An adventurous 1-day-round-trip to Chicago!!

Yesterday I have just returned from an amazing-unbelievable-adventurous-1-day-trip to Chicago...

Monday evening, 8.30PM: we (me and my two friends: "A" and "P") were not able to make our flight to ORD due to "weight restriction" and then we stand-by-d for 860 flight to IAD, later at 10PM. That´s how this adventurous trip would start. If it were a direct flt to ORD, we would have plenty of time to spend there, but...

We connected through IAD, arriving in Washington-Dulles at 6.20AM, Tuesday, then we were just able to get the connecting flight to ORD at 9.55AM. This was the UA851 (full flight) to ORD, ongoing to Beijing. Lots of Asian passangers on it. Curiously, lots of infants too... about 8 or 10 babies onboard. My friend "A" was also carrying her little 5-month-old girl, who was always in good mood, smiling happily... so cute!!

Then, we reached ORD at 11.30AM. Got on the CTA Blue Line train bound for 53/Cemark and we jumped off at Clinton Station, downtown Chicago, that was almost 12.40. Then we walked 3 blocks to the Union Station. Big and beautiful place... we purchased a round-trip ticket to Route 59 Station, bound for Aurora (beautiful name, isn´t it?). It was a double-deckerd Amtrak train, huge, comfortable... Train to Aurora departed at 1.30PM, on-time.

This last leg to our final destination lasted one hour or so. During the trip, I enjoyed a delicious Chicago-typical-hot-hotdog & French fries & a soft drink... and the landscape I could enjoy from my window was just beautiful... That was probably my first experience on an American countryside-like landscape (and I "tripped"... imagining how I could describe every single detail to my boyfriend, who would love to see that...)

Then, we finally got to Route 59, in Naperville. That was around 2.45PM. From the station, we crossed the parking lot, walked through a small road by a beautiful little lake. At the end of this road, a busy highway... We were successful in crossing it, then we reached a shopping mall; passed by the mall´s parking lot, crossed another road, then reached a big discount store parking area, then we turned left, and finally reached our final destination: a computer & acessories store. That was 3.25PM.

(I was particularly relieved in successfully reaching this place, because it was recommended by a friend of ours. But the directions given, though accurate, precise, seemed to us as if we were on that "Punk´d" tv show...)

Then, we spent time there till 4.30, walked back to that discount store, bought some stuff, and then we requested a taxi for 5.10. On-timely the taxi came and the driver was an old man, who was very talkative, and he could hardly believe we were there, coming all the way from Brazil... ;) (that´s maybe one of the funny side of working for an airline company).

5.28: our train back to Chicago, where we arrived at 6.50PM. Then, walked the 3-blocks back to Clinton St., to return to O´Hare airport. Almost 8PM. I was able to grab some veggie sandwich & an orange juice in the meantime we were waiting for our boarding time. Flight was 30-minutes delayed, because the plane had just landed from München... (Those who know me, will understand my comment on this...)

Inflight, there were plenty of moments of strong turbulance... but I was so tired and sleepy that I just slept... leaning on the next seat, which was (fortunately) available! I was able to completely ignore my fear of flying!

Then, 10.20AM, on Wednesday we landed on GRU airport... And in the afternoon I would go teaching my classes... as my usual Wednesdays.

What an adventurous experience! And I survived from being scared of flying!