll enjoy!!”

“We were in Chicago recently. I did a ton of hiking there. I took the subway into town, then visited the museums, aquarium, zoos. Got a lot of culture. At the end of each day, I probably had 10-14 miles on concrete and asphalt.

(I accompanied my wife, who was there for training during the day).”

“I'm with WK.....bring it on!!!
Been a long time since I've been to Chitown on a Sat. night :)”

“Hmmm, possibility!”

“Y'all best be there that night -- I'm coming out all the way from New Jersey. Of course, I will be proceeding to Isle Royale with The Chosen Ones the following day. But anywhoo, I digress; it would be great to meet some of you Chicago folks that I haven't hiked with, or see some old friends from the Chicago area.

PS - Thanks Ruby, for all the pre-arranging for this trip. You da gal!”

“Question!! Question!! I know that in the Chicago area there is little in the way of camping. So where might the night be spent by the merry crew???? Some hotel?

Hey, I LOVE the pizza down near the tallest building -- which I'm embarrassed to say I'm spacing out the name of at the moment! LOLOLOL!

Hmmm... I could perhaps take Amtrak in **IF** they have specials. :-)”

“The Sears Tower?

I really don't know much by way of the logistics of this. In fact, I'm kinda counting on just showing up and just being provided with instructions on what to do, etc.

Ruby is my right-hand person for the Mooseapolooza pre-party...”

“OK, was thinking of Giordano's.”

“DUH THE SEARS TOWER, yeah! lol

Hey I saw on the "other thread" that Ruby was only thinking of Indiana and Illinoiz persons. phhhhht!!! LOL! Ruby, Ruby, leaving out Minnie-soda? I *MIGHT* be able to do it. I was prolly just under 5 hours to the western burbs, like Schaumburg. Now I'm probably a bit farther.

Hmmm... mebbee I can make it! Looking at a lot of trips in the falls; limited funds. Where do we stay or camp? Would be fun to meet more people. :-)”

“Cant...I work evenings! :(”

“Lizs, there are plenty of hotels in and around the Chicago area we can hook you up with. Both Ruby and I live only 10 minutes from each other so if you took the train, I might be able to pick you up. I have a big car to drive peeps around that night.

Ruby, you know of any train stations in our area?”

“Train stations? As in the South Shore? We could just eschew cars altogether that night, hook people up at one of the hotel/motels around here, and then all of us take the South Shore at East Chicago. As we get closer, maybe we can find alternative accomodations to hotels, i.e. my uncle has another apartment here that is currently vacant. They are rehabbing it. If it's still not rented out by this trip, they might let us use it for the night.

I wish I didn't live in a tiny apartment with children. Otherwise I would invite you all to come stay with me.

We need to find out what kind of blues or baseball will be happeneing that night in town.”

“MMMM, Giordano's...”

“UPluver,

your coming from Elkart right? Hope you come out for this. I think Ruby wants to do some good Chicago deep dish then maybe a Blues bar. I have one in mind that I visit quite often.”

“lizs you could prolly camp at our house, I will have to check with mike and see what plans if any we have...That is if you dont mind camping in a living room full of creepy crawlies (Lizards, spiders, and scorpions)”

“Of course, I do have a yard. Anyone is welcome to pitch their tent or tarp there. When else will you ever have the chance to "camp" in Gary, Indiana (and survive)?”

“LOL Yeah that gary is scary! :) ruby why did you have to plan it for THAT weekend? The weekend after, and the weekend before would of been fine. You picked a weekend I work!”

“Sorry, Free. It was the most logical night, right before we drive on Sunday to Rock Harbor, Michigan to catch the ferry to Isle Royale.”

“You live -- and I mean LIVE?!?!?!?! -- in GARY!?!!?!?

YIKES!!”

“You mean Copper Harbor to catch the ferry to Rock Harbor, right Ruby? :)

Wave Hi to my friends in Houghton as you pass through. :)”

“SG, oopsie. Right.

Yep, Lizs. I live in Gary. Well, I live in Calumet Township, which is a Gary address. I often drive through the 'hood when I go anywhere east of here. Faster than jumping on the construction-plagued interstate.”

“Ruby, I spent time at a petroleum pipeline burst in Hammond, oh, about 8 years ago. It was basically right at a mall and near some train tracks. KNow where that's at?”

“I know where that is. You were near Woodmar mall. The is about a 10 minute drive from my house.”

“About 5 minutes from me :)”

“Jimi Hendrix died September, 18 1970.

Chicago........blues..........have fun, y'all.”

“Aw, come on...how bad is Gary, IN, really? It can't be worse than Newark, NJ, or Camden, NJ. Urban NJ is like the worst of the pits...”

“I know at some point Gary has been called the murder capitol of the world based on the murder rate per capita. And then there is the gang activity.

But where I am it's not so bad. However, I can't wait to move.”

