Coming Full Circle in Chicago. (Windy City Whirlwind part 3)

(August 9)

I left Columbus and headed back into the dome of the Midwest.

Let the corn begin.

We drove through Indiana

Indianapolis

and past miles and miles of wind farms--

before we finally reached Chicago:

Chicago from the megabus.

This time, Chicago wasn't a stranger.  In fact, given the short time I've known it-- it felt weirdly familiar. Like when somebody hugs you the first time you meet them-- and then you run into them three weeks later-- and even though you haven’t said a word since, it’s like you’ve known each other your whole life.

From Union Station, I headed straight to Bucktown, Phil's hip neighborhood.

My impression of Bucktown in the two shots I had time to take:

Bike shop.

Nostalgic hipster art.

In Bucktown, I reached the home of comedian Phil Biedron, the original megabus master.

(image borrowed from http://www.philbiedroncomedy.com/)

Since April 2011, Phil has been booking $1 megabus tickets for his comedy tour of the midwest (Phil's blog: Midwest On 25).

Postcards of all the places he’s been (many visited via megabus):

including:

This was unfortuantely the best Iowa City postcard that Phil could find.

This postcard is from his fateful trip to Iowa City, where he helped spark the Great Megabus Adventure. 

Phil’s very goal-oriented. 

Phil’s other wall:

Goals accomplished so far:
Finish a rubiks cube (start 2/4/11  end 5/12/11)
How many licks to the center of a toosie pop? (304)
Vegetarian for one week (11/1 - 11/8 2010)

As soon as I met up with Phil, almost immediately I was back in the windy city whirlwind—from Bucktown, straight to Ravenswood, where Meg, Phil's girlfriend, had made dinner—and then twenty minutes later  to the Lincoln Park neighborhood for  “Million Dollar Quartet”—where Phil’s roommate,  Jake Lindquist ushers. (Jake was the tour guide of the speedboat architecture tour Phil and Meg took me on during my first whirlwind.)

At 7:28, Phil and Meg dropped me off at the Apollo theater before speeding off to an audition. Jake handed me a program, took my bag off my shoulders and ushered me to a seat front-row center.

The Great Megabus Adventure culminated unexpectedly in a night of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and a strong sudden desire to visit Memphis.

(Photo borrowed from http://www.milliondollarquartetlive.com/)

Followed by beers with Meg and Phil.

STAY TUNED FOR: the startling conclusion, my return to Iowa City.