Lost in the City

Arizona, here I come!

The long awaited trip finally started yesterday. I was overly stressed out at the beginning, particularly by the renting-a-car-and-drive-at-night-to-a-new-place part. It turns out it went well. Now let's hope the trip will continue in the same fashion!

The flight was great. Of course, it was long and tiring, but I got window seats from Paris to L.A. and then from L.A to Phoenix, and we had a clear weather most of the time, to I was able to watch great landscapes and take a lot of pictures. The flight over Greenland and Northern Canada was particularly magnificent. The desert was pretty cool as well. I'll post pictures when I get back.

I stayed with Chad for that first night. Chad is a couchsurfing host who took me in. We had a good time in the evening and this morning for breakfast.

Then... then I split for Hohokam Stadium, "the Winter home of the Chicago Cubs", where I had a wonderful _sunny_ day. The Cubs lost... again... Let's just say that Dempster wasn't at his best. The game still was a lot of fun. There was a great couple from Colorado sitting next to me, and that made the whole afternoon very enjoyable.

I am now at David's, another Couchsurfer who will host me for a couple of nights.

Tomorrow, a trip to Sedona is scheduled. Then it will be another Cubs-Angels game on Sunday... and then I'll be on the road again.

I have just been asked to update… and being weak, I am giving up and doing so.

A lot has been happening during the past few months. Time got a little sparse, and I have also been questioning the interest of keeping up that blog. I am really not convinced it isn’t a loss of time… so I don’t think I will update regularly in the future. Maybe if I find a new voice, maybe from time to time, like when the Cubs win the World Series (that means THIS year, of course, ‘cause this is the year, I’m tellin’ ya!!)

Let’s see… since October 2007…

Visits from friends
I enjoyed visits from several good friends. My friend Winnie spent a few days in Paris on her way back from a European trip. It was wonderful to see her away from D.C., catch up, walk around Paris, and just hang out. In December, Matt and Mike visited from Glasgow. Like last time, I had a very good time with them: talking about many different things, discovering common acquaintances and laughing… laughing a lot.

San Francisco
I flew away for the Holidays. All the way to San Francisco. Spending Christmas with my close family is nice, but throw in more people and that becomes too much for me. Since I don’t like NYE’s celebrations that much either, I figured it was the perfect time to take a break and get some air. That’s how I ended up in SF from Dec. 24th to Jan. 1st. I found a great host – Stas – through Hospitality Club. She is fun, smart, energetic, very generous… I could go on and on. Anyway, I had a wonderful time there. Somehow, I was a little disappointed in the city itself. You might blame it on the gloomy weather or the time of the year… I’m not sure, but that’s a fact. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I liked the architecture; I liked several neighbourhoods like the Haight or the area around Green Street… I just didn’t feel the vibe I was expecting. And damn, all those hills! That said, I still had a great time thanks to Stas and her cool group of friends. Waiting to see them in Paris now!

More surgery
I am currently at my parents’ in Southern France, healing after some more surgery. Last Wednesday, my surgeon removed part of the hardware that has been in my leg since August 2006. The pins, plaque and screws are all gone. The rod remains on the tibia. I am hoping that my ankle will be able to move better now that the pins and screws are gone. The surgery went very well. I was out of the hospital the next day, on crutches for a few hours, walking hesitantly the day after, and nicely the following one. I started physical therapy right away to reinforce the muscles surrounding the ankle. It hurts, but it’s the good kind of pain.

What’s next?
Back to Paris by the end of the week.
Back to work on February 4th.
Off to Arizona for Spring Training in March (Yeppeee!!!).

Departure date is nearing and I still had not toured Chicago’s ethnic neighborhoods. So today, unlimited metro pass in hand, I rode the El from Downtown to Chinatown, Pilsen, Lakewood, and finally Andersonville.

Chinatown isn’t a big neighborhood and it’s a little out of the way. It isn’t very far from downtown, but you’d better take the metro if you want to get there. It’s particularly obvious if you compare it to the location of Chinatown in NY or DC. There is another striking difference and that’s with regards to the kind of neighborhood Chinatown is. It just doesn’t mean the same thing as it does in NY or in DC. In DC, Chinatown has become a trendy neighborhood with Chinese and Thai food, that’s true, but mainly regular franchised stores and restaurants like Potbelly, Starbucks, Citysports or CVS. In NY, it’s where you find cheap electronics, souvenirs and the like. Lots and lots of little shops. In Chicago there are shops all right. Just not the same kind. You’ll find authentic (well, seemingly at least) Chinese products, from food to furniture. And on the contrary to NY and particularly DC where you’ll mostly find white people walking around, there are very few of them in Chicago’s Chinatown.

