Sun afternoon

Crispin & Cecile arrived to pick us up at 3pm. He said to look out for a green car so when a lovely green Jag arrived we thought it might be them. Crispin is Doug’s 2nd cousin (Doug’s Mum & Crispin’s father were cousins) & has always kept in touch initially with Doug’s Mum & then latterly with Doug’s sister Margaret. Doug doesn’t have any memory of ever meeting Crispin before, especially since Crispin went to live in New Zealand with his parents when he was 9 yrs old! Nevertheless that was all rectified today. Crispin’s wife Cecile is American & Chicago is her home town. They took us the scenic route north of Chicago to where they live in Winnetka. Despite the weather it was a lovely journey & we saw some beautiful beaches along the lakeside & some very interesting houses. Their own house is in a wonderful location—-we knew we had arrived by the Union Jack & French flag flying at their driveway entrance! From their window you look out onto woodland where deer & other wild life abound & yet they are very close to the lake. 

We spent a lovely time with them, catching up on lives, stories & experiences. After a meal together (delightful pud) Crispin brought us back to our hotel but today we are meeting them again for more exploring & sharing.

Sun morning

We woke up to rain so abandoned our plans to go out for breakfast. Instead we ate in the hotel & apart from the coffee it was very nice.

We were picked up for our city tour & then taken downtown to meet the main bus. Fortunately it wasn’t an open top tour because by this time we had realised how cold it is. The guide spoke at 100 miles an hour but was a fount of info. We had a south side tour lasting a couple of hours but the views were somewhat impaired by low cloud! We did go onto the University campus, we saw where Obama has his home, we saw the beaches along the lakeside & we went into the Rockefeller Centre & generally got a  idea of the layout of Chicago.  

Random afterthoughts so far…..

Well, the highlight of the New York trip was meeting up with Yuka and Chige. It’s been years since we last saw Yuka, and 2 lovely daughters and a husband later, there was a lot to catch up on. Hopefully we’ll see them in France in years to come.

One big disappointment for Lou has been that so far no one has asked her for ID when buying a drink. She doesn’t understand why not! After all, you have to be 21 or over!

New York does seem to be young, vibrant and exciting, and the Refinery Hotel did remind us of the French hotels of Mama Shelter. Great.

Over the last couple of years, in Paris, we’ve become convinced that Indians are taking over the world. All the chefs in Parisian restaurants seem to be Indian, and in Rome last month it seemed to be the same. And now in NY, the taxi drivers, cooks etc all seem to be Indians (not native Americans!)

We weren’t really expecting to get straight into the music theme of the holiday in NY, but the trip to Greenwich Village was the start for me. The home of the “folk” movement in the 60’s, with Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs and of course Tom Paxton, brought home to me on Bleeker Street, Greenwich Village, memories of my  introduction to the protest/anti-Vietnam movement when at university in Manchester. And to think that Bob Dylan is playing Albi next month!! Can’t wait.

When we went to Ground Zero in NY, it does make you reflect on the day itself, and on how unbelievably horrific it must have been. And the sheer numbers of low flying commercial aircraft over Manhattan every day is unnerving. It just doesn’t look right. And therefore it’s bizarre to fly in the USA today, with what seems to be a very casual approach to security. In Europe, every new security measure is explained away by saying that the USA has demanded it’s introduction. And today, flying out of the city that suffered 9/11, to fly to Chicago, we did not have to remove our laptops/ tablets, liquids from our hand luggage, take off our belts, there were no big plastic boxes in which to put everything, and for me, with my artificial knee, no need to take off my shoes. These things are absolutely obligatory in Europe, but not in the USA. It doesn’t make sense.

Chicago feels very different from NY. Less manic, and whilst the traffic in from the airport was very busy, the cars are not as big. It just has a different feel to it completely. Looking forward to tomorrow and to meeting up with very distant relatives. Despite the cold. The concierge suggested that it might snow tomorrow, and to be honest, it feels like it could, which is crazy after NY and the heat. But because everything is imperial here, distances, height, weight, time, and temperatures, we might be getting confused. It’s surprising how soon you forget imperial measures. Anyway, off to bed now.

Thur night

Just back from the Tortoise Club which thankfully is just over the road from our hotel. It is cold here so my one cardigan & one pair of trainers are going to get a lot of wear. Food tonight was very acceptable but very expensive. Our waiter was, however, very attentive & personable. The portions were big but not huge—a noticeable difference from NY. I’m worried that by the time we get to New Orleans we will be eating half a cow each!!  We are both pleasantly surprised by the wine—previous experiences of American wine don’t make happy memories. 

Tomorrow is another day & we are looking forward to meeting up with never before seen members of Doug’s family, Crispin & Cécile.