Chicago Pt. 1: A Brief Cross-Section of Several Great States

1,600 miles, 26 hours, 5 states, 3 days. As you may already be aware, I was recently propositioned by my long lost friend James to take a trip out to the mid west, just to poke around and see what it's like. A couple weeks ago we took the trip, and with three days and 800 miles between here and Chicago, it turned out to be the longest haul of my life - save for my return trip from Athens, GA circa New Years Eve 2008-09.

When we left New Paltz Wednesday morning at 3AM, the dreary atmosphere outside was as foreboding as it was forewarning. The climate during the brunt of our adventure was gloomy and rainy, letting up only momentarily during our trip there. We got to enjoy the carved passages in Pennsylvania (as well as the company of one ornery gas station proprietor). This was my first time driving anywhere further west than PA, so Ohio was new and exciting. While I can't say it was worth having so many neat songs written about it (see Sun Kil Moon or Modest Mouse), it was home to the best Interstate Service Stations of our trip, many of which were patriotic and lavish.

Indiana, the birthplace of Kyle Atkinson. Flattest place I've ever been, and eerily so. I never realized how safe being surrounded by lush green hills makes me feel. Without those natural barriers it feels, almost, as if you'd simply fly off the face of the earth. While the alien landscape was barren and repetitive, it was more enjoyable than the views of Ohio. I was unhappy passing through Gary, Indiana, though. It was like one giant smog factory. Shame on you.

The most drama came when we got into Illinois itself. The Chicago rush-hour traffic threatened to overheat James' '82 Volkswagen Rabbit, so we had to make quick diversions to keep moving, often ones that lead us out of our way. Still, we made it safely into the city and found adequate parking. It was when we started walking that we found the most interesting things.