Pilsen used to be the Czech neighborhood. What I forgot is that it now is a Latino neighborhood. Well… I was reminded as soon as I stepped out of the metro. There is nothing but Hispanic stores on 18th Street. What makes Pilsen interesting is the difference between the Latino vibe and the kind of architecture you run into. On one hand, you have signs in Spanish all over, Hispanics walking around, including food vendors with carts. On the other hand, most of the buildings have a distinctive Eastern European style. The contrast is striking. The church on 18th Street looks out of place, so does the former Czech community building you find a little further east on the same side of the street. It’s odd, really, but not uncharming.

Andersonville is the neighborhood I liked the best compared to the previous two I saw. Maybe because it’s more “european” in atmosphere, more like what I’m used to. It’s the king of mix I like between stores, restaurants, cafés and resisdential buildings. It used to be the Swedish neighborhood of Chicago, and a few stores are still there to remind people, like the Swedish Bakery (which is the first I saw).

On the way from the Berwyn metro station and Andersonville is another little neighborhood usually called Lakewood-Balmoral. It reminded me of the neighborhood surounding the National Cathedral, north of DC. It’s a totally residential neighborhood, with nice houses, sometimes rowhouses, sometimes not, but always with a spot of the greenest grass in front. Kind of a suburban look within the city… but within a few blocks of Clark Street, it’s stores and restaurants, which makes the neighborhood much more appealing than the suburbs!

…out in the bright sunshine
There’s no place for me like Wrigley Field
With that team of mine
I hear the call of the Ivy on the wall
God’s own green grass let’s play ball”
(Alan Barcus)

I made it!! Yes, I actually saw the Cubs win a game at Wrigley Field! That was a wonderful experience.

I started my journey on the red line, riding the El up to Addison station, which is right next to the ballpark. I had been there several times before, as you know, but it was obviously very special today. Eager as I was to enjoy the Wrigleyville atmosphere on a game day, I arrive quite a bit early on site. I mean early like more than 3 hours early… Hey, I also wanted to watch batting practice, and that starts 2 hours before the game, so I actually wasn’t _so_ early. Ok… maybe still a little bit. Well, this gave me time to wander around, look at all the cub gear, and be in the line early, which got me a little fluffed Snoopy in Cub away uniform, the give-away of the day. Just enough to revive the kid in me.
Frankly, I was afraid I would be disappointed by Wrigley Field. I had been waiting to step into the Friendly Confines for so long and had heard so much about it that I almost expected the disappointment, even if several fans said they had been afraid of the same thing and weren’t disappointed at all in the end. Well I was many things when I walked in, but disappointed wasn’t one of them. It was amazing. The closeness of the field, the layout of the ballpark, the ivy, and the general atmosphere as the fans started to come in.
The atmosphere during the game was something too. Did I mention it was a Cub-Cards game? Since it is the big Midwest rivalry, there was a lot of tension in the air. Many Cards fans had made the trip or (for those living in Chicago) dug up their Cards outfit. The result was a lot of Cubbie blue, but quite a bit of Cardinals red as well in the stands.
The game itself wasn’t thrilling, as just a few players got on base, BUT it ended with a victory, which was good enough for me, particularly since it made the Cubs advance to Central Division first place. And I got to hear “Go Cubs Go” and see the “W” flag wave in the wind.

It feels good to be back in Chitown. I arrived a few hours ago after some time in a couple of planes from Paris to the Windy City via London. Mary picked me up at the airport. It was great to see her, and great to have a friend to meet at O'Hare. It really makes an arrival nicer. As we talked and exchanged news, driving towards downtown, I watched the city growing bigger and bigger through the windshield. Back in Chicago... that is a very nice feeling.
Mary dropped me off at my hotel on Wacker Drive and had to run. It wasn't too late yet, so I decided to take a quick shower and head out to enjoy the city. For this first outing, I stayed in the Loop. The previous trip had given me a few pointers, and even though I wasn't quite at home yet, I was still familiar with the area. I walked around the Theater District, going from the infamous Chicago Theater tp the Goodman Theater, to the Palace... catching a sight of the Thompson Center and its Miro sculpture, snapping many pictures for the surrounding buildings, the numerous bridges and their reflection in the River. The walk that had started with daylight ended at night amidst the neon signs. That was a good start!

