Just a little of that human touch

Rochester, Indiana to Chicago, Illinois. Saturday, May 15, 2021

Ben & Christine eat much healthier than I do. I announced I was going to Denny’s in the morning for a grand slam breakfast, and they politely demurred. It was actually pretty great, eight dollars for three eggs, three strips of bacon, and three pancakes. I could only make it halfway through the pancakes, and texted my friends that I was going to check in to the local ER to have my stomach pumped.

I was treated to another few hours of biking with Ben & Christine before our paths diverged. Again, I marveled at how much fun it was talking with them, how closely our paces matched, and how little I minded when Ben stopped for pictures. He sent me a few of the ones he took, and if you look at his website, you’ll see he took dozens more. I really have to start doing that myself.

Just like approaching Cleveland, when I stopped for coffee at a cute little town square in Painesville, today we stopped at a gorgeous courthouse square in the town of Crown Point, on the day when I was due to arrive in Chicago. We found a cute little coffee shop right across from the courthouse, and had a blast sipping café au lait and fancy sweet treats, theirs were organic, mine not so much.

As we approached the point where we would split, I found myself getting clingy only after a couple of days with them. I tried to push them away by tunelessly belting out “Gary, Indiana” (supposedly on my route) from The Music Man, as a way of showing them how difficult it would be to travel with me if we were to stay together. I love to sing songs at the top of my lungs, mostly when I’m pretty sure no one else can hear.

We hugged, said our goodbyes, promised to keep in touch, then they went west, and I went north.

The first few miles alone were bittersweet. I again realized how much I crave human contact, beyond just brief conversations with friendly people. Touring alone definitely has its advantages, you can keep your own pace, don’t need to consider anyone else’s preferences, no “getting on each other’s nerves”, and you are generally more approachable to outsiders, who are more reluctant to approach a group. Still, it can be lonely. As is so often the case, Bruce Springsteen said it best https://youtu.be/85cNRQo1m3A

The Adventures Cycling route I am following, part of their “NYC to Chicago” route, takes you up through bike paths to Lake Michigan (it actually does not quite hit Gary Indiana) which you then follow into the heart of Chicago. Ben & Christine diverged before this in part because they had heard that this route was not safe, in fact I did have some trepidations about coming through the infamous South Side of Chicago. Happily, though, I never felt uncomfortable at all. No sign of Bad Bad Leroy Brown. Instead, I was treated to a part of bicycle touring that I love, approaching a big city from the hinterlands. It’s fun to see the landscape gradually transform rural to semi rural, suburban, dense suburban, and finally urban. It feels like I’m approaching “the heart of the beast”. In this case, I was mostly following bike paths that were generally in quite good shape, only a couple of spots with the turns were confusing, but RideWithGPS saw me through. It started to gently rain, but there was a nice tail wind, so it was really quite easy. There was a nice sign as I crossed into Illinois, my fifth state line.

Finally I popped out onto the shores of Lake Michigan, and got my first view of the skyscrapers of Chicago. I had only been there once before, on an overnight business trip where I didn’t get to see the city. I was thrilled I was going to have a full day there tomorrow.

At this point I wished I had my GoPro up and running, so I could document the thrill of gradually getting closer and closer.

I had enlisted the help of my buddies to tell me what to see in Chicago. Brian’s first suggestion was the Buckingham Fountain, and in fact that is where the Adventure Cycling route officially ends. It was impressive, but unfortunately it was turned off.

Frank said be sure to check out Ed Debevic’s restaurant, which was just around the corner from my hotel, and from the website indeed looked like lots of fun, a real Chicago institution. Unfortunately, all I found were these signs:

Great, I thought, I’m batting 0 for 2. I shuddered to think what would be awaiting me at the hotel check-in. Despite the fiasco two days ago with Priceline, I decided to give them another chance, and booked the cheapest room available at the Marriott Miracle Mile hotel downtown. It was $145 a night, but I figured, I’d just biked all the way to Chicago, it was worth a splurge.

It didn’t start out well. The lobby had 10 marble steps down to the check-in area, and I balked at carrying my hundred pound bike down them. Instead I left it at the top of the stairs, hoped it wouldn’t be stolen, and warily approached the check-in counter. The receptionist Hannah heard my story and said she would do what she could to upgrade my room. She said I could wheel my bike around to the other side of the hotel, where there was a ground-level check in. Luckily, it was still there at the top of the stairs.

I looked at my room number: 4618. Oh well, I guess the fourth floor won’t be too bad. But when I got to the elevator, there were no rooms on the fourth floor, however the elevator went as high as the 46 floor. I figured what the hell, I’ll try it.

Room 4618 was spaced quite a bit further from the other rooms, and had a title card under it: “Horizon”. Hmm.

OMG. OMFG. It was a five room suite, and the floor-plan on the door indicated it was THE penthouse suite of the hotel. It had a full-size pool table, a conference alcove with eight chairs, a separate living room, two luxurious bathrooms, and a dazzling view of the skyline and Lake Michigan. Are you kidding me? Is this a joke? Right away I called the desk to make sure there was no mistake, and that I wasn’t going to be hit with a massive upcharge for the room. No, they said, Hannah (who turns out to be the manager) just decided to do me a favor. In retrospect I wondered, God, did I look that pathetic?

I feel ostentatious even posting these pictures. This is obscene. I’m like Eva Gabor, who “just adored a penthouse view” before her husband dragged her off to Green Acres (where I was this morning). Thank you, Hannah. Talk about a little of that human touch.

Right away, I thought I had to share it with somebody. Ben and Christine were staying somewhere south of here, perhaps I could entice them into coming up been sharing the second day here with me. Or maybe my cousin Annie Reading, with whom I will be staying in a few days in Milwaukee, would come down for Sunday night. Not surprisingly, both begged off. Who am I going to play pool with?

OK, what to do about dinner? Saturday night in downtown Chicago, shouldn’t be a problem finding a table. On my one previous night in Chicago I had the best steak of my life at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, but the one nearby was permanently closed. Hannah recommended Eddie V’s next-door, but the dress was business casual and they didn’t have any reservations until 9:30. Just as well, their basic sirloin was $48. In fact, I couldn’t find a table anywhere within a mile.

I was living too high on the hog anyway. Trader Joe’s was just around the corner, and I got enough food for two days for $52. Not exactly haute cuisine, but if you eat it on the 46 floor that’s pretty haute, isn’t it?

Distance 56 miles, 1,339 total. Time 8 hours with stops. Elevation gain 589 feet.

Looking at the numbers, I see I passed my previous longest bike ride, 1,325 miles with Jane from Vancouver to San Francisco, right before we moved to Vermont. So maybe celebrating in a nice hotel room isn’t TOO decadent…