On the Road & In the Streets

Hi, I'm Niko. This here is my travel journal for North American adventures.

[nikoontheroad]

Goodbye America, once again.

Our trip to US (and a small bit of Canada) is just about done and dusted. Might do a little overview later, but now all I got energy for is a little recap of our last day as we wait for our flight to London to board. We have another monster layover waiting!

Today we had a tasty American breakfast at a great little diner. The owner was from all the evidence a HUGE fan of Chicago Blackhawks, the place was absolutely plastered with team paraphnelia. But the food was good also.

Enjoying the turn in weather we now had sun in our face and high spirits. Great time to visit Navy Pier, Chicago's number one tourist destination. It's a beautiful little stretch of land right on the shore of Lake Michigan, which could just as well be a small sea, because you do not see land as you look ahead. We rode the 60ft tall Ferris Wheel for 2x18$ for great last minute views of the Windy City. Then all we had time for were few last selfies and a quick beer on the beer garden by the shore.

On our way back to the hotel we grabbed some last souveniers and went to see the Museum of Contemporary Photography and the Buckingham Fountain.

So that was a wrap. After a tedious el train ride to O'Hare, and the even more tedious security check wait, we're here. Not exactly eager to go, but still in pretty high spirits. It'll be sweet sweet sleep in those own sweet sheets, but its still some 24 hours away...

[nikoontheroad]

paikassa Chicago, Illinois https://www.instagram.com/p/BxvzXH8gxD_/?igshid=n7290qqcdxqb

[nikoontheroad]

Once Upon A Time in Chicago

Not quite ready to call it quits, still got a whole afternoon to go tomorrow, but our last evening for this trip is upon us. Saw a lot today, if admittedly more touristy stuff.

10 AM we enrolled on a yet another free walking tour, this one about old Chicago architecture. Chicago claims the fame of starting the gilded age skyscraper boom in the late 1800s. New York quickly followed suit, and arguably got the more prestigious position in this competition, but at least Chicago got to claim a lot of 'firsts'. We visited The Rookery, one of the oldest remaining skyscrapers (although it looks barely tall today) in the world. It was designed by Burnham and Root company, that also had its hand in the Columbian Exposition that we talked about yesterday. The Rookery's lobby, especially the lavish design of the ceiling, is well worth a look.

Art Deco skyscrapers have always been my thing, and Chicago has a lot to offer on this front. I still haven't seen anything that can top the Chrysler building of NYC in beauty, but the Carbide & Carbon building is a strong contender.

After the architecture tour we headed down by the river on Michigan Avenue to embark on... Another architecture tour! Yay! But this one was far from free as it was run by riverboat company. Despite the really cold Chicago weather, barely 50 F (around 11 C or there abouts) and some torrential rain, this one was also a blast. We covered a lot of ground sailing on the Chicago river, accompanied by another knowledgeable guide. The cool thing was that this tour was mostly concentrated on different buildings than the first one. There was also a lot less walking involved, a fact of which my feet were very grateful about.

Tomorrow is the last day. We'll see how hectic it turns out, but I'll try and squeeze at least one more post then. We still plan to visit the Navy Pier and maybe John Hancock building yesterday.

[nikoontheroad]

Time for a brisk update. Quite tired over here, so I'll need to keep this sort, even though it's been a long and rich day for experiences.

We started by heading out to Jackson Park on the southern side of Chicago. Jackson Park is a beautiful spot with a rich history, but I'm mostly interested in the World's Columbian Exposition that took place there in 1893. It was truly one of the wonders of the gilded age. Historian Erik Larson traces its history in his great book The Devil in the White City, and throws another parallel story in for a good measure about serial killer H. H. Holmes, who preyed unsuspecting visitors to Chicago during the same time period. Sadly the city seems to have almost lost the memory of this extraordinary af-fair (see what I did there?). There are next to no historical markers about the Expo, so you have to trust internet, if you want to relive the world as it was. Only on-site building to survive in our time is the massive science museum that was then known as Palace of Fine Arts. There's also a stunningly pretty Japanese garden located right where the Japanese section of the fair was.

Rest of the afternoon we shuffled around the downtown are doing the necessary touristy stuff, plus emptying Target out of my favorite seasoning! Got to see a lot, but tomorrow we'll try to build some context around it by taking a few guided tours.

Last but not the least. We spent the evening in The Second City, a famous comedy club that sports an alumni of comedians like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Steve Carell, Dan Aykroyd and John Candy to name but a few. We really had a blast! For the price of paltry 20+ dollars we got some of their greatest hits, plus some juicy improv. Their currently line up is very talented and I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were Hollywood household names in the future. The show lasted for more than two hours with two brisk intermissions, so we got a LOT of bang for our buck!

