I would have to say this weekend marked one of the most adventurous and memorable weekends of my life. Although it was enjoyable, I would classify it as "helter skelter," had Papa Roach not ruined that phrase for me. Thus, we'll just call it chaotic. But legitimately, I'm not just throwing that out there in absent-minded expression. This weekend is probably one that I'll attempt to write seriously about. It was crazy. But for now, midterms demand my attention far more than a homework-blog.
I went to Chicago this weekend to see some friends. I planned on taking the South Shore Line train from Michigan City, Indiana to Chicago because driving to and in Chicago is not only costly with gas, but also with tolls and occasional parking fees/fines you risk when taking a car. My friends don't really have a place to park cars at their apartment if you disregard the parking garage across the alley, which costs a good $17 for every 24 hours. Implicitly enough, train > car, in many ways than cost. Nonetheless, I left Grand Rapids at about 3:15, expecting to get to Michigan City by about 4:30 or so. Mind you, Michigan City is a two hour drive, but also mind yourself that it (and Chicago) observes the central time zone, so everything is an hour behind Grand Rapids.
So, I get to Michigan City by about 5:00, and since this is my first time ever taking a train by myself, not to mention my first time ever visiting Michigan City, I was pretty unfamiliar with what I needed to do as far as getting a ticket, where I would park my car, etc. Shit I probably shouldn't have been confused about because it was really simple, but "first time" is a rather confounding aspect for most things I do. Nonetheless, a train was leaving immediately when I got there, but that didn't seem like a big deal to me. From what I checked, there would be trains moving through that station all day, so I could just catch the next one in about 45 minutes or so.
Mistake #1
I have this weird tendency to consider Friday a weekend, since in my mind, staying up late with no school tomorrow when I just went to class today equates to weekend status. I was taken aback, then, when I asked the guy sitting in the waiting area if he knew when the next train would be coming, and he checked the Friday schedule to relay "8:30." Also mind you, the Michigan City South Shore Line train stations, plural because there are two of them in the same city, are very small, discrete, and when I was there at least, there were hardly any people around.
SO, this delay wasn't as bad as most people, I assume, would react. I had plenty of homework to do, plenty of silence around me, and three extra hours of assuredly productive time where I wouldn't be distracted by friends. I went back to my car, did homework for three hours, waited for the train, and boarded successfully around 8:30. It takes about two hours for the train to get from Michigan City to Chicago, but when I got on, the first car I chose had a very belligerent drunk man prattling away to the smug riders. I chose a different car instead because I didn't want to be interrupted while I was reading, but that damn man managed to permeate his influence through those suctioned doors. Within fifteen minutes of riding the train, we had to stop at the next station because the cops needed to be called in order to escort this man off the train, which turned into him probably resisting, where they then had to put him down on the ground and cuff him right next to the train. I didn't get to Chicago until a little after 11:00.
When I rode the city bus with my friends back to their apartment, I was so excited to see them that I was talking a bit louder than usual and was scolded by a fellow rider, an old lady, who looked back and wondered aloud in frustration why people needed to be so loud on a public bus. Because, you know, Chicago has quiet hours and all. HOWEVER, I must add, it's absolutely repugnant how clearly you can detect some peoples' "bubbles" when they ride a public bus in Chicago. I don't know if it was just me not used to being in a big city so much, but you could definitely tell when a person was overtly trying to avoid eye contact or the like in order to protect their little world from intruders. It's one thing, a very understandable thing I must add, to not be a social cat and not want people to talk to you. But it's pretty ridiculous, I think, when you overtly play the "city folk" role.
Nonetheless, not a whole lot could happen Friday night since I got there so late. Saturday morning swung around, and I immediately started working on homework when I awoke. While working on a paper, I was going to change the date and checked the computer's calendar to find out I was a tad bit incorrect with what day the 4th of October was.
Mistake #2
When I was waiting at the train station to board the train, up on the marquee, I noticed it said the train would be closed from 3am on the 2nd to 3am on the 4th. For some reason, I figured the 4th was Sunday and thought I was completely covered for getting a train ride back. However, the 4th was a Monday, so the train I planned on catching back on Sunday was a fancy thought. At first, I thought I was totally fucked, assuming somebody would need to drive over to Chicago (since my friends don't have cars and I don't know anybody else who lives in Chicago) and take me back to Michigan City so I could get my car. But luckily, I was saved by another friend who informed me over the phone that Amtrak also runs by Michigan City. I checked online and was thankful enough to have the opportunity revitalized, but the shitty part was that there were only two options: take the 7:30am train for $13, or take the noon bus for $22. Now, I'm no fan of church and all, but saving nine bucks in exchange for a few extra hours of sleep, which I technically wouldn't be spending with my friends while sleeping, was definitely worth it.
Thus, instead of letting all of the prospective time with my friends get eaten up by the public transportation system of Chicago, I just stayed up all night Saturday and slept zero hours. At 6:00 in the morning on Sunday, we were still up and all three of us took the bus to Union Station, I got on the train, and left Chicago to go back to Michigan City. Everything's kosher, yes?
WELL, the Amtrak station in Michigan City is entirely displaced from the two South Shore Line stations, so when I got off the train, with the minimal help the train conductor could provide me with, I was left to my own instincts to get me back to the SSL station. I first asked a nearby police department, then a local coffee shop, and finally a wandering woman when I realized I didn't specify WHICH train station I was looking for: the Carroll Ave. one, not the 11th St. one. Thus, when I got to the location everybody guided me, it was still the wrong place so I had to follow the tracks for miles until I got to the right place. Going off of no sleep, walking a good five or six miles around the city, then driving home for two hours...I was a tired lad. Immediate crash on bed when I get home, yes?
Nahhhhh. I decided to go disc golfing instead!
Good times, good times.
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