I'll always have Chicago

Let me say that I love St. Louis, it's my home and I'll always be a 314 boy. That said, my second love (thus far) is Chicago. Don't love it enough to move there (too expensive for my cheap ass), but I go every year if I can. I love a city where you don't need a car to get around. The 'L' and CTA buses work just fine for me and the passes are cheap enough to fit easily into my budget.

Now granted I didn't do as much as I've done on other trips, but this one was satisfying in more ways. I got my first hotel room through Super 8. Not bad, the breakfast lacked major, but the room was clean and the location was nice. Right on North Sheridan in Roger's Park and less than a block from the lake and local beach, northbound and southbound bus stops right in front of the hotel and a four block walk to the nearest 'L' station. And $88 a night for a room in Chicago? Hell yes! I've done $50 a night hotel in downtown Chicago, but that was a 5 star on the ghetto scale kinda place.

The Hubby didn't go with me this time, couldn't get off work. And I like that he didn't go, every couple needs time apart. Deal if you don't like it! Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

The best part of the trip was that I got to reconnect with a friend I'd not seen in 6 years! He and his Hubby went with me to Chinatown Friday and Hamburger Mary's Saturday. I love that he got a man that he has to keep up with, he needed that. Love ya Ed!

Second to seeing Ed again was going to Las Mananitas, a Mexican place in Boystown. Swear to the Gods, no better place to get Mexican food, that I've been to anyway. Tried some chorizo enchiladas covered in a jalapeno-tomatillo sauce and it was better than sex! I'm drooling now...

...clean up on Isle 3...

...And so Chinatown was kinda a bust. Nice to visit, but not much there. Will need to again earlier in the day and walk around the whole area. And for the gamers out there, People Play Games on North Clark is killer! They have old school systems that work! Like a Magnavox Odyssey 2, an Atari 2600 that I would have gotten had I had room in my luggage, Sega of all type, Nintendo's from way back when and shit I've not ever heard of. And games for all the systems they sell. I could go for broke there and I'm not a gamer!

Then there's GayMart in Boystown. My comic lovers would jizz themselves with all the "action figures" they have! And Star Trek playsets and figures from the late 60s and early 70s. And LGBT stuff too, but the actions figures make it worth it.

But Hamburger Mary's in Andersonville is a food lover Mecca! Just damn good food, like the "Sit-n-Spinach" salad I had! Drooling again...

...clean up Isle 4!...

...Back on track.
So, that visit was marred by the cunty, man hating dykes who told me, Ed and his Hubby that we needed to go cuz we where on their turf! Fuck that! They even got told by the waiter to cool it, but that just made them more eager to get us gone. Just plain ignorant bitches! I don't get the mentality to act so childish to get people to move so you can have their table. It's stupid and I can't stand it. And yes, that makes them cunty, ignorant bitches! Same would hold true if they had been gay men, hetero, black or whatever. That childish behavior makes anyone a cunty bitch.
By then end, they moved a chair to block Ed's Hubby from getting back to his seat. One of 'em got water thrown on her...yeah, the shit follows me wherever I go. Whatever. Anyway, she deserved it. Any person causing your food going experience to sour deserves a good water-in-the-face gesture. It's a classic that should never die.

After this was drinks and laughs at The Call Bar up the street. That was a great way to end the evening before I had to catch the bus to call it a night. But I'll say that waking up and walking for an hour on the beach is worth doing. The smells, sights and sounds can relax anyone! After this was the 'L' ride to Union Station to catch the bus home.

And let me say that I am NEVER again taking a bus between cities ever again! Greyhound sucks and is dirty and the trip to and from Cleveland was horrid! But MegaBus is worse in that the seats are not comfy and that on the way up to Chicago, the fucking bus broke down! Tension rod and pulley in the engine broke right off. So after an hour and the driver calling the company 5 times, 20 of us got together and rented a party bus to come get us and take us to Chicago. Got to my hotel 4 or 5 hours late. Found out coming back Sunday that the remaining riders waited another 2 and a half hours for MegaBus to get a charter bus to get them the rest of the way! Seriously? And that was after people started to call them and complain! Why wasn't this done first? I'm already furious for what happened to me, I can't imagine what would have happened had I stayed. I've already demanded my money back plus reimbursement of the money I spent out of pocket to get a party bus. We'll see what happens...

But I'm home now and off til Wednesday. Gonna take it easy. Later fuckers, I'm off to be a lazy fat man!