Hey...I completely forgot to discuss the road trip at hand...
St. Louis: Sometimes, there's no place like home. Some things have changed since the last time I was home (2 years ago), but a lot of it is still the same. It's like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes...you know where everything is, and how to get there, and all the shortcuts to get you there.
The biggest problem I had was trying to adjust to the drivers there. Things are more laid back there...and people tend to drive less aggressively. I had to calm myself down a couple of times when I came across people driving "too slow."
Chicago: Driving to Chicago from St. Louis is boring as fuck. Once you move into central Illinois, the land gets flat...and stays that way. Lots of endless fields and farms...enough to drive you nuts. I've driven the route so many times though that it's a breeze.
The metro area of Chicago starts about 60 miles from the city proper...and you can tell. The aggressiveness steps up as well as the volume of cars. Traffic jams 24 hours a day are not uncommon, though not on the levels of Los Angeles or New York. The Tri-State Tollway (I-294, which loops around the city) is probably the busiest highway in the area, along with I-90/94 through the city (Kennedy Expwy. north of I-290, Dan Ryan Expwy. S of 290). The one thing that sucks about Chicago is that all the highways are toll roads, except for 90/94, and the Eisenhower Expwy (I-290) within the city. Although, it must be noted that the tolls are fairly reasonable, with the exception of the Chicago Skyway (I-90, from the 94 split in S Chicago to the IN border).
Oh, that's another thing...every interstate hwy in the area is referred to by name, except for I-57 (officially the Calumet Expwy.).
The gas prices weren't too terribly bad. About $1.70 in the city, $1.55 beyond the city. Of course, drive across the border to Indiana, and you pay about $1.30.
In spite of the traffic, Chicago just has such a great energy about it. The people are pretty decent, and it's very pedestrian friendly. And the public transportation system (CTA, Pace, Metra) goes pretty much everywhere. And even though this trip wasn't so great, that positive vibe didn't dim. If you've never been there, I highly recommend that you take your sorry ass out there. Fly Southwest Airlines to Midway Airport for cheap. Go to all the great museums, see the architectural creations of Frank Lloyd Wright, go up to the Sears Tower Skydeck or Hancock Tower Observation Center, and eat at all the great restaurants.
And if you don't need a lot from a hotel, just head over to
The Cass Hotel at 640 N. Wabash. A nice clean room for $74 a night (incl. tax) on a weekend. In downtown Chicago, that is a steal. And the staff is pretty cool for the most part...after all, the one guy gave me $25!
But if you do want a lot from your hotel, I highly recommend going to the Doubletree Suites, just off the Magnificent Mile. My friends and I stayed there during one road trip: $230 a night, but so worth it.
Okay, so this turned out to be more of a plug than a report. Cut me some slack...I was only there for 12 hours, 5 of them sleeping.
I'll stop for now. I'm going to break it down into a few posts, otherwise it'll get rather long, and Dave will feel that it is not worth his time to read it.