Walking the streets Al Capone walked...
I have really screwed up this set of blogs. My idea of splitting it into parts seems to have rather backfired. Also, I think that just describing my trips will be extremely boring. So, what I'm gonna do is just finish up my adventures in Chicago and then move to a new topic.
Well, I had just told you uptil the point where my train rolled into Chicago station at 7:30 PM.
So,the state of things as they stood were-
1. Current time: 7:30 PM
2. Time my plane departs: 7:50 PM
3. Travel time from the train station to the airport: approx. 20 mins.
Can our hero make it? Can the bespectacled crusader for justice(namely, me), make it on time?
( I don't know why I just put all this crap. I think it was a last-ditch effort to make this stuff readable. Futile, I think.)
Anyway,let's just get this thing over with and let me try to write about something interesting after that.
Well, as soon as I got off the train, I picked up my luggage and ran through the streets of Chicago, carrying all that stuff. I had taken some vague directions to the underground station and using those, I managed to reach the station. After some incidents at the underground station, I finally managed to reach the airport terminal at 7:48 PM. By the time I reached the flight counter, it was 7:52.
I thought that my flight had left.
But, I got an unexpected reprieve when I was told that my flight was delayed by 10 mins. I was delighted, thinking that my luck had finally turned.
It was not to be. :(
The airline people(justifiably, I have to admit) refused to let me board the plane, saying that I have to arrive there at least 45 mins. before the flight leaves. My arguing, as I expected ,was of no use.
They told me that the procedure for such a situation was that I now have to be present for every flight that leaves to Austin from Chicago and they will put me on the first flight that has a seat available. Which meant that I may have to be present at the airport from morning to night for the next couple of days, until I get a flight.
Anyway, that was the next day.
What was I to do right now? I could stay at the airport overnight or find someone in Chicago to g0 to.
At this point, I decided to put the old boys network into service. A friend of mine says that the only thing we have gained out of IIT is the alumni network. Perhaps he is right.
Anyway,I eventually decided to go to the house of a chap I barely knew in IIT. But the wonderful thing is, that doesn't really matter. There is sort of an unwritten code among people of an IIT that guys from the same IIT are their responsibility. So, I was very warmly invited to spend the night at their place(there were 3 IITKians living in the same apartment).
By the time all this was over, it was 10:30 PM. I had the directions to their house from these people, so it was back to the old reliable, the underground, for me.
As soon as I board the underground, I look atthe crowd and become a touch apprehensive. The crowd consists solely of black teenagers, and that too wearing kind of uniforms as if they were parts of gangs. Having heard a lot about the street gangs of Chicago and me carrying all my luggage, money and even my passport around, I grew more and more worried as time progressed.
But, thankfully, my journey was uneventful. I got off at my stop and immediately went to the bus stop. The bus soon came and I was on my way. My friend had said that the bus trip will take around 25 mins., so I thought that I will take a short nap.
You can guess what happened. Next thing I know, I am being woken up by the driver, who is asking me where I wanted to get off. I realise that I have reached the last stop and will now need to go back. I show the driver the address I need to go to and he gives me directions to that place, which is about a mile away.
So,there I am, at 11 in the night, lugging my luggage through the streets of Chicago in temperatures of -15 C, with a biting wind, wearing just a thin jacket(I was dressed for Austin, Texas!!). What a sorry picture of our hero!!
Anyway, after about 45 mins. of walking and getting lost, I meet my friend who takes me to his house.
That's about it, folks. The worst is now over. I get warm food, watch the India-Pak cricket match which these people had managed to find being streamed on the internet, and then sleep for a couple of hours, before heading back to the airport.
By this time, my luck has turned, and I get a seat on the first flight in the morning. I reach Austin exactly 12 hrs. later than I was supposed to, but that's okay, I just spent the night in Chicago instead of spending it in Austin.
I had a wonderful time after that in Austin, and I also spent some time touring Chicago(in the day this time!!) while returning, but that is a story for another day. This interminably long blog has now ended.
See ya, people!
Epilogue-After returning to Ann Arbor, I properly blasted the Amtrak people for making me miss my flight, until they refunded the money for my ticket. I at least got something out of it!!
I have really screwed up this set of blogs. My idea of splitting it into parts seems to have rather backfired. Also, I think that just describing my trips will be extremely boring. So, what I'm gonna do is just finish up my adventures in Chicago and then move to a new topic.
