![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Milwaukee-Chicago Train Trip Day 5 of 7
Jun. 17th, 2023 11:59 pmSATURDAY
I woke up with my 6:30 alarm and got in my morning routine, being careful to flush often after last night's adventure. I was done by seven, and we headed downstairs for breakfast before 7:30. By eight we were ready to catch the Connect bus to the stop for our coach to Chicago, which is behind the Hilton and across from the Doubletree Inn on 6th street. Because the coach wasn't expected to arrive until nine, we waited in the hotel lobby for a few minutes.
We arrived at the stop about 8:30 and were greeted by a talkative black dude who was headed for Lafayette, Indiana (near Purdue). He announced to all present (at that time that was us and a Hispanic-looking dude with neck tattoos) the bus would be 20 minutes late, so I found a seat on a nearby planter box and journaled while we waited. By the time our original revised departure time arrived, the estimate stretched to 50 minutes late. About 9:30 a coach from Badger Coaches passed by with a slogan on the side: "Honk if you love your freedom!" So I pulled out my hankie and loudly blew my nose. 😊 Two buses arrived about quarter to ten: the first bus was for people (including us) headed to Chicago, and the second one for people headed to points further east including Indianapolis and Columbus. We boarded and settled in, and soon were on our way to Chicago.
When we arrived at the bus station in Chicago, we headed for the bathroom (I'd gone on the bus, but still had more to go) and then walked a couple blocks to the CTA Clinton Station on the Blue Line. We purchased day passes with cash because Gary's card wasn't working. We ended up traveling one station in the wrong direction and circling back. At LaSalle, the last station before entering the Loop, we waited for what seemed like half an hour because of single-track operations which required us to wait until a couple of southbound trains cleared the zone. That settled, we switched to the Red Line at Jackson, the next stop. A Red Line train going the opposite direction was wrapped in Pride livery, so Gary snapped a picture. The train was reasonably full when we boarded, and became packed to the verge of crush loading by the time we reached our destination, Addison. The vast majority of folks on the train were obviously headed to the Cubs game, and for a while it felt like we were swimming upstream as Halsted was in the opposite direction from the station compared with Wrigley Field.
By the time we reached the festival and paid the suggested donation for entry, the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus performance had already begun. I stood for a while and got a picture of the chorus on stage, but soon tired and found Gary and me seats on a low concrete planter wall at the curb. While we couldn't see the chorus from that position, we could definitely hear them and they sounded fabulous. During the show, I pointed out to Gary a simply huge, furry bear in a pup mask making his way through the audience.
After the performance ended, I sent a message to our friend Carlos who sings baritone in the chorus to congratulate him and let him know we were there. After exchanging a few more messages with me, Carlos found us in the crowd, and we had a nice chat (during which the big bear in the pup mask stopped by and greeted Carlos) and parted with a few hugs. Next we explored the festival and I grew thirsty, so we stopped by the Cell Block bar for a drink. I had a Blake's Cider on draft and Gary had a Diet Coke. After finishing our drinks, Gary suggested a sushi bar across the street. We had a shrimp tempura roll, California roll, tuna avocado roll, and fresh salmon roll.
After lunch we walked one station north to try to avoid post-game traffic at Wrigley Field, which wasn't entirely successful as a number of Cubs fans did the same thing. I managed to find a seat though, and noticed the Red Line train filling up completely at Addison. There were quite a few hairy-legged dudes standing in front of me. At Fullerton (the second opportunity to do so), we caught the Brown Line to the Loop, both to ride a less crowded train and to shorten the walk to Union Station. There were a few cute cubs in Cubs gear.
We left the train at Quincy and explored the food court under the Willis Tower. We decided to skip the elevator to the Skydeck since it was a lot of $$$. We went to Shake Shack, where the ordering kiosks (all iPads) got rebooted all at once just as we arrived. We purchased strawberry shakes and I got a large 50/50 (aka Arnold Palmer).
After finishing our shakes, about six PM, we walked across the river on Jackson Street to Union Station, entering by the doors on the corner. Not finding a suitable place for dinner and since I was more thirsty than hungry, we stopped by the newsstand for beverages and a souvenir fridge magnet. We waited in the Great Hall for about an hour, then lined up to board the Hiawatha train departing at 8:05. We sat in the coach car all the way down the platform to the front of the train. The ride was fairly uneventful aside from the cute ginger cub conductor who Gary thought might be flirting with us.
When we arrived in Milwaukee, we made a beeline for the Hop, which was waiting for us. We got out at the usual stop at Wisconsin Avenue and stopped by the East Town Kitchen and Bar for a late dinner. Our waiter was exceedingly tall (at least 6'5" and appeared closer to 7' in comparison with other staffers), with tattoos covering both his forearms. Gary had a chicken Caesar salad and a Diet Pepsi, while I had shrimp and grits and a couple bottles of Cider Boys apple cider. When it came time for dessert, Gary had a sorbet (apparently orange and/or watermelon) and I had the peanut butter cup gelato.
After dinner we returned to the room to find it all tidied up as requested. I received a message from Nick in Green Bay regarding a shopping trip he and his partner would be making the next day. We got to sleep about midnight.