[nikoontheroad]

paikassa Chicago, Illinois https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxq8TMelBix/?igshid=1refqkj78l8dt

[nikoontheroad]

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Finally Chicago. Despite taking our sweet time, and having a bit of trouble with a rental car, just like Steve Martin and John Candy, we made it here in one piece and in good time too. You have no idea what I'm talking about do you? Clearly you haven't seen too many movies, unlike me!

We drove through the state of Indiana. I'm sure there are good parts to it, but you don't get to experience them from the window of a car on the Interstate. So the less said about that the better. Onwards we went to Illinois.

Our hotel seems really cool. It's a cute little boutique place on the West Loop, on a nice looking neighborhood. Chicago in general looks huge but appealing, though we didn't get to see much of it today, only the 12 or so blocks of land it took from Union Station (where we dropped our rental) to our hotel on foot.

Time to say goodbye and thank you to our valiant Imapala. It brought us smoothly through the upper midwest. Bigger thanks is due to my gorgeous and amazing driver with who I'm incidentally married to. I'm once again proud to be your living and walking Google map.

We found a bar couple of blocks away that had a Game of Thrones series finale watch party! Yay. Totally did that, and all I'll say about that is that my favorite character survived the whole series, which is really saying something considering how many key players got eliminated.

[nikoontheroad]

Louisville is almost done and dusted. We've already been flirting with Indiana, which is just across the Ohio river that you'll see in my pictures. Tomorrow will take us through it and further to Illinois. Last states of the trip. Will bring my total to 30.

Last night we walked along the riverfront, which had similar problems with many American cities. It's pretty and appealing, but located so close to the hustle & bustle of freeways, that something always seem to be lacking. Whether you are in Detroit, Seatte, New York, or Louisville, this is a thing that persists.

After the evening stroll we landed in a bar in Louisville's Whiskey Row and stayed there for a couple of hours. Louisville has a little bit of a New Orleans vibe going on, and the city seems to be a favored spot of Bachelor/ette party groups. We mostly kept to ourselves and watched as America partied. It's a fun thing to see, although these always all white, mostly college educates groups from affluent families carry the easy air of privilige that sometimes borders annoyingly close to arrogance. But then again, maybe I'm sterotyping here.

Today we spend the afternoon chilling on the rooftop sun deck of our airbnb condo (I know what you're thinking; did this guy just REALLY blame others for their privilege!), reading our books and drinking beer. Heat rose to the lower 90s (+30 C), so it was pleasant. At four PM we rolled into Main Street to catch one of the many Bourbon tours offered in Louisville, this one by Evan Williams of Heaven Hill distillery. Our guide was knowledgeable and his enthusiasm was catching. I love me some good Bourbon, which we incidentally had a few tastings, alongside with a considerable info drop. They also let us taste their 'white dog', which is the name of the freshly distilled product that is yet to spend any time in the barrel. Cool! Moonshiny, but tasty!

After, we scurried to Louisville Slugger Field, a quaint little baseball arena that was today converted as a soccer field (or just regular football to Europeans). Louisville City FC was facing off with their neighbor state rivals, St. Louis FC. The game wasn't a classic, but it was great to see that Americans know their trade in soccer fandom just us well as any old nation. Lou City hardcore fan group was noisy, energetic, but also much more well behaved than some of their European counterparts. Game itself was a bit of a dud with the final score of 0-0, but as an experience I enjoyed it. And it's always nice when they let you bring beer to the stands, something that is strictly verboten back home. Bought a delightful scoop of Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream from Ehler's on our way home. Real sweet stuff and a local brand too. Be sure to check it out if ever in Louisville, KY!

[nikoontheroad]

Louisville at sundown yesterday. (paikassa Louisville, Kentucky) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxnRvV0F2R4/?igshid=1chjgcp57g5kb

[nikoontheroad]

Home of the Bourbon

Not much to report from today. We notched our 7th state of the trip, Kentucky (which is actually a commonwealth), not counting Quebec, which is obviously a providence of Canada. Went to see some old rock carvings that dated way back to the time before even the people we now know as Native Americans roamed the hills of Appalachia. They could have been cool, but the state of Ohio had all but neglected them, and they were mostly covered by dead leaves and surrounded by other less artistic, but equally interesting carvings made by horny American teenagers. Well, at least there wasn't a gift shop and a Burger King next to it.