Well, I had just told you uptil the point where my train rolled into Chicago station at 7:30 PM.
So,the state of things as they stood were-
1. Current time: 7:30 PM
2. Time my plane departs: 7:50 PM
3. Travel time from the train station to the airport: approx. 20 mins.
Can our hero make it? Can the bespectacled crusader for justice(namely, me), make it on time?
( I don't know why I just put all this crap. I think it was a last-ditch effort to make this stuff readable. Futile, I think.)
Anyway,let's just get this thing over with and let me try to write about something interesting after that.
Well, as soon as I got off the train, I picked up my luggage and ran through the streets of Chicago, carrying all that stuff. I had taken some vague directions to the underground station and using those, I managed to reach the station. After some incidents at the underground station, I finally managed to reach the airport terminal at 7:48 PM. By the time I reached the flight counter, it was 7:52.
I thought that my flight had left.
But, I got an unexpected reprieve when I was told that my flight was delayed by 10 mins. I was delighted, thinking that my luck had finally turned.
It was not to be. :(
The airline people(justifiably, I have to admit) refused to let me board the plane, saying that I have to arrive there at least 45 mins. before the flight leaves. My arguing, as I expected ,was of no use.
They told me that the procedure for such a situation was that I now have to be present for every flight that leaves to Austin from Chicago and they will put me on the first flight that has a seat available. Which meant that I may have to be present at the airport from morning to night for the next couple of days, until I get a flight.
Anyway, that was the next day.
What was I to do right now? I could stay at the airport overnight or find someone in Chicago to g0 to.
At this point, I decided to put the old boys network into service. A friend of mine says that the only thing we have gained out of IIT is the alumni network. Perhaps he is right.
Anyway,I eventually decided to go to the house of a chap I barely knew in IIT. But the wonderful thing is, that doesn't really matter. There is sort of an unwritten code among people of an IIT that guys from the same IIT are their responsibility. So, I was very warmly invited to spend the night at their place(there were 3 IITKians living in the same apartment).
By the time all this was over, it was 10:30 PM. I had the directions to their house from these people, so it was back to the old reliable, the underground, for me.
As soon as I board the underground, I look atthe crowd and become a touch apprehensive. The crowd consists solely of black teenagers, and that too wearing kind of uniforms as if they were parts of gangs. Having heard a lot about the street gangs of Chicago and me carrying all my luggage, money and even my passport around, I grew more and more worried as time progressed.
But, thankfully, my journey was uneventful. I got off at my stop and immediately went to the bus stop. The bus soon came and I was on my way. My friend had said that the bus trip will take around 25 mins., so I thought that I will take a short nap.
You can guess what happened. Next thing I know, I am being woken up by the driver, who is asking me where I wanted to get off. I realise that I have reached the last stop and will now need to go back. I show the driver the address I need to go to and he gives me directions to that place, which is about a mile away.
So,there I am, at 11 in the night, lugging my luggage through the streets of Chicago in temperatures of -15 C, with a biting wind, wearing just a thin jacket(I was dressed for Austin, Texas!!). What a sorry picture of our hero!!
Anyway, after about 45 mins. of walking and getting lost, I meet my friend who takes me to his house.
That's about it, folks. The worst is now over. I get warm food, watch the India-Pak cricket match which these people had managed to find being streamed on the internet, and then sleep for a couple of hours, before heading back to the airport.
By this time, my luck has turned, and I get a seat on the first flight in the morning. I reach Austin exactly 12 hrs. later than I was supposed to, but that's okay, I just spent the night in Chicago instead of spending it in Austin.
I had a wonderful time after that in Austin, and I also spent some time touring Chicago(in the day this time!!) while returning, but that is a story for another day. This interminably long blog has now ended.
See ya, people!
Epilogue-After returning to Ann Arbor, I properly blasted the Amtrak people for making me miss my flight, until they refunded the money for my ticket. I at least got something out of it!!
posted by Akshat Jain at 8:36 PM
3 Comments:
Did you get bored of telling this story?
Yes, I definitely did...
Dude, make your posts smaller, much smaller. Large blogs tend to be unreadable. And don't adopt the lecture/presentation tone - you don't need to address the readers in almost every line.
Post a Comment
<< Home