Gotham City

From: Iowa City, IA
To: Portage, IN
Mileage: About 498kms

First off, if you're reading this shortly after I posted it, go watch the news.  Bin Laden is dead.  If you're all caught up on that, then read on.

I left the hotel this morning and hit the road.  Again, nothing interesting, and no landscape.  At some point I entered Illinois

I spoke to a few people at the welcome center where I stopped to pick up a map.  I met Elly and Rob from London, Ontario who offered up a bed near Detroit if I need one.  I'm thinking about it, but I'm also going to try and use some of the reward points I've racked up from staying at hotels.

Riding today was cumbersome.  I was tired and had to stop a lot to wake up.  While stopped, I decided to try the BK Stackers from Burger King.  They looked so good on TV, and they're pretty cheap.  But of course, real life fast food is nothing like TV fast food.  And of course, it was basically a ball of grease.  So I ordered another one.  I'm still wondering why...  Anyway, no more fast food.

Further down the road and I started to see the Chicago skyline coming into view.  I stopped in Chicago just to look around.  I pulled off of Lakeshore to take a photo

From there I went to Navy Pier.  I guess it's a famous pier in Chicago and it's now a pedestrian area.  So of course I rode my bike onto it...

On Lake Michigan

I'm pretty sure motor vehicles aren't supposed to be here...

I was wondering why I was able to do drive to that spot...  Because here's where I was:

Notice the red circle near top right saying "You Are Here"

Eventually a Navy Pier cop started yelling "Hey!  What are you doing?!  You can't park there!"  I had to smooth talk my way out of that one...  After schmoozing my way out, I asked where I can park, and the guy said "well get the bike out of there before someone else sees it and I'll show you."  Turns out parking was $12.  Eff that... Here are a couple more FREE pictures:

From there I went to Michigan Ave and Millennium Park.  Apparently there's a Grant Park that I didn't go to.  Damn!  Millennium Park looked cool.  It seemed to have some neat art exhibits going on, but I didn't get to go visit them::

Michigan Ave and the downtown area was interesting too.  When I think of a "city", this is what comes to my mind.  Los Angeles built up by expanding outward into a large area.  Chicago seems to have built up by expanding upward.  It's got tall buildings, multi level streets, underground everything, etc.  All the buildings have interesting designs and there's nice architecture everywhere.  It seemed like a cool place, anyway.

Michigan Ave

I also took these photos I like:

I just find this cool.  Don't worry, it's a red light.

No worries!  My bike has a MOTOR!!!

Now if only I had stayed downtown until sunset...

I left Chicago moving further East.  Hotels are outrageously expensive in the city and I had no particular reason to stay there.  Shortly after leaving I entered Indiana

I then went in search of accommodations.  It was raining at the time and I think the forecast called for more rain tonight.  I stopped in Portage, IN for the night.  I turned on the TV in my room and discovered that Bin Laden is dead.  I then watched the president's speech and half expected them to... well... prove it.