Tales From Across The Pond Day 4

Mark and Kev's Most Excellent Adventure

Central Standard Time

Day 4 of 8

Tales From Across The Pond Day 4

Happy Thanksgiving

Woke up about 06:00 again this morning. Sleep deprivation is starting to affect the speed of my thought process. I used the time productively to write yesterday's blog while watching the Mike & Mike show on ESPN radio. Their inane drivel is really starting to grow on me and I think I will miss it upon my return to the UK. I told you sleep deprivation was affecting my judgement.

We decided to try an American diner for our breakfast rather than use the hotel restaurant. It was only a block away and looked just like I imagined diners to be, just like the movies. Mark had a granola followed by belgium waffles and I had the diner's special which was eggs, potato, bacon, sausage, toast and pancakes. I must be getting used to the portions, because I ate all of mine apart from 1 pancake. I could hardly move afterwards. The food tasted excellent and it is fast becoming my favourite meal of the day. The coffee was also a lot better than the one that is served in the hotel. I drew the line at 3 cups today.

After breakfast we made the decision top take a number 3 bus down to the southside. It was fascinating viewing seeing the change in the areas that the bus was going through, and they needed some serious investment either from the local municipal government of the central government. I am not sure if either has responsiblity for this. The other passengers on the bus were increasingly incredulous about us being on the bus the further south we went, and we finally got off at the junction of Dr Martin Luther King Drive and 51st Street when we saw a CTA stop in the distance. The walk upto the CTA stop was uncomfortable and we were grateful to finally be heading back north. It was a stupid thing to do and on a scale of 1-10 danger, we felt about 8.5. It is great to see some of the other side of America and realise that it is not all good food and neon lights.

We also noticed that there was a distinct difference in accents from the residents of this area and that there was a decidedly marked southern twang. This was a surprise to us because we were not expecting such distinct accent variations in such a small area. Although we do like both of the accents equally and could probably listen to them all day.

Finaly the cloud cover cleared temporarilly and we were able to go to the top of the Sears Tower. It was a reasonable $16 each and we did not have to queue to enter at all. We believed that this was either because of the holidays or the inclement weather. The elevator up was a very scary prospect. It travelled 103 floors in less than a minute. It felt like being on a fairground attraction. However, the views from the top were stunning. We were able to pick out all of the landmarks that we had either visited or passed on buses and the CTA. Words are not enough to describe the panoramic vista that opened before our eyes. It was also a very scary prospect to be able to look down on skyscrapers that had dominated from street leave. I took loads of pictures and spent about an hour just trying to absorb as much of what my eyes were seeing as I could. Of course we had to step out onto the see through viewing platforms. Taking the first step was the hardest part and my legs were trembling when I finally plucked up the courage to look at the steert 1400 feet below me. We managed to get some brilliant photosof us looking casual while sitting down on the see through floor. It is a must do thing for anyone visiting Chicago and was such an adrenelin rush. The elevator  down was equally fast and I was very pleased not to have tried it immediately after eating breakfast. At the bottom my legs were still wobbly for at least 10 minutes after we had exited the building.

My favourite photo is of a McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks occupying 3 of the corners of one intersection. That was like landing on a triple word score with Equinox in a game of scrable. Trust me it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we loved it.

For lunch we headed upto Grand to get pizza at Pizzeria Uno. There was a 20 minutes wait for a table and we were asked to order the food because it took at least 40 minutes to cook the pizza. I ordered a single Uno special because of the advice given by KentuckyBronco and Tunga77 in a previous post. Mark, not knowing any better ordered calamari, salad and a medium pizza. I managed 3 of my 4 slices and Mark managed all of his apart from a slice and a half. To drink I had Goose Island 312, which was very nice and is similar to the lager I drink at home. Mark tried the Goose Island Special, which he really enjoyed and equated to a brown ale. The meal came to $90.

Originally we were going to do a riverside tour of Chicago, but after eating lunch neither of us felt like doing too much and in fact felt quite ill. I think that upon my return to EnIand I will be eating salad until Christmas. I feel as though I have already put on half a stone, and I am only halfway through my vacation! Went back to the hotel to try and regain some energy. It took until about 20:00, when we finally felt well enough to continue our excellent adventure.

We took the Blue CTA upto California and tried to fond Quenchers Bar. This was again recommended by Tunga77 and after our experience the previous evening at the Hopleaf we were really looking forward to it. Unfortunately there were not any directions on the website and we had a 30 minutes walk into the unknown in the rain and wind. We finally arrived and the bar looked closed. Great! But luckily 3 smokers chose this moment to practice their habit and we boldly strode to the entrance.

We were both surprised to be asked for ID to enter the both. Mark is 42 and I am 38, and we look it! Mark had his driving license, but I didn't have any ID on me because in the UK it is not mandatory to carry ID. Should I be carrying my passport in the USA? Inside the bar was very reminiscent of pubs back home, apart from the photo booth holding up the TV. Unfortunately, the bar was preparing for a European beer festival that was due to start on Friday and only had 1 draught beer for sale. I think it was called an Imperial IPA, but I don't know who brewed it because Mark bought this round while I found a table. This was by far the worst beer that we have tasted all trip. It was cloudy, fruity and tasted off like a fortified wine and we believed it was the bottom of the barrel and had turned. We couldn't finish it and switched to European bottles. Mark drank his favourite Fuller's London Pride and I had the Czech Pilsner Urquell.

This night felt like an anti-climax , and we were bitterly disappointed because all of the other beers that we had tasted so far had been exceptionally good. The bar had a good atmosphere and a live band started halfway through the night, but it was still the worst experience so far. If only they hadn't been running down their draught beers in preparation of a beer festival?

On the way back we took a gamble of walking down N Western Ave and came to a closer CTA stop. But I can't remember the name and I was grateful to crawl into my bed at the hotel around midnight. I think that the cumulative affect of excitement, walking, lack of sleep and alcohol is starting to mount up. I am slowly realising that I am not 18 years old anymore.

On a positive not it is less than 24 hours until the next NFL game. Go Broncos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NFL Games 1

Real Beers Tried 8