NY this morning was foggy & overcast, somewhat different from the last few days. We had a car to Newark airport with a very pleasant driver who was Moroccan in origin. He had been in U.S. for18 years & happy with his lot. After a lot of help from United Airline staff we eventually got checked in & our bags taken from us. It is a different system in U.S. & you pay for each checked in bag as you check it in. We bucked the system by having ‘overweight’ bags but the staff were extremely helpful & somewhat apologetic about the cost. The plane left more or less on time & the flight time was 2 hrs.
There was a car waiting for us, this time with an Eastern European driver, lacking a few language skills we think. From airport to hotel took about 45 mins & we eventually cottoned on to a 1hr time change. The hotel is lovely & all the staff very friendly & helpful. Chicago is different from my expectations, more modern & open than I had thought it would be. The weather however is much colder & there is snow forecast for tomorrow!!! We have dinner booked tonight at the Tortoise club which is literally just across the street so we won’t have far to totter. It is Mother’s Day tomorrow & there seem to be lots of events associated with this.
We have a city tour organised for tomorrow & then we will be meeting up with Crispin & Cécile, so more news to follow.