Beggars can be choosers

Having finished up our South-West Desert circuit, we flew to Chicago so that Mike could attend an Aviation Medicine Conference for a week. The timing was great as we had started to accumulate some ‘housekeeping’ issues to be attended to – repairs and maintenance on equipment, clothing and hair that needed a Big City to resolve.

Out and about in the streets of the city, we saw many, many homeless people begging. The first few days we were there were absolutely freezing so we couldn’t imagine life on the street. 

Looks sunny and warm, but it was freezing. At least this guy has picked a pretty spot.

One night we ate at a Pasta Restaurant and had the most enormous serves of pasta – each dish would have served 4 people. So instead of just leaving it, we decided to get a doggy bag of each meal and see if we could give it to some people on the street.  It turned out to be harder than we thought (naïve do-gooders that we are!) First problem was finding some people – they seemed to have all disappeared. We walked and walked until we found a guy settling into his sleeping bag in a doorway and asked if he wanted some fresh, hot pasta.

-What sort of pasta?

- Gnocchi.

- oh. What’s the sauce?

- meat sauce

- oh (screwed up nose) no thanks.

Guy No 2:

                - Would you like some pasta?

                - Don’t you have any pizza?

                - (we’re not a restaurant!!) no, just pasta

                - oh, alright then (took the meal)

No 3: approached Mike asking for a cigarette. He got pasta instead.

Anyway, it was an interesting social experiment, and you can discuss the rights and wrongs of our actions amongst yourselves. And ask - can beggars be choosers? (submit answers for marking)

Apart from harassing homeless people, we went on a boat cruise along the river, hired bikes and rode along the shore of Lake Michigan and generally sighted the sights. Oh, and Mike attended his conference, in case you thought he was wagging.  Chicago, according to the hairdresser I went to, is number 1 in the US for obesity and crime. We heard many sirens, no doubt indicating that one or other of those issues were being addressed.

The hairdresser also highly recommended that we go to see the musical “The Book of Mormon”, which she said was hilarious (!!!) So I went and bought tickets, and after handing over the money saw the billboard joyously proclaiming “A cloudburst of profanity”…….oh oh, what have I done? It was indeed hilarious, and it certainly was profane! And it made us think a bit too.

Now it’s time for some photos. 

This fountain projected faces which then spat water from their mouth.

"The Bean"

"I told you to paddle left"

Lake Michigan wildlife