Chicago (Day Two Continued)

9:15AM
"The Windy City" did not get it's nickname for nothing. The moment I stepped outside to have a look at the area around Union Station, I discovered a piercing breeze that nearly took my ears off. I also found I was going the wrong way... thanks to my new friend, Eugene.

"Gene" saw me walking around The Great Hall with my guitar case, and went straight for me.

"Hey! is that a banjo you got there?", he asked me.

"Uh... yeah." (I warily replied.)

"You don't see to many people around these parts who play the banjo."

"I guess not".

Eugene said to me, "If you are trying to see downtown, you need to go the other way."

"Follow me."

Reluctantly, I changed direction.

"You know what is the in the way you were going before? The hood."

"I was just gonna walk around the block" I explained to him. (Not sure where I was going at all.)

Eugene suddenly exclaimed, "Look up."

And there was the Sears Tower.
























I figured it was only a matter of time before hit hit me up for some money, and he did. At least I got a few things out of it.

A copy of The Onion.

A post card of Chicago.

and a post card of President Obama.

I suppose that was worth the $6 he got out of me.

Union Station is an amazing place... not so much the station itself, but the adjacent Great Hall.























































Here is where I encountered "DJ Super Sketchy" (I just made that name up, since I never bothered to get his real name.)

He was wearing inner-city wear (unlike Eugene, who was a homeless local) and was from suburban Milwaukee,

"Yo! you play guitar?"

"It's a banjo" I said. (At least the homeless dude knew what it was, but not this dude!)

"A banjo?"

"I play guitar too."

"Check it out... I'm a Dee Jay", he exclaims. Afterwards, he starts playing music (he claims is his own) on his cel phone. It sounded suspiciously like ring-tones you can download for free.

"I'm waiting for my girl, man. If she don't show soon, I'm gonna bug. But I like talking' to people. Most of them is stuck up."

"uh huh", I said. "People are busy, I guess they got things on their mind."

"This phone sucks, man. It's one of those pre-paid shit things, and if I don't get $2.00, I wont be able to make anymore calls."

(ahh! here it comes!)

"so, can I get a couple of bucks from you?"

"sorry, dude."

"That's cool, I'll find it somewhere else. Later."

So, Chicago turns out to be the city of big balls, as well as big shoulders.