MLK BLVD

Chicago certainly had a few surprises. Some of these included:
1. Ira Glass's exaggerated, almost flamboyant, hand gestures.
2. The (seemingly) unattractive student population at Northwestern University
3. Free food at a bar in Evanston.
4. The most reliable, comprehensive and affordable public transit I've ever been on in North America.
5. PBR tall cans at 7-11 (this is always surprising).
6. Very few people begging for money, instead choosing to approach you directly, and quickly leave you alone if you wish. Even the homeless in the Midwest are friendly.
7. A totally insane collection of miniatures at The Art Institute. It both my mind, it blew the security guard's mind, it will blow your mind.
8. The impossibility of wandering through Barack Obama's neighbourhood and seeing the University of Chicago without first ending up on Martin Luther King Blvd. After taking an hour-long trip on the L down to the south side, sort of knowing what were getting our little selves into, we booked it out of there immediately after seeing the MLK sign. Over 700 cities in the United States have a street named after Martin Luther King, Jr. Most are located in the South, with 105 in Georgia, MLK Jr.'s home state. Popular American know-how includes knowing that if you're white and under 150 pounds, you should probably not frequent a street named after MLK. Not surprisingly, Chris Rock commented on this phenomenon:"If you find yourself on 'Martin Luther King Boulevard', run!"
9. Dan Savage made me cry when he talked about his recently deceased mother. (Note that I expected to cry with laughter when he joked about sounding or some other sexual perversity, not over hearing about his strained relationship with Catholicism.)
10. The impossibility of finding food in Chicago sans Cheese. Most things ARE better with cheese.