Amtrak Part Two:

Day 7: I got on the train early in the morning and left Ann Arbor for Chicago. Unfortunately, AK, the college friend I was to stay with, had a meeting all day on the 7th, so she couldn't pick me up at the station or let me into her house. So... I swallowed my pride and called... Pumpkinfucker. You see, good ol' PF, my ex-boyfriend (my first boyfriend - who was a complete and utter PRICK post-break-up for no good reason) happens to work in downtown Chicago at the Planetarium and happens to own a car. So, he arranged to pick me up at the Amtrak station. The funny thing was (and pay attention here, because this will come up again in Part Four) I'd had a dream almost a year ago about how I'd taken the train to Chicago and I hadn't been able to visit him because I was just running through very quickly, but in the dream, he took it as a sign that I wasn't over him or something weird like that and got really mad at me after conferring with his ex-ex-ex girlfriend. He tried to put me in a mental institution or something. Anyway, the point is that I had some SERIOUS anxiety about seeing him again. He's overly honest sometimes, and I was fully expecting him to say something like "Gee, you've really porked out since I last saw you" upon picking me up. (I weigh a little more than I did when we dated four years ago - only like 10 or 20 lbs, but still) It's kind of one of those things where you were hoping that you'd be a highly successful business person with the body of a supermodel the next time you saw your ex. Anyway, I did it. I gave him a call and there he was, ready to pick me up when I got in to Chicago. At first, we were a little quiet and awkward - I mean, we hadn't seen each other since September of 1999 when he came to Seattle for a visit post-break-up and made me so mad I could have spat. But then he started to get geeked over showing me all the behind the scenes stuff in the Planetarium and then touring me around the Planetarium a little. We had lunch together (George W Bush flew overhead in his special daddy's boy heliocopter) the view was awesome, and we had a little talk with only one brief moment of awkwardness as we discussed our relationships (the one he just got dumped out of and the one that I'm in and not so sure is long for this world) and he criticized me for doing basically the same thing he did to me four years ago, and the thing that his ex just did to him. But it passed fairly painlessly and I went on to watch some space movie. Then he took me to meet up with AK, whom I hadn't seen since graduation in 1998, I think.

AK lives in a fairly cool part of town. She also just got dumped two days before I got there. Chicago is apparently the town of heartbreak this winter. So she was pretty mellow the whole visit. That first night, we went walking around her area of town a little. Everytime I visit a new city, I'm struck by how URBAN they are - Philadelphia and Chicago, at least. Seattle is just not a very urban city - there's a lot of green and yards and park space and not so many townhouses etc. Another thing that really struck me was the fact that my little silk scarf does jack shit as far as warmth goes when it's actually cold outside. It's perfect for protecting my neck from the wind in the piddly Seattle "winters" where it's only like 45 and drizzling (silk is still warm when wet!). But I was regretting not having packed a better scarf.

Day Eight: AK had to go to graduate school and do some research, so I was on my own. She left me with the "Unofficial Guide to Chicago" which has a section in it on how to avoid and prevent crime. They suggested that I make a "fake" wallet with $10 in it and should I be approached, I was to throw it at the robber and run in the opposite direction so that they would go after the wallet and not after me. This made me a little paranoid. Then I got to the part where they talked about how criminals in some of the parks had radios and would radio when someone on a nice bike went by so that their partner could jump out of the bushes and beat the shit out of the biker and take the bike. I made my fake wallet then. I stored my credit cards and licence in an altoids tin which I put in my pocket - cleverly disguised beneath the altoids. (later when we went to Second City and I had to pull out an ID to get a drink, I felt pretty stupid. AK laughed at me and my country bumpkinness). So then, fortified in my knowledge that I had my fake wallet should anything happen, I went out in search of coffee. I was having withdrawl. I am apparently mildly addicted to having my lattes every few days. I also went out to exchange one of the books I'd finished on the train for a new one. At this point, I'd actually finished two books on the trip: Bastard Out of Carolina and Boys of My Youth. That night, AK and I went to see The Hours, and then out to dinner, and then out to Second City. I spent more money that night than I did all together in the rest of the trip.

Day Nine: AK and I went downtown to do some touring of the architecture and the Downtown stuff of Chicago. Chicago has pretty buildings. AK was feeling under the weather a bit in addition to being pretty down, so we didn't stay there for too long. We headed back to the Wicker Park area, and I ventured out on my own once again. There are a lot of places to explore. I ran into a girl in a bakery who had just moved to Chicago from Seattle. She said that it isn't "worth it" whatever that means. I guess it means don't move to Chicago. They also don't have the rosemary diamante bread in their organic bakery like they have here. God, I love rosemary diamante.

While exploring, I thought a lot about my life plans. I was thinking that if I really want to become a photographer, I need to get out there and take a lot more pictures. But then I thought about those robbers with the radios and decided not to take pictures in Chicago. But anyway, I came up with the following life plan while walking about in Wicker Park: 1. Study for GREs and apply to Grad School this fall in both Photojournalism (at U. Texas Austin) and for an MSW (at UW) 2. In the meantime, also complete Peace Corps application and plan to leave this fall. So either way, I'd be leaving Seattle this fall. Also, as usual, practice and hone photography skills. There we have it. Life plan for the next few years.

That night, AK was supposed to have a meeting, but she was pretty ill. However, when I thought she was having a meeting, I'd decided to make plans with PF. So PF came by and we went out to dinner and then walked to an ice cream shop called Margie's, which is apparently a "must see" in Chicago. They had $50.00 sundaes there with undisclosed numbers of scoops and a $35 sundae that had 20+ scoops as well. We opted to go for a modest 3-scoop sundae and share it. And then we headed back to AK's place, where the three of us talked books, movies, and music. AK headed off to bed early, and PF and I stayed up a bit longer and talked some more. And the whole night, there was nary a one moment that things were awkward or bad or anything! It was truly amazing. It was the first time since our break-up in June of 1999 that we were able to have a lengthy interaction without a single bad moment. And even more amazing, I could remember why I liked the guy in the first place. I've sort of been having one of those "what the fuck was I thinking" moments for the last four years. And so that is the moderate sized earthquake that occured during this trip. I no longer despise/hate/resent PF. In fact, if it weren't for the humor factor of writing Pumpkinfucker and if it wouldn't confuse everyone, I'd even consider using his actual name. Nah. But the sentiment is there. So anyhow, as we were saying good-bye, he took a look at my itinerary and realized that I had a lengthy layover in Chicago after the Dallas leg of the trip that would last for about 4 or 5 hours. So he suggested that we get together again and do another dinner. Will wonders never cease?

Day Ten: I woke up super early to head down to the Art Institute to see the Robert Frank exhibit. Robert Frank is my favorite photographer ever. He inspired my "early work." I like being able to say that - My Early Work. I found out about the exhibit quite by accident the previous afternoon while exploring Wicker Park further. I'm really glad I did, because it isn't often that one has the opportunity to see a Robert Frank exhibit. It was such a great little excursion too - it started snowing in that really picturesque sort of way. I felt like I was in a snow globe and I couldn't help but wear a grin from ear to ear. It was SO gorgeous.

And then I went back to AK's, picked up my stuff, said my goodbyes, hailed a taxi and hopped the train for Dallas!

Southern Illinois is extremely flat. I no longer think that it would be quaint to live there. I had thought that living in rural Illionois might be fun. There were a lot of pretty barns, but I don't think I could take the flatness of it all. When it snows, I want to be able to sled.

St. Louis' arch is very pretty at night.

And thus concludes Part Two of the Amtrak trip. Stay tuned for Part Three: Dallas!