I woke up with my 6:30 alarm and got in my morning routine, being careful to flush often after last night's adventure. I was done by seven, and we headed downstairs for breakfast before 7:30. By eight we were ready to catch the Connect bus to the stop for our coach to Chicago, which is behind the Hilton and across from the Doubletree Inn on 6th street. Because the coach wasn't expected to arrive until nine, we waited in the hotel lobby for a few minutes.
We arrived at the stop about 8:30 and were greeted by a talkative black dude who was headed for Lafayette, Indiana (near Purdue). He announced to all present (at that time that was us and a Hispanic-looking dude with neck tattoos) the bus would be 20 minutes late, so I found a seat on a nearby planter box and journaled while we waited. By the time our original revised departure time arrived, the estimate stretched to 50 minutes late. About 9:30 a coach from Badger Coaches passed by with a slogan on the side: "Honk if you love your freedom!" So I pulled out my hankie and loudly blew my nose. 😊 Two buses arrived about quarter to ten: the first bus was for people (including us) headed to Chicago, and the second one for people headed to points further east including Indianapolis and Columbus. We boarded and settled in, and soon were on our way to Chicago.
When we arrived at the bus station in Chicago, we headed for the bathroom (I'd gone on the bus, but still had more to go) and then walked a couple blocks to the CTA Clinton Station on the Blue Line. We purchased day passes with cash because Gary's card wasn't working. We ended up traveling one station in the wrong direction and circling back. At LaSalle, the last station before entering the Loop, we waited for what seemed like half an hour because of single-track operations which required us to wait until a couple of southbound trains cleared the zone. That settled, we switched to the Red Line at Jackson, the next stop. A Red Line train going the opposite direction was wrapped in Pride livery, so Gary snapped a picture. The train was reasonably full when we boarded, and became packed to the verge of crush loading by the time we reached our destination, Addison. The vast majority of folks on the train were obviously headed to the Cubs game, and for a while it felt like we were swimming upstream as Halsted was in the opposite direction from the station compared with Wrigley Field.
By the time we reached the festival and paid the suggested donation for entry, the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus performance had already begun. I stood for a while and got a picture of the chorus on stage, but soon tired and found Gary and me seats on a low concrete planter wall at the curb. While we couldn't see the chorus from that position, we could definitely hear them and they sounded fabulous. During the show, I pointed out to Gary a simply huge, furry bear in a pup mask making his way through the audience.
After the performance ended, I sent a message to our friend Carlos who sings baritone in the chorus to congratulate him and let him know we were there. After exchanging a few more messages with me, Carlos found us in the crowd, and we had a nice chat (during which the big bear in the pup mask stopped by and greeted Carlos) and parted with a few hugs. Next we explored the festival and I grew thirsty, so we stopped by the Cell Block bar for a drink. I had a Blake's Cider on draft and Gary had a Diet Coke. After finishing our drinks, Gary suggested a sushi bar across the street. We had a shrimp tempura roll, California roll, tuna avocado roll, and fresh salmon roll.
After lunch we walked one station north to try to avoid post-game traffic at Wrigley Field, which wasn't entirely successful as a number of Cubs fans did the same thing. I managed to find a seat though, and noticed the Red Line train filling up completely at Addison. There were quite a few hairy-legged dudes standing in front of me. At Fullerton (the second opportunity to do so), we caught the Brown Line to the Loop, both to ride a less crowded train and to shorten the walk to Union Station. There were a few cute cubs in Cubs gear.
We left the train at Quincy and explored the food court under the Willis Tower. We decided to skip the elevator to the Skydeck since it was a lot of $$$. We went to Shake Shack, where the ordering kiosks (all iPads) got rebooted all at once just as we arrived. We purchased strawberry shakes and I got a large 50/50 (aka Arnold Palmer).
After finishing our shakes, about six PM, we walked across the river on Jackson Street to Union Station, entering by the doors on the corner. Not finding a suitable place for dinner and since I was more thirsty than hungry, we stopped by the newsstand for beverages and a souvenir fridge magnet. We waited in the Great Hall for about an hour, then lined up to board the Hiawatha train departing at 8:05. We sat in the coach car all the way down the platform to the front of the train. The ride was fairly uneventful aside from the cute ginger cub conductor who Gary thought might be flirting with us.
When we arrived in Milwaukee, we made a beeline for the Hop, which was waiting for us. We got out at the usual stop at Wisconsin Avenue and stopped by the East Town Kitchen and Bar for a late dinner. Our waiter was exceedingly tall (at least 6'5" and appeared closer to 7' in comparison with other staffers), with tattoos covering both his forearms. Gary had a chicken Caesar salad and a Diet Pepsi, while I had shrimp and grits and a couple bottles of Cider Boys apple cider. When it came time for dessert, Gary had a sorbet (apparently orange and/or watermelon) and I had the peanut butter cup gelato.
After dinner we returned to the room to find it all tidied up as requested. I received a message from Nick in Green Bay regarding a shopping trip he and his partner would be making the next day. We got to sleep about midnight.