"Camping in the City"

I apologize now for not posting more about how and what we decided to do on this trip BEFORE the trip, but time didn’t allow. Now that we are on the road…and I can’t seem to sleep past 6am…means that I can catch up on the writing a bit. Karl is actually still asleep…and hasn’t figured out that I swiped his laptop yet…I’m expecting a call any minute!

We are staying in Chicago for 2 nights (2 MLB teams, 2 Games = 2 Nights)…and there aren’t really any places for us to camp. Well, sort of. A coworker of mine just got back from a backpacking trip around Italy, and shared about the benefits of staying in hostels as he traveled. So, while looking for campsites near a metro station outside Chicago, I typed in Chicago hostel. I found a few including the one we are at right now, (HI Chicago) Hostelling International Chicago. It is at the corner of Congress and Wabash, 3 blocks from Lake Michigan, 25 feet from the L, IN the loop. It cost less than a quarter of what a hotel in the city would cost, and we can walk or take public transportation anywhere we want to go.

We aren’t the oldest ones here, but we are 10-15 years older than the average guest. It’s like living in a college dorm…bunk beds, a hallway walk to the bathroom, shared kitchen, computer room, pay phones, lounge with one TV and another with ping pong table. While the setting makes us feel younger than we are… the city walking and bunk sleeping makes us feel older than we are.

Peace - Izzy