When I started writing this, I was in a bar in Beale street, Memphis enjoying a beer and the emerald bowl (American football). Since we left off last, I was enjoying the cold sights of Chicago.
I ended up spending most of my time there walking around the city. I had plans for the natural history museum and the art institute but was occupied walking and taking in the sights. I have a memory card full of photos to remember it (I think I was channelling Lisa).
Chicago was this bustling city with more cars than I have ever seen (this may change, New York is next week). I broke Chicago into three areas, high end shopping over the river, shopping in my side of the river and the lake bank (I think it was called millennium park).
It was a cold day so I took Emma B's advice and found a coffee shop where I could watch the world for a while. This was a really nice wind down for me. I had worked up to my departure in Cleveland, jumped in a car and left (without one of my blackberry chargers as well). Sitting in Chicago with a coffee for an hour of watching the Christmas shopping rush and snow fall was great.
I made my way back to the other side of the river and found an English pub for lunch. Looking back on it, my time in Chicago was really a series of restaurants and cafés interspersed with walking.
I checked out the ice skating rink. It is in millennium park which is a long public area in the banks of Michigan lake which also has a stage which can seat 11,000, a giant sculpture called cloud gate which looks like a large blob of molten stainless steel which was cooled in a weightless environment. It offers reflections of the city skyline from its curved surfaces (see picture). There is also a fountain which has two 15m glass towers which display, in vivid colour, videos of Chicago residents' faces. It was quite striking.
I wandered more around the city, picked up a Chicago shirt (which has become a theme on this trip). I ended up having a quiet night in after all the walking. This gave me a chance to get an early start for the drive to Springfield.
The drive to Springfield was about 7 hours. The plains of Illinois gave way to the hills of Missouri. This was a nice change as the view was more to look at and it meant the road would rise and twist. I had to go through St Louis and stopped off at the arch (the photos are below). It was a welcome break from the drive.
It was great to see Megan and Brad again. I was lucky enough to get the use of Megan's friend's loft apartment while Brad's parents and his sister and family stayed in their apartment. It was good to have a home while I was there.
I mostly hung around, did some shopping and had a few beers. One day I ventured an hour south to Branson for some outlet shopping. It turns out it was the home town of the Clampbetts from the Beverly Hillbillies TV show. It is also home to more than forty theatres, featuring over 100 shows and productions. All of these are advertised on billboards on the highway leading to the town. The shows I can remember are the The Presley family, the Baldknobbers, and of course Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede.
Whilw I was in Springfield I also was able to experience s‘mores (thanks Steph). This is a roasted marshmallow, block of chocolate and sweet crackers (graham crackers). You roast the marshmallow in a flame and sandwich it and the chocolate with the crackers. It was great and it is popular over here by the campfire.
I left Springfield at lunchtime on boxing day (which is not a holiday here- it is Christmas eve and Christmas day. How is everyone supposed to watch the boxing day test?). I arrived in Memphis Tennessee at about 5.30 and continued my adventure.
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