Chicago was loverly, weather was perfect and has some of the best architecture I've seen - expect many tedious building / skyline pictures when I find a decent internet cafe ! I saw some really goot art and stuff in the museums, making use of free days - one museum (the natural history or "dinosaur" museum) had cancelled it's free day, but when I said that I had no money and went to leave, the security guy let me in for free, saying that he'd been in England a while ago and they let him into the museums in London for free, so he was simply returning the favour. I hadn't the heart to tell him they are free to everyone all the time :)

I spent some time with a guy from Liverpool, Rick, who made an excellent companion for wondering around, laughing at stupid american things and going up the Sears tower with, but a terrible drinking companion as it turned out he was only 19, and ID laws are very strict out here. In the end I brought a 6-pack of bud lites and we smuggled them into the hostel TV / common room and sneakily drunk them like 14 year old kids in the park with cider. Turns out drinking your own purchased alcohol anywhere in the US is illegal, except in your own home - which kinda sucks for cheap drinking - bars are expensive.

Anyhow, final day in Chicago passed quickly with some Krispy Kreme donunts (v. nice) and fireworks in the evening (sponsered by Pepsi !) and then an overnight bus trip took me into St Louis where I arrived and promptly slept 3 more hours in the bus terminal, waiting for the day to start and the hostel to be open.