We did catch some hard rain on the way, but after crossing the state line to Ohio, things started to look up. Temperature rose past the 90 Fahrenheit, which is more than 30 Celsius, I believe. After a we made some stops to shops, we arrived pretty exhausted and hungry in Louisville, Kentucky. Maybe a few drinks tonight, we'll see. Bourbon Tour needs to wait until tomorrow. Happy Trails!

[nikoontheroad]

America, land of hipsters, cars and war veterans

Ohio. Buckeye state. We drove through almost the whole state. Early morning in Detroit and a painfully slow crawl to the airport. A Desert Storm veteran shared his harrowing life story on the way. Yeah. That happened. He had a dog named Jax (from SoA) and memories of a wife he had buried in West Virginia. The poor man had to dig the grave for his wife himself, only his brother to help him. I'm really not a war person, but fucking come on America. Take care of your veterans. Hate the game, not the players. And also: take the bus, folks!!! That's the way to see real America. It's not always pretty, sometimes not even often, but it's educational and yes, occasionally inspiring.

Aftet that shitshow in Bangor, we were kind of dreading the car rental. We arrived at Hertz in Wayne County Detroit Airport vaguely aware of the fact that we had somewhere along this life enrolled as Gold members of said company. So after we got out of the shuttle there was a board with my wife's name up there and the word 'Gold' written next to it. Cool. But what does it all mean?

We ask an employee. She answers. There are two rows of cars on the Gold lot and apparently we can pick any one of these vehicles and just grab it, drive to the gate, show a valid driver's license and skedaddle. So if you pardon my French, zero f****s given by Hertz because we had an international credit card. If it's green and smells like paper it's gotta be money.

Fast forward 4+ hours and we are in Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio. This is near West Virginia border in the Appalachian region of the state. It is so damn pretty you would not believe it. Stunning geological formations left behind by the mighty inland ocean that once casually rolled past the central North America. Can't really do them just by words so I'll let pictures do the talking.

Now in Jackson, OH. Small town. Looks rather plain, if surprisingly well to do. We found a tap house ran by some beautiful hipsters who brew their own beer. Tasted like a small slice of heaven. Tomorrow Louisville, Kentucky. Got my eyes on a Bourbon tour, if time permits. If not, there's always Saturday. Supposed to be plus 30 celsius and sunshine. I can work with that.

[nikoontheroad]

Further notes on Detroit

After gushing on about Detroit, a praise it rightly deserves, I want to focus on the more depressive, but nonetheless true parts of it.

There is a good reason Detroit still struggles with its bad rep. It's only six years since the city went bankrupt. Since the manufacturing jobs started to leave town after the 80s, the city's population fell from 1,8 million to some 600,000 people. That is truly a humongous amount. First there was the white flight into the suburbs and the rest of the middle class left for jobs and better future.

Now Detroit seems to be on the rebound, but the pendulum is only in half swing. Abandoned houses, empty lots, vacant stares, and homeless destitute people are still visible everywhere we went in the city. A disproportionate amount of that hardship has fallen on the non-whites.

This is one of the reason that Detroit needs to be visited. It is a place ready for that uniquely American comeback story, but it's also a great reminder on how over-greedy globalized capitalism, both subtle and explicit racism, and uninspired or downright corrupt leadership can leave behind a trail of misery. Detroiters don't need or want our pity, that's for sure, they're fiercely proud of their city, and rightly so, but their story needs to be heard by more people. So for the essential American city life experience, go to Detroit!

[nikoontheroad]

Detroit Art City

Last evening we did a self guided walking tour through Downtown Detroit. It was a nice little introduction to the city. Also, despite being fairly busy, and nicknamed as the Motor City, Detroit is not too bad on terms of walkability. And its not too big either. Major avenues connect the neighborhoods together in true All-American style, and buses and trams run along those veins. Forget Uber if you are in Detroit, folks.

Big business has always sparked culture too, even though they often coexist in a strained relationship. Motown music scene, Detroit's beautiful and grand theaters, and vibrant sports culture are the best examples of this. In a small stretch of streets near the West Boulevard are located Fox and Fillmore theaters, as well as home stadiums for all Motor City's Major League sports teams. So you have your pick of the litter here.

We immersed ourselves in culture too today. Despite it being finally a sunny day, we headed for the Detroit Institute of Art. Detroit has been losing a lot of its importance in the last decades, alongside its population, but its still punching above its weight in terms of culture. The DIA is a really good museum. It's big, beautiful, and diverse. It is best known for the huge mural painted by Diego Rivera in 1932-33, Detroit Industry Murals, but houses many fantastic other pieces too. I'd especially recommed the American Art section, which has some wonderful American landscapes.

