On 4th July, I get up at 8am. My jet-lag is gone, but there's a big hole in my stomach. I have breakfast at a café just next to the hostel. Delicious - coffee and a cinnamon bun. I still have no plans as to what to do all morning. I go back to the hostel and start talking to Montserrat, a Spanish woman working in New York, visiting Chicago for the long weekend. We decide to do some sightseeing together.

Unlike me Montserrat has a guidebook, so we see some interesting stuff you wouldn't see just walking around the city, such as some sculptures by Picasso and Miro. We also go to the top of Sears Tower. It is fascinating discovering a city with someone I've only just met. The city is huge, it goes on and on. And Lake Michigan is like the sea.

Around noon Montserrat walks me to the bus stop. This time I'm not walking to the train station. Saying goodbye to Montserrat is strange. We've only spent a few hours together, but it feels more like months. She has made such a difference for me. Instead of wandering aimlessly around the city, I got to love it.

I come to the train station way too early, but I have to check my baggage on time. And then I wait. I treat myself to an ice cream. Magnum Double Caramel spurs some more Greenland memories. Until, of course, a big sticky piece of chocolate lands on my white tank top and wakes me up from my daydreaming.
I'm not too bothered though, I am about to start a 46-hour train journey, which is a lot more exciting.

Part 3: The Empire Builder

this travelogue is part of the subside travelzine
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