I was in Chicago yesterday

They let you sit on the table?

Cool.

I like to do a couple hits of acid and hang out at the emergency room at the hospital and watch the trauma cases come in myself. It's like a slasher flick but with smell-o-vision. Kewl. No popcorn though.

Brawling with squirrels again ?

As a kid I was always a fan of the Lake Forest Oasis. That would be on I-94. Used have a Wendy's on it, I'm not sure anymore.

Ah, Chicago, you and your overpass oasises...

I love to go to IKEA and place myself at the delivery exit and
witness the very optimistic urban IKEA buyers struggle with
their newly acquired ready to build furniture.

They buy huge loads of boxes/furniture to fit into a middle class to large size truck, whereas they're driving a small Subaru or the likes.

It's quite entertaining to watch!

Gargamel,

The LF oasis was rebuilt last summer and the Wendy's was taken out. It was the closest Wendy's to my home. Back when Wendy's had a decent salad bar, I was sometimes tempted to hop on the tollway but then I'd have to keep going north to get to the next exit. Wendy's salad bar was pretty good, but not so good I'd get on the tollway and then go further out of my way to eat there.

The O'Hare oasis on I-294 was also rebuilt last year and draws a local crowd to the only chinese restaurant in the area. They used to have a Burger King, but I think that's gone now too.

Gus, Is the Des Plaines oasis on I-90? Did you do your goose imitation as you came through?

Great picture, Gus. But it leaves us with more questions than answers...

Who's the guy in the blue shirt?....Why was he in Chicago?...Does he live there? Visiting family there?.....Why was he about to enter the Oasis? Was he meeting someone there? What did he order once he got inside? Coffee, Latte, Cappucino? If it was cappucino, then I'd have to ask: What's a matter? American coffee not good enough for you? And...was he able to pay for whatever it was he ordered? Or did they have to call the police?.......

Thanks, Gus. Now I'll be up all night...

Great questions, Stray Cat. The "guy" you are referring to is actually a woman and that is part of the reason I ended up going to the Oasis in the first place. What you don't see in the photo are her intestines dragging along behind her, the anguished look on her face as she clutches her midsection in a feeble attempt to slow the evisceration.

You see, as I approached the Oasis, coming from the east on I-90 (you were correct J_B) I noticed the woman trying to jiggle her way across the ramp and.....blam!.... a guy in a light tan Pathfinder nailed her and set her flying into a metal sign. The sign's metal pole, which ironically read "CAUTION" had a large bolt protruding dangerously to the side and caught her midsection and ripped it open, causing the aforementioned guts to begin to spill. She scampered up the ramp toward the Oasis. I chose to exit at the point and follow her. I took the picture as she approached the door...



Once inside she stumbled into the bathroom and emerged several minutes later with what appeared to be several miles of toilet paper wrapped around her prodigious body. She now looked like the Michelen Man, with blood specked toilet paper and still visible signs of entrail oozing between the cracks.

She waddled over to the Chinese food stand (sorry, I forget the name) and ordered about three dozen egg rolls. Then she went to one of the tables overlooking the freeway and begin to eat with an intensity I have not seen for quite some time.

It was at that point that I grabbed my coffee and sat down at a nearby table. From my vantage point I could watch the big trucks rumble by below, while at the same time keeping an eye on the fat woman eating the eggrolls.

Chicago is my kind of town.

I was in Chi once, Mayor Daley greeted me.

I am seriously rethinking my plans to meet some of you in Chicago in May. This does NOT sound like my kind of town.

Good to know, JB. I suppose the Baskin and Robbins is still there. Anyhoo, perhpas I'll be back soon--thinking of moving back to Chicago in the summer, after I get this goddamn useless fine arts degree.

Ah, that would be cool. Keep us posted on your plans, gargamel.

I was riding along I-90W this afternoon and as approached the Des Plaines oasis I looked up toward the windows of the oasis. A man was sitting at a table with a cup in his hands. It might have been a Starbucks cup or maybe McDonalds, I couldn't quite make it out. The man was looking down as we went through and for a moment I thought of the possibility of my trip being a few days ago, or Gus' trip being today and actually being that close and yet...

Isn't that a trippy thought? Sozobe and I were in Chicago at the same time a few weeks ago and looking at Marshall Field's holiday windows on the same day, just hours apart. Funny...