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kevin_standleeOn Friday (Christmas Eve), Lisa and I took full advantage of our 17th floor suite at the Crowne Plaza, checking out just before 2 PM and storing our luggage on a cart with the hotel. We then went out for a wander.
We had no particular destination in our wandering, but I was looking for the eastern beginning of historic Route 66, because we'd been at the western end of the Mother Road just after Loscon a few weeks ago. This isn't the start of the route, but is a few blocks down from where it begins.
It was gloomy for much of the day, with the Willis (Sears) Tower lost in the clouds.
Railway infrastructure was of interest.
Including things like this.
And this.
We walked out to Lakeshore Drive and along the Lake Michigan lakeside before heading back toward Union Station.
I tried to get some panoramic photos of the Great Hall.
Lisa and I took advantage of the restrooms at Union Station.travelswithkuma sat at the Metra desk and directed people to the Fish Trains.
In order to avoid the problems with getting undersized taxis, we went to the taxi rank at Union Station and engaged a cabbie with an oversized cab to take us to the Crowne Plaza, where I retrieved our luggage cart, loaded the taxi, and had him take us back to the station. I got cheated here. The cabbie said this would cost $30, which I thought was a little high but I agreed to pay. Then when he got us back to the station, he demanded $50 and said that's what he'd said all along. Well, I suppose I could have heard "fifty" as "thirty," but I should have pulled out the $30 immediately when he offered it. I paid the $50, but nothing more than that, as I think I was ripped off. Still, we did get all of the luggage moved to the station in one load, and could then move on to the next leg of our travels.
We had no particular destination in our wandering, but I was looking for the eastern beginning of historic Route 66, because we'd been at the western end of the Mother Road just after Loscon a few weeks ago. This isn't the start of the route, but is a few blocks down from where it begins.
It was gloomy for much of the day, with the Willis (Sears) Tower lost in the clouds.
Railway infrastructure was of interest.
Including things like this.
And this.
We walked out to Lakeshore Drive and along the Lake Michigan lakeside before heading back toward Union Station.
I tried to get some panoramic photos of the Great Hall.
Lisa and I took advantage of the restrooms at Union Station.
travelswithkuma sat at the Metra desk and directed people to the Fish Trains.In order to avoid the problems with getting undersized taxis, we went to the taxi rank at Union Station and engaged a cabbie with an oversized cab to take us to the Crowne Plaza, where I retrieved our luggage cart, loaded the taxi, and had him take us back to the station. I got cheated here. The cabbie said this would cost $30, which I thought was a little high but I agreed to pay. Then when he got us back to the station, he demanded $50 and said that's what he'd said all along. Well, I suppose I could have heard "fifty" as "thirty," but I should have pulled out the $30 immediately when he offered it. I paid the $50, but nothing more than that, as I think I was ripped off. Still, we did get all of the luggage moved to the station in one load, and could then move on to the next leg of our travels.
