The Endless Night..

As I mentioned in the last blog before we could hit the heights of the Big Apple we had to survive the lows of a 12 hour Greyhound bus ride. As with any trip reliant on public transport there were minor hitches.. Like the fact the non-stop ride actually consisted of three stops or that 12 hours really meant 14. But we got there in the end and that's all that matters right? Maybe, but I will never do it again.

My first experience of Greyhound busses in the U.S was a short (six hour) trip from Chicago to Detroit. Now despite one of the girls booking the wrong bus and having to pay extra to be on the right bus nothing really went wrong. The bus was on time, we were on time, and I was actually surprised that there was free WORKING Wi Fi onboard! We were even pleasantly surprised to find out the six hour ride was really a five hour ride due to the time difference between Illinois and Michigan - Bonus!

However we were not so pleasantly surprised to have all our bags rummaged through and our persons scanned with metal detectors before we were allowed on board. Now, seen as I am not a criminal this was not necessarily a problem for me except of course for the fact I was tired, hungry, grumpy etc etc but nothing I couldn't get over. It was just amazing to me that I had to show so much proof of ID and go through so much security just to get on a bus. Its not even that difficult to catch an internal U.S flight but obviously the roads are a greater threat, either that or they really want to protect Michigan because on the way to New York we could have smuggled whatever we liked, security was non-existent!

So we rock up to the Detroit Greyhound bus station overly excited to be going to New York only to find there were several busses departing to New York at 6.30pm and the drivers hadn't quite decided which tickets were for which bus. After much deliberation they finally decided to let us on board only to tell us the Wi Fi isn't working, he was only the bus driver, how was he supposed to know why something on his bus wasn't working? And we paid extra for this great service. I felt like I was on Mega Bus!

So I tried to sleep as best I could on a crowded, smelly bus with several stops that we weren't supposed to make, two of which we were forced to get off the bus, wait for at least half an hour and then get back on again. Needless to say a nap was in order when we finally reached our brooklyn apartment.

Now all of this may seem very trivial, and it is, I shouldn't really complain but how boring would I be if I didn't?

Detroit, MI

So after a busy, exciting and draining week and a 6 hour (or 7, I don't remember) bus ride from Chicago to Detroit we were quite ready for 3 nights of relaxation in a beautiful hotel. And it was beautiful. We'd been catering for ourselves for the past seven days, and cooking for seven people of different cultural tastes is no easy feat, and then we got to indulge in fine dining, room service and the rest at the hotel for 3 nights, it was blissful.

Other than eat, drink and be merry we decided we should probably make our trip somewhat educational, being students and all, so we took a trip to the Henry Ford Museum. Now i've never really been a car kinda girl, I mean some of them are beautiful but i'm not going to bend over backwards to see them, but this museum was really good! We not only got to learn about the start, rising and future of Ford and what it meant for America but we also got to go on a factory tour... Unfortunately all the workers were off for Christmas but it was still cool to see what goes into making a Ford F1 Truck. Living in Oklahoma I have seen enough trucks to last me a lifetime, now I also know how they're made, I am officially one step closer to being a true country gal!

Seeing many of the first Ford cars made me truly appreciate the safety and strength of the cars I drive around in now. Seeing the way they toppled around driving along the old dirt tracks was enough for me, I would not want to ride in one. But they are beautiful.

And that would be all for Michigan, next stop was the big apple! First to survive a 14 hour bus ride... Oh the joy.  

The 24th is the New 25th

This year my life and mind have been expanded culturally, not only to American customs, but to to that of other European countries also. Although other European countries seem to be culturally closer to us than they are to America there are still some major differences I have been shamefully oblivious to my whole life. One of those things is the celebration of Christmas Day.

It was a few weeks before we left for Chicago in a casual conversation about Christmas day dinner (its also about food with me) that I discovered not everyone celebrates on the 25th, in fact a lot of European countries celebrate on the evening of the 24th. So in an effort to compromise we decided to give presents on the morning of the 25th and have Christmas dinner consisting of traditional dishes from each of the five countries we represented on the 24th around 8pm, the result was this:

My contribution to the feast was cauliflower cheese and roast potatoes! The roast carrots and smoked ham represented New Zealands, the Swedish meatballs with lingonberries and eggs were provided by the Swedes (of course), mini sausages from Austria and the Chicken I believe was generic. Our starter, which unfortunately I don't have a photo of, was a traditional Spanish cold soup with just about every vegetable you can imagine blended together with vinegar - it was delicious. Lindor chocolate was the obvious chose of desert, not that I could have stuff anything else in my stomach if I tried.

I must say it felt slightly strange not having this meal to look forward to after opening our presents but you have to try everything once!
                                                                          However. One thing I could not get my head around is if you open your presents on the evening of the 24th after being in the house all day whilst mummy and daddy prepare a huge feast how does Santa get down the chimney to leave your presents without you noticing? Quite a large flaw in the plan if I dare to say it. When I proposed this question the answer was pretty simple really - magic. 


