The Train to and arrival in Chicago.
Day 4 Chicago 19 hours on the train to Chicago wasn’t quite as bad as I thought it would be. I managed to update my notes to help me write the blog and I also got to catch up on a few hours sleep. When I bought the ticket in NY the lady had said WiFi would be available on the train so sorting a room didn’t seem like it would be a problem. When I arrived a couple of hours before departure I found out that the train I was going to be using didn’t have WiFi so the frantic Internet search for a room via warmshowers.org began. I dropped the location I was arriving at into the Web page map and just started clicking on the pins that appeared each representing a person who could potentially give me a room. I knew I probably would get a reply to a few of the requests but without the Internet connection I wouldn’t know the answers and be able to reply until I could get a connection. The train journey was fine and I had dinner with an Indian family on their way to Toledo Ohio and had breakfast with a lovely lady on her way to Wisconsin to see her Grand children. She was great to talk to and gave me a tip to get some insect repellent spray for my trip as it not only keeps off insects but also any would be attacker would not appreciate having their eyes blinded by a good blast. She said it worked for her husband. Not sure if he used it or received it but I got the general idea.
Touch down Chicago. WiFi hunt underway. With the proliferation of Starbucks coffee shops free WiFi is never to far away and in this country there seems to be one on every block. You don’t even have to buy anything you could just stand outside and take advantage but I was in need of a good coffee. When I was connected a handful of emails came in, some declining and wishing me well with my Journey but 3 were promising a one was perfect. I had been offered a room for the three nights about 7 miles outside the city by a lovely family.
This was my first time using the service of warmshowers so it felt a bit strange but once I got to the house and met the family it was all perfect. I met Lee and Sindy, the owners who were into folk music, cooking and good conversation. Daughter Sarah and her husband Gabe who lived upstairs with their young baby Liam who was at the crawling, climbing but not quite walking stage and their niece Niki who was moving to Switzerland soon. Sarah made homemade Pizza for dinner and as an amateur pizza maker myself I was very impressed. One half was mild and the other was hot. When I say hot I mean hot. How hot actually hit me about 30 seconds after eating and became quite evident mid conversation as I had to pause but hide it best I could. After dinner I went for a walk around the neighbourhood, politely saying hello good evening to the endless stream of dog walkers. I actually felt a little left out not having a dog to walk. We have thunderstorms forecast for the Chicago area tomorrow so exploring the city may not be on the cards. I'm loving Chicago.