US Diaries: Chicago & Illinois

Keeping a blog updated while being on the road is really hard; never mind the fact that we’re currently doing one week spots which means we teardown and set-up every week. I can’t complain though, I like being busy cause that’s when time flies.

Our unit has split into two smaller units and we’re currently at our fifth spot as a split unit (at the time the blog was written; now we're not split anymore) and tenth spot as a carnival (at the time it was written; currently at our 14th spot). We’ve been playing spots around the Chicago area for the past month or so.

The first spot after Burlington, Wisconsin, was Orland Park, Illinois. (The other unit went to Waukegan). The spot itself was ok, but what made it really awesome was the opportunity to see Chicago. There was a train station right where we stayed, so catching the train was really easy. The train ride alone was really exciting for me since we don’t really have trains in South Africa; at least not ones like they have here. It was a Metra train and looked exactly like the one in Source Code, it was insane.

Orland Park - this lake was man-made and it was massive!

 

Being in Chicago was amazing. It’s one of the most beautiful cities to explore and it is massive. I’m not a big city person, I like nature and quiet, but there is something truly spectacular about a city like Chicago. One thing that adds to its allure, is the river that runs right through it. Without the river, it probably wouldn’t have been as stunning as it is. There are a few buildings that are definitely something to look at and  then there’s also Buckingham Fountain, The Bean at Millenium Park, Crown Fountain and Navy Pier. Not to mention a boat ride on the river. You get the Architectural tours and then just a plain water taxi which is what we took as a ‘tour’ up the river to get back to Union Station to catch the train.

 The train - the inside is exactly like the movie Source Code!

 

Chicago River 

Barnes & Noble

 

The Train

Comic Book store!

 

Skyscrapers

 

Newspaper stands

 

Chicago Tribune

 

Buckingham Fountain

 

The Bean

Crown Fountain

 

Navy Pier

Water Taxi's / Boats

The spot after Orland Park, was Oak Lawn, Illinois (the other unit was in Wheaton). We played at a Catholic Church parking lot. The space wasn’t massive, but it was a busy carnival. This spot wasn’t that exciting for me, but I made another trip to Chicago the first day we got there. I met up with my boyfriend and some of his friends who were with the other unit at another spot. Again seeing Chicago was amazing. I wouldn’t mind going back again!

The next spot was Franklin Park for a festival called Railroad Daze (the other unit was in Gary, Indiana). This carnival was held on the street and it was actually really nice, but the town itself was strange. All the shops around there were Mexican and that’s really weird to see in the northern parts of America. Actually, it’s surprising how many towns we go to have Mexican shops.

The next spot was Munster, Illinois (the other unit was in Schererville); also at a Catholic Church (we play quite a few Catholic Churches). By this time I’m hardly keeping track of time. I barely distinguish one spot from the next these days! But it wasn’t a bad spot except that the police closed us down the Sunday because the crowd got out of hand. It was super busy!

 

Had a good 'braai' on our off day when we got to Munster

 

A kind-of big storm passed buy during work the one day

Then we ventured to Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, but since we were still split as a carnival, I worked in Western Springs with the 2nd unit - about twenty minutes away - but our bunkhouses were at Toyota Park which is in Bridgeview. The week went by really fast and when we play these one week spots, there’s really no time to explore anything. The hours are long and you’re too tired to do anything when you have an afternoon off. Well at least I am!

Sunset at Toyota Park

Arlington Heights, Illinois, came next. The festival was called Frontier Days and it was kinda really big. We stayed about forty minutes from the spot at Dupage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton. So the drive, together with the long hours, made this spot very exhausting. But honestly still fun! My birthday was Friday the 4th of July which is Independence day in the States and even though we worked super hard that day, the people at work still made it fun and got me a cake and some gifts. And what made it even more special was the roses and the necklace I got from Alex (the best boyfriend a girl could ask for). This was also the last spot where our unit was split in two.

Birthday gift from Alex

At work on my birthday

We stayed at the Dupage County Fairgrounds - this is a big storm that passed over

Our next spot was Glendale Heights, Illinois. This spot wasn't too bad; the Laundromat was around the corner and things were just kind of around the corner. It also felt good to be back together and to have all the rides in one spot again.

 

Sunset at Glendale Heights

 

Overcast day

 

Stole this picture from someone who rode the Ferris Wheel

 

Amazing fireworks!

In the end I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of Illinois; mainly because of the bad weather. It rains very often and when it does, it pours. (Refer to my blog post US Diaries: Florida - you'll find I really don't like rain). We have moved on to Indiana and there'll be more about that soon-ish!

 

US Diaries: Wisconsin

Burlington, Wisconsin was the best town to date in my opinion. Even though I worked really long hours at this spot, I still got to experience a real American small town.

The first thing I have to mention is that: I was in the state of Wisconsin! In my opinion the official "That 70's Show" state; forget about cheese. You have no idea how awesome this was for me. I wish I could've called up Eric Forman and ask if I could smoke a joint in his basement with him and Donna and Steven and Jackie and Kelso and Fez. How cool would that be?! If only they had like a replica of his house somewhere!

The first night in Burlington, the sky looked like this:

There was a storm moving over and the cloud display was scary-looking. It rained a lot while we were at this spot.

The first discovery I made was a beautiful park down the road from the fair. I really give America credit for their parks...it's always clean and such a peaceful place to be. I wish I had more time to explore this!

We were invited to the premiere of the new X-Men movie by the owner of the theater/cinema in town. That was pretty cool.

Then one day when we started work later the day, a friend and I got up early (even though I was incredibly tired) and ventured off into town! I can't really describe how cool this town was. The first thing that came to mind when I saw it was Smallville and Gilmore Girls. It reminded me of those towns...and it looked exactly the same.

 

This was a very special moment for me because I loved those series and to be able to see something in real life that you've seen on TV was awesome. I'm really glad I made it out of bed that day.

The Friday night they had fireworks at the festival! I am such a huge fan of fireworks and these were my first ones in America and they were spectacular. They must've gone off for at least a good half hour.

We were there from Wed to Mon for the chocolate fest since Burlington is known as Chocolate City in the US. They had Nascar on display and then some chocolate stuff.

 

No matter what anyone ever tells you, it's not always easy working for a carnival. And when you have time off, all you really want to do is sleep! But there's this voice inside you that tells you that you came all this way to a country across the world - yes to work - but also to travel and explore (even if it's at times to the expense of your sleep). So that's exactly what I did and I'm not at all sorry.

We're currently in our second spot in Illinois. We have a new spot every week, so time is catching up to me, thus the late blog updates. I'll probably do some really short ones for the next few weeks just to keep up to date!