[nikoontheroad]

Fox Theater, Detroit, MI

[nikoontheroad]

Back in the USA, Midwest Chapter

Too tired for a proper recap of the day, so just a quick update and more after catching my Z's.

Flew to Detroit. Everything went really well, about 7 different people stopped us going through the security hassle, but everyone was really nice and it was just routine. I find it best just to let these people do their job and be friendly and forthcoming.

On our a way to Downtown in the bus we met a real Detroit gentleman, who give us some great tips and bit of bus guided tour to the boot. He said he was working as a flight attendant, but also freelancing as a travel writer. And if that wasn't lucky enough for us, he had even written some articles for the hotel that we had booked, the El Moore Lodge! What are the odds! What a great guy and what a great Midwest welcome!

Last note: We were both kind of caught off guard by Detroit. This city gets a bad rep, but after the first night, I gotta say, it seems really cool! Vibrant, diverse, progessive, trendy but not in a fake plastic way. And the old Art Deco skyscrapers of Downtown are just so darn pretty. Midtown seems well worth the visit too. The houses up here are just gorgeous, old victorian mansions that could all probably tell a thousand stories. A great day, glad to be in Detroit!

[nikoontheroad]

Montreal, Canada

[nikoontheroad]

Walk the walk, talk the talk

Finally, after sitting countless hours in buses and cars, we got back to our roots and started walking. Okay, we did take the Montreal metro first, but THEN we got to walking.

The yellow line brought us from the major hub of Berri-UQAM across the Saint Lawrence river to the Biosphere, a 76 diameter dome that was built for the US pavillion at the 1967 World Expo. The sphere, a major symbol of Montreal, now hosts an enviromental museum, which we sadly didn't get to visit, since it's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The Biosphere, while very cool, was more of a sideshow to the Saint Lawrence river itself, which has a very cool and fascinating history, at least if you're interested in the indigenous and settler colonial history of North America (which I am, cos I'm a total geek). Because the river basically connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, it has been an important place for settlement since before a white face was even fathomable in these parts of the world, and the mouth of the river was later even visited by the vikings according to some theories.

From the Biosphere we walked a rather adventurous route back to Old Montreal, stopping on the way to gape at Habitat 67, a totally insane looking brutalist apartment complex also built for the Expo 67. The house, which quite effectively defies description, seems rather dystopic to my eyes, althought it's not entirely without appeal.

To reach the Habitat we had to cross a long bridge which offered scenic views of Montreal. The Pont de la Concorde hardly seems like a nice bridge to walk, but it was currently undergoing some renovations, so there was barely any traffic and the crossing was actually quite nice. After the Habitat we continued our urban exploration tour by ending up at the Montreal's still busy industrial harbor. We firmly kept our feet where they belonged, at the sidewalk, but it still felt like we were walking a route that no sane person would take. Under a bridge, past the truck stops, and side by side with the rusted and abandoned looking warehouses. This looked like the place where they go to end character arcs in The Sopranos!

To cap off the day we did a free guided walking tour around Old Montreal. Despite the rain there were maybe ten people attending. A group of Brits, one Frenchman and an Israeli, a woman from Latvia, and a chatty Texan (aren't they all, bless 'em!) who immediately fell in love with my wife's jacket that says "Je t'aime Paris, Texas" on the back. We swapped travel stories with her while our guide herded us through the streets of Old Montreal. Once again this tip-based walking tour provided much more personalized and intimate way of getting to know the city better than any stuffy old guidebook could hope to.

[nikoontheroad]

O Canada (deuxiéme partie)

After a restful sleep we paid farewell to our homely AirBnb and headed off to the Burlington Transit Center. Our old frenemy Greyhound tried to pull one on us: after clearly announcing that it would depart from the Transit Center itself, the bus stop was logically behind the corner, out of the line of sight. Oh you sly dog you! Well, it takes more than that to fool an old traveler like me. Ten minutes before the bus left we took a stroll around the corner and found the hound's hiding place. Next stop Montreal!

... Or at least the customs station between the border of USA and Canada. A lot of cars crossing the border, but for some reason I don't hear anyone wanting to build a wall between. Anyway, we were cleared quickly and continued towards Quebec, our second time in Canada. First one was Vancouver in 2016.

The bus ride itself was uneventful and boring, but the final stretch to Montreal was quite nice. The bus rode over the Jacques Cartier Bridge which gives a great overview of Montreal. After checking in into our first bona fide hostel of the trip, we walked around the lovely Old Port area of the city. The waterfront seems to be on the better end of the transformation cycle from industrial to revitalized, and is a great place to overlook the city. More on Montreal tomorrow.