Kiwis and Fairy Bread

17 June 2025 MORNING

Knowing that we would be sitting for the majority of the next three days, we wanted to walk as much as possible before boarding our train to San Francisco.

After dropping our bags off at the Amtrak Lounge, we headed to the post office, where I mailed some post cards (Mum and Mama, have they arrived yet?). Mike took some pics as I assisted an elderly woman who was blind to cross a busy street.She said that tonight she would be “thanking God for his beautiful daughter. I can always tell a child of God”. She made me smile, and I thanked him for her.

In the post office courtyard we gazed at the giant stabile by Alexander Calder (we are big fans. Did you know he invented the hanging mobile?) and listened to a professor talking to a group at a sit-in for peace between Israel and Palestine. He was talking about the difficult situation for Palestinian students.

Back to the River Walk for a picnic lunch and some people watching. The shenanigans of young siblings with cell phone-occupied parents. A tacky teenage tourist: Dude do you not know you look like a target? Power-walking professionals. Joggers zigzagging around the crowds. A woman playing a perfect solo game of corn hole.

Back to The Green for a coffee. The Bridgeston-style electric cello trio was really rockin’ the farmer’s market crowd.

And that was it. Time to say goodbye.

Chicago Take Aways: it’s a great city. It’s full of visual and performing art and nice public spaces. The many rainbows show a community that is diverse and tolerant. It rattles with the sound of The L. It smells like pot, frying oil and hot dogs.

Do we need to come back again? I don’t know. Maybe for a weekend. We wouldn’t mind catching a Cubs game or a performance at The Chicago Civic Opera or of course, hanging out with Janice again.

At the moment, we are grateful for our time here, but ready for the next leg of our trek. See you on the train!