Seen as we were just about the cheesiest bunch of international tourists making Christmas our own little was we just had to throw in some extra cheese in the form of CHRISTMAS JUMPERS!
We're just the cutest.

Once we were quite overwhelmed by our food comas we proceeded to vegetable on the sofa and watch a special hour long Christmas episode of Donald Duck.. In Swedish.. Without subtitles. Now that is being cultured. Apparently slightly different variations of this movie are aired in Sweden every Christmas Eve, most families will even plan their meal around watching it.

And that my friends was my European Christmas in America.

Super Bowl Sunday!

I interrupt this Christmas holiday catch-up with an important announcement from last weekend - It was the SUPER BOWL.

Now for most (I've learned not to generalise with 'all') American's this is one of the most exciting Sunday's of the year and I was pretty excited to experience it. For those of you unfamiliar with the Super Bowl it is the final game of thr NFL (National Football League) football season. The game was held in New York and I am told the venue changes each year. This year the two teams fighting for the championship title were the Seattle Seahawks (From Washington) and Denver Bronco's (from Colorado). Statistically the Bronco's were the favorites to win... But like always, statistics can be wrong.

I was lucky enough to be invited to an American Super Bowl party held at a girl from my sororities apartment... Like at any good American party there was chilli, chips (nachos) and queso (cheese sauce), and of course the Super Bowl. Now after much deliberation with my Scotish neighbour on who we should support in this game we knew nothing about we decided on the Seahawks as they are from the same place the Oklahoma City Thunders basketball team originated from, and everybody loves them so we should love the Seahawks right? Wrong. As I often am about these American things. I was surrounded by girls cheering on the Bronco's, who when we arrived close to half time were loosing 5-0. They powered through for the rest of the game continuing their loosing streak until the girls, like probably the rest of the country, gave up.

Half time show: The reason most people from states who didn't qualify for the game watch the Super Bowl. Last year I'm told Beyonce stole the game with her performance and this year Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in their highly controversial outfits did the same.

Commercials: Another reason to watch the game if you have absolutely no interest in the sport. The Super Bowl commercial slots are one of the most expensive on American TV and for good reason, the whole country is watching. Therefore they are famous for being elaborate, funny, and simply something everyone can look froward too when their team is loosing, sorry Denver. This year Coca Cola caused great controversy (like any good advert) with what I believe is a beautiful commercial with people from all different cultures singing 'America is Beautiful' is all different languages. I'll leave you with this link so you can make your own mind up http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/coca-colas-multi-lingual-super-bowl-ad-inspired-a-racist-mel.

All in all it was a sad day for Denver who lost 43-8 to the underdogs of the match, I for one am glad I picked the right team, maybe next year I'll back them the whole way through!

Chicago

So far I have only complained (in true British fashion) about the weather in Chicago however i failed to mention how beautiful it is. The above photo was taken outside the Chicago Aquarium, behind me you can see the beautiful skyline perched on the edge of one of the great lake's.

When I was walking along the Navy Pier it was hard to believe the incredible mass of water in front of me was a lake, all I could see was water, a sight which to me resembles the ocean. I later discovered I was staring into the depths of Lake Michigan, only the second largest of the two great lakes, Lake Superior being the largest (who knew this would be a geography lesson). Although temperatures were below -10 the sky was still clear and the sun was up for the majority of my stay which made sightseeing a lot easier.

To the left is the Chicago Bean, formally known as the 'Cloud Gate Sculpture'... The best part about it is it acts as the perfect mirror to take photos of yourself in. All Americans seem to be well acquainted with the idea of the Bean as a tourist must-see however the first time I heard of it was when someone asked me if I was going to see it while I was there. My claim to fame came when I found out it was created by a British Sculptor, you're welcome America. It was here that we watched the Chicago Gay Choir perform an array of Christmas Carols under the moonlight - very festive indeed.

Another must-see for us travellers was the view from the ninety second floor of one of Chicago's tallest towers. While we were there it was only polite to treat ourselves to very expensive, and very strong, cocktails. Speaking of cocktails their menu had the craziest cocktails I had ever heard of, some of which even contained actual bacon (I naively assumed from the menu description they didn't mean the cocktail would contain two floating pieces of streaky bacon, alas I was wrong) but I stuck to the classic Long Island Iced Tea. To your right is the best view in the restaurant which is where the designers made the natural decision to place the ladies toilets.

My personal favourite part of Chicago is the Cultural Center! The building we strolled into thinking it was the library was in fact so much more than just a library. The first floor was dedicated to all different pieces of artwork by different artists, a cafe, tourist advice center and a public area for everyone to sit and warm up for free (a must-have). The second floor had some visual light art, very contemporary and fun, and a huge room with a dome roof  decorated with contrastingly old style stained glass. The third and my most favourite floor held an exhibition of Chicago street art which I learnt is an escalating trend in the city. There was a DJ playing all different kinds of music (taking requests) from hip-hop to Jazz and a dance floor where people of different ages and cultures were just dancing, amazingly well, to this music that they so clearly loved and connected with. It was an amazing scene, I could of stayed there and watched all day.

