Chicago - scrap of a diary I found in April 2011
One of those longer than ever days yesterday. Spent the first half pottering about in a considerable amount of fear. I tidied up. I went around the corner and bought myself ten fags smoked two nervously in the back garden. A couple of phone calls to Mum and Mas, and Bob and packed and set off.
Once I had set off I felt better, although entirely still like a condemned man. On the plane reading a book about luck that Mike lent me. I was actually fabulously lucky on this journey. I only realised after the event that I had been upgraded. My seat number was 1A First Class. So the flight was even more restful than business class. I had been able to go to the Red Carpet lounge in Heathrow and drink free gin and tonics and smoke some nervous gaspers. The flight had its turbulent moments but with judicious gin and tonics I kept the horror well at bay. I was able to get quite flat in my seat and had my legs up in front of me all the way. It was fabulous. In fact I did find myself laughing, watching a stupid film called Johnny English. Laughing? On a plane?
Chicago looked absolutely amazing from the air. Warm yellow grids and twinkling lights. I got a momentary sense of the nobility of the human project. The grandeur of the city against the black patch of the lake was, to use and Americanism, awesome. I wasn't looking forward to getting hold of the taxi at O'Hare but I called the toll free number after sailing through customs and immigration. I simply found a phone and called - no cash required.
To my amazement a black stretch limousine appeared where they had told me to wait. I felt a surge of sheer cheeriness of having survived the flight and finding myself being conducted into town in such style. I was staying at the W Chicago Lakeshore. I have a view of lots of huge towerblocks outside. I'm staying on the 24th floor and when I look outside the other buildings tower above my head. Called Mel and arranged to meet her and her pal Chloe in reception. Actually reception was like a club. I did wonder if I was in the right place at first -- really loud music and bits of bling on show. Quite a nicely mixed black and white crowd too.
Met Mel and Chloe who was very pretty in a gamine sort of way -- and we jumped into a taxi to go to a fairly nearby restaurant. Sat at the bar having yet another G&T with Mel and Chloe. These SA princesses have good manners and apart from the human rights issues and whipping blacks they are fine. Quite giddy with tiredness but the euphoria of survival and the amazingness of being in Chicago eating a nice steak with two attractive intelligent women took over somewhat. Which brings me up to the moment. It's now 5:33 and I've had a brace of teas made with their coffee maker as they don't have a kettle. My body thinks it is almost noon. Listening to sirens makes me feel like I am in a movie. The room is cool and stylish. Maybe I'll try to have a bit more kip.
Bah. Still here. have been watching the grey daylight in Chicago. No dawn as such, merely a cold greyness. Tops of some of the towers lost in misty cloud. Saw one bird flying and realised there was hardly a scrap of green to be observed from my window. There is something terrifying about all these towers. I could see in one near me a woman having a cup of something. And in another a TV flickering in a darkened room. Little domestic things but in the sky, in a huge block.
Of course I've seen skyscrapers before but I wonder just how they stay up. The engineering is terrific. Perhaps 9/11 also keyed into something else; that these buildings are in some way unnatural and precarious and when 9/11 happened their frailty was revealed.
One of those longer than ever days yesterday. Spent the first half pottering about in a considerable amount of fear. I tidied up. I went around the corner and bought myself ten fags smoked two nervously in the back garden. A couple of phone calls to Mum and Mas, and Bob and packed and set off.
Once I had set off I felt better, although entirely still like a condemned man. On the plane reading a book about luck that Mike lent me. I was actually fabulously lucky on this journey. I only realised after the event that I had been upgraded. My seat number was 1A First Class. So the flight was even more restful than business class. I had been able to go to the Red Carpet lounge in Heathrow and drink free gin and tonics and smoke some nervous gaspers. The flight had its turbulent moments but with judicious gin and tonics I kept the horror well at bay. I was able to get quite flat in my seat and had my legs up in front of me all the way. It was fabulous. In fact I did find myself laughing, watching a stupid film called Johnny English. Laughing? On a plane?
Chicago looked absolutely amazing from the air. Warm yellow grids and twinkling lights. I got a momentary sense of the nobility of the human project. The grandeur of the city against the black patch of the lake was, to use and Americanism, awesome. I wasn't looking forward to getting hold of the taxi at O'Hare but I called the toll free number after sailing through customs and immigration. I simply found a phone and called - no cash required.
To my amazement a black stretch limousine appeared where they had told me to wait. I felt a surge of sheer cheeriness of having survived the flight and finding myself being conducted into town in such style. I was staying at the W Chicago Lakeshore. I have a view of lots of huge towerblocks outside. I'm staying on the 24th floor and when I look outside the other buildings tower above my head. Called Mel and arranged to meet her and her pal Chloe in reception. Actually reception was like a club. I did wonder if I was in the right place at first -- really loud music and bits of bling on show. Quite a nicely mixed black and white crowd too.
Met Mel and Chloe who was very pretty in a gamine sort of way -- and we jumped into a taxi to go to a fairly nearby restaurant. Sat at the bar having yet another G&T with Mel and Chloe. These SA princesses have good manners and apart from the human rights issues and whipping blacks they are fine. Quite giddy with tiredness but the euphoria of survival and the amazingness of being in Chicago eating a nice steak with two attractive intelligent women took over somewhat. Which brings me up to the moment. It's now 5:33 and I've had a brace of teas made with their coffee maker as they don't have a kettle. My body thinks it is almost noon. Listening to sirens makes me feel like I am in a movie. The room is cool and stylish. Maybe I'll try to have a bit more kip.
Bah. Still here. have been watching the grey daylight in Chicago. No dawn as such, merely a cold greyness. Tops of some of the towers lost in misty cloud. Saw one bird flying and realised there was hardly a scrap of green to be observed from my window. There is something terrifying about all these towers. I could see in one near me a woman having a cup of something. And in another a TV flickering in a darkened room. Little domestic things but in the sky, in a huge block.
Of course I've seen skyscrapers before but I wonder just how they stay up. The engineering is terrific. Perhaps 9/11 also keyed into something else; that these buildings are in some way unnatural and precarious and when 9/11 happened their frailty was revealed.
Comments