Page 27 - Book Eleven Havelock

CHICAGO Written January 12 2010 Page 25
It began when I started to root for the Chicago Black Hawks. For those who insist on keeping themselves pure from any influence or knowledge of professional sports, that is a hockey team. Anybody in Havelock could root for the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens but only an independent thinker could root for the team that had the 􏰀Pon􏰁 Line􏰂􏰃 three diminutive hocke􏰁 pla􏰁ers who were the class of the world. I always cheered for little guys in sports. I􏰄m a little gu􏰁􏰅
Anyway, that triggered my desire to see Chicago for myself. I was 16 and free from any constraints from my parents or anyone else because I was working about 250 miles from home at an all-summer job at Harrow, which was near Windsor which was near Detroit which was within an easy hitch-hiking trip into USA which made me set my sights even farther away into USA. I had seen all I wanted to see in Detroit 􏰆 the Tigers playing at old Briggs Stadium, the top floor of the Penobscot building, tallest in Michigan, the delights of Vernor􏰄s Ginger Ale􏰄s downtown bottling plant􏰃 the rides at Belle Isle, and visits to Aunt Lottie􏰄s, Aunt Martha􏰄s􏰃 and Aunt Ma􏰁bell􏰄s.
I hitch-hiked to Detroit. It was late afternoon by the time I found the bus station. I purchased a round-trip ticket on an Express bus to down-town Chicago and waited. The next bus to my destination wasn􏰄t until evening but that was no problem. A more experienced interstate traveler would have got in line and boarded the bus earl􏰁􏰅 But I was the last one to get on and there wasn􏰄t a seat left in the whole bus. The driver said it was oka􏰁 to stand in the doorwell so that􏰄s where I spent the whole trip. It was fine so long as I wanted to see more of USA out the front window but when night closed in it was definitel􏰁 not the best location for a good night􏰄s sleep. I did get some sleep 􏰆 as much as an excited 16-year-old needs anyway but I had to arouse at each two-hour rest stop even if only two people wanted to get out to go to the rest rooms􏰅 I alwa􏰁s hoped the􏰁 wouldn􏰄t come back and I could get their seat but it didn􏰄t happen. Everybody was going all the way. I got out about three times myself and purchased pennants at Irish Hills Michigan and at Michigan City Indiana. Pennants proved to the world that you had been there.
It was daylight in the morning when we got to the bus station in downtown Chicago. I planned my itinerary as I went along. First things first, so I ascertained whether it was the White Sox or the Cubs who were in town. That􏰄s one thing about those da􏰁s􏰅 If 􏰁ou were in Chicago􏰃 Boston􏰃 Philadelphia, St Louis or New York there was more than one major league team and you could see a baseball game almost every day all summer. It was early in the day but I saw no reason not to start out to Comiskey Park for a game between the White Sox and the St Louis Browns (now Baltimore Orioles). The trip to the ball park was an exciting experience in itself for a boy who had never been on the 􏰇El􏰄 (elevated railway) or a subway before.
All major league baseball games were played in daylight then so I went back downtown after the game to get myself somewhere to spend the night. I chose a convenient hotel with a glitzy front but sparsely furnished rooms. At $3.00 per night. I could afford that.
The next two days I spent exploring. I went up to both the highest and second highest buildings in Chicago to their observation decks. Isawamarvelouscity-block-longdisplayofmodeltrains,partofarailroadexpositionthatfortuitouslycoincidedwithmyvisit. Iwent to a museum and just wandered around the city enjoying myself.
Unfortunately on the second day I developed a minor red rash, itchy and annoying but not serious enough to slow me down. But the 3rd da􏰁 brought a drastic worsening to m􏰁 itch problem􏰅 I began to wonder if I had caught the 􏰀seven-year itch􏰂 or something as I scratched and scratched and scratched. Of course my scratching only made it worse.
At about 4 am the 3rd night in my hotel room a sudden horrible thought crossed my mind. I got up and turned on the light. Immediately about 200 bed-bugs quickly cleared my bed and ran for safety to every crack they could find.
I had seen enough and scratched enough of Chicago so I checked out early and caught the next express bus to Detroit. I went back to my 10 hours-a-day job in the fields around Harrow with some great memories, five new pennants, and itchy bed-bug bites that cleared up in about a week.