DAY 3: Fort Wayne, Indiana to Chicago, Illinois #fiveexplore #roadtripusa #travellingduringcovid19

Day 3 - Sunday 19th July

A windy, cloudy but warm morning greeted us as we left our hotel in Fort Wayne. It was clear by now masks were mostly optional and largely ignored. I found myself subsiding into the ‘don’t take my freedom’ stance synonymous with the mid-west Republican states. But every so often you would see a mask wearer, like a ray of sanity, and remember your duty.

After a surreal episode of driving momentarily on the left-hand side of the road, strange noises coming from our roof bag, then arguing about a bathroom break for ten minutes, we were on our way. We headed straight oop north (as the Brits say) on our way to Michigan and Chicago. Lyra’s question for the day was “can we drive back to England instead?” I had to explain this wasn’t feasible and given she hated car journeys would be even less fun. I started calculating if it was possible to drive via Alaska and Russia but then realized the conversation was becoming increasing futile.

As we swung west along the Michigan border, it was clear that the weather was worsening. Within minutes, a wall of wind, rain and lightening descended upon us. The temperature dropped about ten degrees and the car felt like it was going to fall over and disappear into waves of water. We nonchalantly compared it to other storms we had experienced, trying our best to look unconcerned in front of the kids. We briefly swerved north to tick the ‘Michigan’ box, ignored our plan to visit New Buffalo beach on Lake Michigan, and instead set course directly for Chicago.

I allowed Sarah some driving time so I could watch a pixelated football match on my phone (which was a complete waste of time). As Sarah panicked at undertaking drivers and missed turn offs, I came close to exploding at the incessant barrage of requests, arguments, food spills, snitching and counter claims from my children. There was a reason we rarely played these reverse roles and normal service was soon resumed.

As the dark clouds dispersed into … lighter grey clouds we crossed the Chicago Skyway. After 4 months away from any major metropolis this reminded me of the Pulaski Skyway you cross from New Jersey into New York. The phallic magnificence of the looming buildings on the horizon was compromised by the mist and low hanging clouds. I explained to Sarah that one of the tallest buildings in America was hidden somewhere. Impossibly long stationary trains, deserted truck depots and empty airports formed the backdrop of our drive into the city.

As lake Michigan came into view it reminded me how spectacular Chicago is. A large city with instantly recognizable buildings curving along the side of lake. The buzz of life was reaffirming. Speed boats roared into view. Planes floated slowly overhead like jetlagged passengers drifting gently to sleep on the runways of O’Hare.

Somewhere around this point we broke the news to Lyra that we were going to undertake her second most hated experience after long car journeys. Zoos.

Like most attractions Lincoln Park Zoo was hugely compromised by the necessary requirements of keeping visitors safe from COVID. Large swathes of the experience were closed, cordoned off, or sectioned into a one-way system that largely anesthetized any spontaneity. But it was better than lockdown.

The highlights were a Polar bear swimming endlessly round a small pool of water. Well the highlight was for us. I honestly wasn’t sure how happy he was rotating endlessly round his synthetic Arctic tundra. The other highlight was a silverback Gorilla ambling around his habitat. All indoor attractions were closed so once the Gorilla wandered indoors, we saw little else. At every attraction that was open Lyra asked if we could ‘hurry up’ and ‘how long until the hotel opened?’ The pre-requisite gift shop visit was negated, only one child spent money and we drove into the city.

If the zoo was a half-life experience, then seeing Chicago again was even stranger. Shops were closed. Roads were quieter. Most pedestrians wore masks. Our hotel was silent with few residents. My room card was handed to me by a toy car on an elastic piece of string controlled by the receptionist. Clever but surreal. It was as if people were trying to return to a time of normality that had long departed.

I sanitized my hands several times between lugging suitcases, parking the car and my first escapade out to collect some Chicago deep dish pizza. One hour later and we were all a heaving mess of cheese, carbs, crusts, and calories.