Chicago... The Windy City

I had never visited Chicago, and heard many compliments for the Windy City. Some Americans say that they prefer Chicago to New York, which made me excited to see what the attraction was.  What I thought would be a straight forward International flight from Ottawa, Canada, to Chicago, Illinois seemed to be allot more complicated. Like most of my flights I take, my bags were over-weight due to the extra equipment and clothing I had now brought or borrowed, to compensate for my delayed baggage. I checked in on time and continued through to passport control.  Normal procedure, why are you here? how long you staying? and where will you be staying?  I answered and the officer seemed it was appropriate to pass me on to security control for further checks.  I waiting for the next available officer who interrogated me for further details, and seemed to be in disbelief to why I was in the United States of America.  After providing every detail I knew, where I would be staying for the next 6 weeks, and who I would be staying with, another two officers walked in to join the interrogation, and ask further questions.  The initial officer couldn't find any people on the system, and my explanation of using Blackberry Messenger to contact them seemed inadequate. My bags were called off the flight and my thoughts turned to maybe an early flight home.  Anyways, my bags were all checked, everything was cleared, and after spending 3 hours in intense interrogation, I was booked on the later flight and sent back through passport control just in case they hadn't checked my enough. 

I finally arrived in Chicago to stay with Jonas Knigge Laursen, before we drove to Madison for the Workshop Open in Wisconsin. We had three days to train, and a short 2 hour drive till the tournament started. Unfortunately the draw for Madison, meant that we in fact drew each other, and one of us would be out in the first round. Anyways, we trained at the University Club of Chicago where Jonas is the Assistant Coaching Pro. The club held the U.S Open this year, and I could see why! The club is amazing, very traditional, well maintained and central to Chicago City.  I was given my locker for the next few days, trained and ventured into the city for a browse. 

I was not disappointed, the City Is lovely, very pleasing to the eye, sky scrappers mixed with astonishing parks and lake Michigan within reaching distance.  Tournament day came, so we hired a car, but oh, not any car, we would only drive in style, and when I say "They see me rollin" I mean  a Lincoln Town Car, and drove to Madison..