more chicago stuff

Some other non-Gomez related stuff from my trip that I want to remember:

When I got to the station, I had only about five minutes to spare before they started boarding the sleeping car passengers. The announcer lady at the station reminded me a bit of Lorelei Gilmore, very perky and quite a fast talker. She announced that they wanted to start by boarding large parties first saying, "so if you are a party of four or more, please come forward." An adorable little boy yelled out, "Mommy, I'm four! Let's go!" It was so cute. Everyone laughed.

So, they announce my car as loading and I head out to the train, I had to walk to the third to last car on the train. When I got there, I found out that my roomette was on the second level of the train. So I had to somehow squeeze myself up a very narrow staircase to get to my area. I was afraid at first that I would not be able to, which would have been terribly embarrassing. Luckily, I managed just fine. I got settled into my seat. And waited. The train left the station about 40 minutes later than scheduled.

The ride itself was wonderful. Beautiful scenery and I could get a cell signal most of the time, so I haunted my facebook page and gmail account with my phone. I had brought a book, but couldn't concentrate on it. I had my iPod with me and listened to each of Gomez's studio albums in order. (I know, I'm a Virgo, I can't help my OCD tendencies) I was extremely nervous about the concert, meeting all the people from the Gomez forum, not knowing what their reaction to me would be.

I had reseved a regular seat in coach for the return trip, but i liked the roomette so much that halfway to Chicago, I called Amtrak and upgraded my ticket for the return trip. Fortunately, I got a lower level one for the return. It was an extra $100 but definitely worth it as the seats are nice and wide and you get a door you can shut for privacy, which I definitely needed on the return trip.

We arrived in Chicago about an hour late. I was communicating with Kelly (my hotel-mate) via texting and she was arriving about the same time. In a way, I guess it was good that my train was late because I would have been sitting at the hotel for an hour waiting for her as we had to check in together. My cab driver to the hotel was from Russia and he talked to me quite a bit about the sports fans in Chicago and how crazy he thinks they are. He drove under the city a lot, so I didn't get to see much of Chicago on the way to the hotel.

The hotel was beautiful. Posh is a good word for it. Kelly and I headed out to find something to eat before the show. We ended up at the Cheesecake Factory. I got a sandwich that was larger than my head and managed to eat less than a quarter of it. I did get a drink at the restaurant, which calmed my nerves a LOT. We went back to the hotel so I could put the rest of the sandwich in the fridge in my room, then we got a cab to the theatre. The trip to the Vic was really cool, we ended up driving right past Lake Michigan, the sun was setting and the whole city looked beautiful.

After the afterparty, Kelly and I shared a cab with another person from the forum back to the hotel. I went into my hotel room and just absorbed everything from the concert and party. I took a shower and turned on the television. I actually watched most of a replay of the VP debates. I was exhausted, my feet were killing me, but I was too happy to sleep. Eventually, I turned off the television and willed myself to sleep. I had set the alarm for 8 am so I could get some breakfast in the morning. That didn't work out as I turned off the alarm and was woken by my cell phone around 9:30. I spent the morning reliving the concert while I packed up my stuff. Checkout time was noon and I got a cab to the train station.

The ride back to the train station was done overground so I saw a million beautiful buildings. Chicago is really a lovely city, and now I wish I had decided to stay an extra day. When I got to the station, I had to stand in line for nearly an hour to do the ticket upgrade. I was behind a girl in line who had to call every single member of her family and tell them about her time in Chicago and her travel plans from Chicago. I think she made about ten phone calls while I was in line behind her. It was annoying to hear the same story over and over again.

I didn't have much time to spare after I got my new ticket. I sat in the lounge for a bit, then got on the train again. I had to go even further back on the train this time, it was quite a hike! But I managed it without losing my breath or even having to stop and rest, which was quite amazing to me. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the anticipation of the concert, but I found myself extremely energized the whole time I was going to and returning from Chicago.

I spent the return trip talking to a few friends about my concert experience. If I had been stuck in coach with all those people around me to hear, I don't know what I would have done. It was so nice to have a private room to myself so I could get everything off my chest about all that I had experienced before, during, and after the show.

I was not expecting such niceness from the people I met up with. Don't get me wrong, I knew they were nice people, but I had prepared myself for polite friendliness once they saw me in the flesh. Instead, I was given bear hugs by almost everyone there! After we left the bar, I remember standing out on the sidewalk talking to a lady named Karen about how awesome it was to meet up with forum members because there was this instant understanding between us about this band. (yeah, I know I said non-Gomez related, sorry) I used the phrase "kindred spirits" to describe it. We come from different backgrounds, different life experiences, but we don't even have to explain ourselves to each other when it comes to our feelings for this band. Even though I had never met any of these people before, and had only spoken to one of them on the phone before going to Chicago, it was like I was meeting old friends because they understood me and I understood them without explanation. I don't know if fellow fans of other bands feel the same, but what we Gomez fans have is something very special.

I definitely want to do this again!