“Urban NJ is all about the racial tensions, drug traffic, and, of course, organized crime (a la Tony Soprano), especially with the nearby hub port of New York. Many places where most of us suburbanites don't dare venture off the freeways/tollroads...”

“I was thinking about the stat that Ruby just gave. Maybe it's just a Midwest legend, but everyone in the Midwest has heard about Gary. When an ex-boyfriend's softball team was traveling back home from a tourney somewhere and stopped in a Gary convenience store in the middle night, yes, MUCH was made of the fact they lived. LOL! ;-)”

“I can believe the area around NYC is bad, too.

"Green acres is the place to be..."

LOL!”

“Naw, Gary's not so bad...I drive thru it every week and I'm still alive :)
WK - Yeah we're for sure gonna try to make it for this....a night out in Chi. sounds pretty good to me, specially if it involves a bunch of TT'ers!
Ruby - I'll most definitely agree with ya about the interstates....THEY SUCK!!!! lol”

“Their is a fairly new hostel in the south loop (south edge of downtown.) Some patrons renovated a six (I think) story building. I don't know what rules/regs. are but perhaps TTers could crash there?

If that's of interest I could check into that.”

“Yeah gary is only the murder capital of the USA...naw, not so bad :)”

“Hey, check it ChiTown Mark. (still missing that NE Ioway college?? lol)”

“I just took a look at Amtrak... I could leave Saturday, 9/18 at 10:25 a.m. and be to Union Station, supposedly by 3:45 p.m.

Leave on Sunday at 2:10 p.m. and be back to my station (with free parking) for the hour drive home at 7:11 p.m.

$109 is the current ticket price. hmmmmmmmmm.... And I do like train travel.

Will be thinking on this. Someone could probably pick me up, or maybe you'd be downtown... or maybe give me very good directions on taking a city bus??? LOL!”

“Lizs, we will be downtown that night. Not sure if we will be there by 3:45, but Amtrak is notoriously late. The train station is right downtown, so it will be very easy for someone to pick you up or for you to catch a cab to wherever we are going to be. Go for it!”

“Someone will be able to pick you up and drop you back off at the train station Lizs.

Ruby: We can do whatever we all agree to. The White Sox have a home game against the Tigers that night. The Cubs are on the road. I would be up for a game, don't know about everyone else.

We will have to do the Chicago pizza thing. Some of these guys have probably never had true deep dish pizza before. We can do Giordano's as Bit suggested above or Geno's East.

Afterwards we can hang out at B.L.U.E.S (see below)

http://centerstage.net/music/clubs/blues.html

We have some time to think this over. I can fit 4 others in my car assuming my wife decides to stay at home.”

“LMAO! And why are you assuming that, WK?”

“I wish I could go, it's been 15 years since I had Giordano's...”

“I will pick you up Lizs.”

“Thanks, WK. Sad to say, I'll be "iffy" for a bit. Funds are short and there are lots of late summer and fall trips. I'm thinking TC4 is a "must."

The last time I was in Chi-town, on Amtrak, was Thanksgiving 2002. I had to change trains there. On the way home, I had time, so took a cab over to Michigan Ave. (am really "iffy" on taking cabs... never sure if they're taking me directly there... and... do you tip??!)

I took a bus back to the station, since I knew for sure where I had to go. Debated the "els," but thought I might really get lost.

Around 2001-02 I was part of some bus tours to Chicago for a motorcoach co., so I do have an idea of the lay of the land. I know for sure the Gioradano's is walking distance from Sears Tower and Union Station. LOL!

I'm even thinking it's not super far to walk from Union Station to the lake, is it? I mean, maybe 15 blocks or something, but nuthin' for us backpackers, right? Will have to consult (well, first FIND) my Chicago map.

And thanks WK. :-) Hey and I was making a joke about you assuming your wife wouldn't go. Why not ask her? She might enjoy meeting some of your backpacking friends (how's about we promise to be on our best behavior?? LOL)

And is ChicagoMark attending??? sheesh!! C'mon!”

“OH, sorry lizs. I did not pick up on that. I thought you meant are you sure someone can pick you up.

I am out of it today. I ran 10 miles this morning for the first time in awhile.

She may go, we will see.”

“I'm down for the game if it works out -- I mean, it ain't no Yankees, but then again, that's to be expected when you leave New York...

I'm game for whatever. I'm just really looking forward to showing up to finished itenerary (I'm such a slacker [Insert bucktoothed smile here]...)”

“I'm just hopin I make it thru Gary ok :P
Btw WK and Ruby, you guys live anywhere close to Griffith? ....just bein nosy, I have a customer there :)”

“GARY GALORE WHERE ARE YOU??”

“UP: WoundedKnee is in Highland and I'm in Gary, so Griffith is smack dab in between us.

WoundedKnee: I like the White Sox game and Giordano's idea. Then on to the blues. Any idea what time the game is that day?”