Greetings from Chicagoland!

I got my car fixed by 5:30 pm (local time) which set me back over $1000, but the car seems to be running fine now. I meandered my way through the city streets (avoiding I-90 during Friday rush hour) and made it to my friends Bob & Katy's place about 4 miles southwest of the VW dealer in the Pilsen neighborhood (which is the old Polish neighborhood).

[Chicago, IL 60608 | 842 miles]

We went to the Bite Cafe (which is a BYOB on N Western Av for a bite to eat, then next door to The Empty Bottle, a dive bar in the Ukrainian Village section of town (so of course being 1/4 Ukrainian, I felt right at home). At the bar, I tried Goose Island Beer Company's Honker's Ale (www.gooseisland.com/beers/pop-ups/1_honkers.html), then switched to some cheaper, Chicagoland old style beer (www.oldstylebeer.com). We saw 2 bands then ditched the place midway through the 3rd band around midnight.

Now, It's Saturday morning and I'm logging on through a neighbor's unsecured wireless router. Katy just got up and we might hit a local coffee house for a quick breakfast before I head out. The first hour or so leaving Chicago is going to be boring, but I want to set out on the right foot, doing Route 66 the way that I should. I hope to be in southern IL tonight.