Choc culturel entre dimanche après-midi et dimanche soir: d'une grande métropole à un village calme et presque désert en bordure du Lac Michigan. Nous avons passé Noël dans la maison secondaire de la mère et du beau-père de Dom, à Michiana Shores. La localisation est intéressante: Michiana Shores est dans l'Indiana, juste à côté du Michigan, et pas loin non plus de l'Illinois (Etat auquel appartient Chicago). Ce que chacun ne sait pas (les fans de West Wing peut-être, après les mésaventures de Josh, Toby et Donna...), c'est que l'Indiana et le Michigan sont dans des zones horaires différentes: il est 10h dans le Michigan quand il n'est que 9h dans l'Indiana. Cela devient drôle quand on est dans l'Indiana mais que notre téléphone portable trouve un réseau dans le Michigan... et se met automatiquement à l'heure. C'est pratique pour les lève-tôt de l'Indiana, qui peuvent aller faire leurs courses de bonne heure dans l'Etat voisin, mais c'est gênant pour les réservations au restaurant le soir... car tout ferme plus tôt. A ce rythme là, la vie devient vite un sport!
Le jour de Noël, on est allés faire un tour au bord du lac. Franchement, ça ne ressemble pas à un lac pour moi: dunes, sable fin, et eau à perte de vue... pour un peu on se croirait à l'Espiguette. En plus froid. Et en plus venteux.

Retour au centre de Chicago en cette veille de Noël, avant de prendre la route pour l'Indiana. Hier, les rues fourmillaient de gens achetant leurs présents à la dernière minute... aujourd'hui on trouve certes toujours des attardés, mais bien moins. La ville n'est pas morte pour autant. Je doute que Chicago soit jamais morte... mais le Magnificent Mile est bien moins agité que la veille.

L'endroit parfait pour manger un morceau ce dimanche 24 décembre. On a déniché ce sports bar-déli sur Wabash Street, dans le quartier des bijoutiers. Dimanche, c'est le jour du football US... et quoi de mieux que de s'asseoir au bar en compagnie de quatre flics de Chicago pour manger des mini burgers en regardant les Bears jouer sur grand écran ? Ambiance parfaite, refuge parfait contre le froid pour un jour de match... car sans le match, l'ambiance n'aurait pas été la même. Sans le CPD (Chicago Police Department), ça n'aurait pas été pareil non plus. On est arrivés peu après le début du premier quart temps. Lorsqu'il s'est achevé, nos chers amis de bleu vétus sont sortis, aussitôt remplacés par quatre autres qui ont remarqué au passage "on a eu le 2e quart temps"...
Les Bears ont gagné, évidemment. Contre les Lions, ils ne risquaient pas grand chose, c'est vrai...

Qui n'aime pas voir de belles choses? Et une skyline est toujours belle. C'est pourquoi je voulais la voir, de nuit comme de jour. On a commencé par une vue de nuit, le lendemain de notre arrivée. Mary avait mentionné le Navy Pier, et je me suis dit au moment de repartir pour le Sud de la ville que ça serait pas mal de s'arrêter pour jeter un coup d'oeil. Effectivement, la vue est magnifique, plus belle du côté Sud (côté Sears Tower) du Pier que du côté Nord (côté Hancock building), car quelques constructions bloquent la vue au Nord. J'ai pris quelques photos malgré mes doigts gelés... mais il me faudra revenir avec mon trépied pour en prendre de vraiment belles.
Le planetarium a été construit sur une avancé de terre. Du coup, on y a une vue imprenable sur la skyline dans toute sa longueur. C'est magnifique. Le Lac Michigan Immense d'un côté, la ville de l'autre. De nuit, ça doit être magique.

C'est dans un bouquin que j'ai entendu parler de Michigan Avenue et du Magnificent Mile pour la première fois. Un bouquin d'architecture sur Chicago. Mais les descriptions ne m'avaient pas vraiment préparée à la découverte des lieux. Une longue et large avenue, pas tortueuse, mais pas droite non plus, ce qui la rend imposante, mais lui donne aussi du caractère. La partie Sud, au Sud de la Chicago River, est bordée de bureaux principalement, jusqu'à Millenium Park en tout cas. La partie située au Nord de la River est une succession de magasins, de préférence de marque. On y trouve pêle-mêle Macy's, Channel, Dysney, le flagship store de Crate & Barrel (dont j'avais entendu parler maintes fois par Dana)... ainsi qu'un grand Borders: librairie où j'étais assurée de trouver les ouvrages que je cherchais sur l'histoire de Chicago et sur les Cubs. La veille de Noël, inutile de dire que le Magnificent Mile était une vraie ruche, les Chicagoans se pressant pour faire leur shopping de dernière minute. Pourtant, malgré le monde, Michigan Avenue gardait une certaine quiétude.