I ran away today…for a five day stay in Chicago. Needed the time to relax, rejuvenate, and get ready to face my next nine months of school. That’s all I have left for this program…nine months!! My cousin, Shila, graduated last week from LPN school. I was insanely jealous and so very proud all at the same time. I’m more than ready to walk across the stage and be pinned as an RN.
My day today started off with a VERY early kick-off at the Amtrak station in St. Louis. I was disillusioned by movies, I was expecting this grand train station with elaborate decorations. I was given plastic chairs, grumminess, and bright lights. Along the trip to Chicago, the stops were in the middle of nowhere. In old movies they had wooden board walks, and little stations…nothing, zilch, squat, nothing. A little sign that told you it was an Amtrak pick-up. But the train itself was cool. It was only 45 minutes late, due to track repairs they have done that caused the train to only go 30 miles per-hour…they are waiting on the tracks to settle before going fast. Which I consider nice of them, I wouldn’t want the newly lain ties to fly out of the way and we end up on the side of the track instead of safely going down the train.
You receive an education and learn things about people that you really have no business knowing, when traveling by rail. There’s no filter on what they share or think the person in the seat next to them want to know. The sixteen year old that was traveling along, who had to be signed off the train, did not need to know the information that was being shared. But I guess that is what one gets when traveling by train. The food was highly overpriced (.99 bag chips for $3…luckily we had snacks and picked less expensive options off the menu). Baby’s eat breakfast supplied by their mother, uncovered and proud. It was a six hour experience that will add to my overall vast of knowledge to pull from. :)
We landed in Chicago, took a Flash Cab to the motel, and relaxed before heading out to Greek Town. I asked Mel if I followed the name of the cab, ‘flash cab’, if we would get a discount. She decided against trying. :) We walked to Greek town (about 5 city blocks or so…a mile); found a cool little French Market with a lot of cool food from different places around the world, at at a bakery, received samples of imported cheese at the Greek Store, and then capped the night off with a salad and Tzatziki at Athena’s, with sludge coffee as the end of our meal before heading back to the motel to crash. We had been up since 3:45 that morning ~ well she got up at 3:45, I got to sleep till 4:45…I was closer to the train station.
It was a beautiful night. Cool breeze, very relaxing…a very needed kick-off to our vacation.