And that, in a very small nutshell, is the beauty of Chicago.

The Windiest Windy City

These past few weeks I have been so busy (with studying, obviously) that I haven't had a chance to update my blog on all the amazing places I visited during my Christmas break... So this is the first of many to come.

Chicago

Now for you to fully appreciate my devastatingly cold experience in Chicago, Illinois you have to try and imagine (because unless you've lived here you will never understand) the extent of the wind in Oklahoma. It is windy every day, every single day, if not all day then for at least half of the day, and those are the good days. I am aware that Chicago has always held the title of 'windy city' but what amazed me was the amount of Oklahomans who said to me 'oh its windy there' when I mentioned I was going over Christmas.. Have they been outside in the state they live in? It is windy here! Geographically Oklahoma is right smack bang in the middle of 'Tornado Alley' so it must be able to hold its own in the rank of windy cities. What I was unaware of, and grossly unprepared for, was the cold  freezing temperatures of the winds in Chicago! No amount of British or Oklahoma weather could have prepared me for the -13 degrees celsius temperatures with winds to match. In a bar one night the barman said to me 'you should be used to the cold!' and I simply laughed, he has no idea, Chicago at Christmas is a different level cold, I have never been that cold in my whole life. Coming back to Oklahoma after 2 weeks on the East Coast was like seeing the sun for first time, breathtaking. 

One brisk day we decided to do some shopping, I mean we'll be inside all day so it can't be that cold right? WRONG. Even walking the few short meters between shop doors was unbearable.. Trying to hail a cab that evening around 6pm I honestly was questioning how much longer I could handle the cold for, it was only the thought of the warm apartment awaiting me that kept me on that pavement.   

Aside from the possible frost bite and wind scratched cheeks there is also an upside to the cold... A white Christmas! On December 25th 2013 I had my first proper white Christmas. There was snow on the ground when we arrived in Chicago on the 19th and the sky had spat snow at us every now and again in the days that followed however on Christmas morning we woke up to a lovely white scene (not too thick) outside and when we took our after lunch stroll to find a coffee shop it began to snow.. And it was beautiful. The next day we left Chicago for the slightly milder Detroit, Michigan. 

All in all I think Chicago wins my vote for the windiest windy city. 

The Art of Souvenir Shopping

As promised my first post back in Oklahoma after my travels is about all the (pointless) souvenirs I bought for myself.. 

Now before I begin, the array of shot glasses is not the product of a drinking problem but is to add to a collection I started when I was 18 on my first unsupervised holiday abroad in Tenerife. 

From Texas:

Naturally the first thing I bought was the cowboy shaped shot glass which reads 'Everything is Bigger in Texas'.. Which believe it or not is true. The trucks are huge, the plates of food are huge, the cowboy hats, cowboy boots, pickles, roasted corn, all HUGE. A rumour which circulates Oklahoma is that even the parking spaces in Texas are drawn out larger than those in other states, however from talking to a few Texans I think that is just a rumour. 

Next was the jolly little Cowboy Santa tree decoration you can see perched up against the shot glasses. I saw this little guy on sale on 6th street in Austin for $5 and could not resist. I mean who could resist santa in cowboy boots and hat carrying a cactus? No one. 

Last but not least I just had to buy a black t-shirt (unfortunately not feature in the photo, but it does exist) with '6th Street' written on the front and 'Keep Austin Weird' across the back. 'Keep Austin Weird' is the capitals moto if you remember correctly from my post on Austin. 

From Chicago:  

The t-shirt with 'Chicago Bulls' written across it may be a slight give away and I may never be able to wear it around Oklahoma seen as I am obliged to support the Oklahoma Thunders basketball team at all times but nevertheless it was a must have. 

As far as shot glasses go I have 2 from Chicago, one from the city and one from the aquairum we visited it which was a secret santa gift from one of the girls I was travelling with. 

From Detroit:

Nothing. Unfortunately (or fortunately for my bank account) I did not find any souvenir shops.

From New York:

I managed to resit the need to buy everything in this beautiful city and settle on the cute diamante 'New York' t-shirt and two shot glasses, one from the top of the Empire State building and one from a ordinary souvenir shop (not so exciting).  

From New Mexico:

On the far right you will see a little colourful pot hand carved by a lovely native American Indian lady I met at her stall on the street of Santa Fe. There were so many big and small pots, animal shaped sculptures that it took me half an hour to decide on the one I did. My decision inevitably came down to what I could and couldn't transport home safely. 

Last but not least I bought 2 shot glasses, one from the beautiful quaint town of Santa Fe and the other from the Carlsbad Caverns located at the most southern point of New Mexico, next to the Mexican border.