the Chicago experience

The "melting pot" image has been used too often, right? So I will not use that for Chicago. Rather... take a 40 km bike ride up and down the lake shore drive (all the way up an down the Michigan lake), add a couple of small museums such as the contemporary photography one, a dinner at the modern ecletic "le colonial" (French - Thai fusion), mix up some old time blues, an architecture tour, walk on the Millenium park, some great sushi at the JapanaisChicago, more blues, a lot of brides with baloon penis on their heads. Put all of it in a shaker, had a bit of fresh ginger (I'll come back to this one later...) and pour it onto a martini glass.

That's the Chicago experience for you: 50 different nationalities in one day, just about as many buildings each with its own style and the american dream felt with every heart beat.

Downtown Chicago is an ensemble of gorgeous architecture; the Chicago way of life seems to be "work hard over the week and make sure you get the blues and your boat out in the lake for the weekend"; the Chicago people are... ehm..., not sure what that is because I meet Irish, "Yuguslavians", latin americans, orientals (of all kinds) quite a few arabics and indians and the only "true americans" (those with the full fledged american accent, the one that we recognize from the sitcomes) seem to be tourists just like me wondering around and assimilating the vibes.

Tomorrow I get out of here into the deep of the great american plains. But I go out with a couple of certainties and a great deal of hopes: certainty that I could very well spend my life in this martini cocktail (with a twist of ginger) and that I could have not hoped for a better "snap out of reality and into a different world" couple of days; hopes that this is not only the beginning of a beautiful friendship but also the kick off... ehm, the first inning of an eye opening experience.

Or at least of a great trip!