The Windy City

Another post from the previous road trip...


We awoke in the hotel room at the crack of noon, and re-capped the previous night, making sure our stories were the same... just in case. We got cleaned up, and headed out for another day of adventuring.

Upon checking out of the Worst Western, we drove about a mile down to Navy Pier. Neither of us really knew what Navy Pier was, but everyone was telling us to go there. So we parked on the 14th floor of some gigantic condo complex, and wandered down the the Lakefront area. As we are approaching the general area, we find a kiosk advertising RIVER TOURS OF CHICAGO! Yeah... the same one Dave Matthews Band CRAPPED ON! Ok, probably not the EXACT same one, but just like it. It was a beautiful day outside, and we couldn't have been happier to get on a boat with booze onboard. As soon as the tour began, we both realized it was going to be a very long hour. The tour guide was trying to talk a mile a minute, but wasn't doing it very well, so most of his descriptions were mumbled. And he could have also been one of the worlds worst stand up comedians. Despite the tour guide, the tour itself was pretty cool. The architechture along the riverfront is beautiful, and if you are ever in Chi-town, I recommend it highly.

As we disembarked from the vessel, our eyes were quickly drawn to a park nearby adorned with a dozen or more renditions of the planet earth. They were all about 6 feet tall, and looked like paper mache. I didn't stop to read all the mumbo jumbo on the plaques beneath them, but from my understanding they were all displaying different ways to conserve the planet. Recycling, hybrid cars, solar energy, etc. As we were walking through the park we noticed a cart selling delicious looking Orange Creme ice cups. Eight dollars, and two very unsatisfied stomachs later, we realized that they were only delicious looking.

Our sights moved along to the wonderous Pier itself. A half mile long pier decorated with various museums, theatres, restaraunts, and rides. I'm sure it would have been a blast if we had time to peruse the many vendors and entertainers, but we were on a tight schedule to meet my family over at my Grandma's house.

We walked back to the car, and made our way out of Chicago and on to Moline, IL. The drive to Moline was boring, and tiresome as patches of pouring rain hindered our travel. The weather, along with VERY slow moving trucks, made it a 4 hour trek. But the day wasn't over yet...

As we finally arrive in Moline, and I am about 1 block away from Grandma's, I go to pull in the back alley and see my cousins car stopped at the alley entrance. So being the funny guy that I am, I decide to roll down the window, honk, and yell at him. Little did I know that he was stopped because some old miserable bitch of a woman was trying to back her car out. So as she pulls out of her driveway she yells to my cousin, "That was totally uncalled for, I'm going to report you to the police!" ... Yeah, whatever lady.

30 minutes later they actually show up. My cousin gets blamed for it, but the cop really doesn't care and just tells us, "Don't do it again".

So we go to the hotel, have some pizza, and relax in Moline, IL. Preparation for the wedding starts on Friday, and we were tired. Off to bed.