Trains, a Consulate and Marilyn

The odds of the unexpected increase significantly when you travel.  You’re never quite sure what you’ll get when meeting new people in new places.  In spite of my Type A preparation and planning, I still find myself surprised – usually for the good.  Today was one of those days – the good, the bad and the unexpected.

We were notified ~2 days ago that our VISA applications for Brazil had been rejected (60 days was too long).  The easy part was rebooking our flights for a 30 day stay (except for the $250 change fee – thank you Delta Airlines) and collecting a bit more documentation.  The challenge was that because we were now within two weeks of our departure date that either Tracy or I would have to appear in person at the Brazilian Consulate in downtown Chicago between 9 and 11am weekdays – quickly. 

Without serious traffic the drive to Chicago is about three hours for us.  It’s very predictable until you hit the western suburbs after that you just don’t know what to expect.  Today I changed up.  After leaving the house at 4 am I drove to the western suburbs (Naperville) and bought a commuter train ticket on METRA.  Round trip was $12.50 and far less than parking in downtown Chicago.  The train worked out very well – highly recommended and very likely to ride in the future. 

The Good  The METRA train to downtown Chicago.  Clean, timely, efficient and very reasonably priced.

The Bad  I took the local train that stopped ~every mile instead of the express; I’ll pay more attention next time.

The next couple of hours were a blur….

·         Chicago Union Station at 7:45

·         Starbucks for coffee and 8 am conference call – too noisy

·         8:20 began walking east on Madison Avenue

·         8:30 stopped at Argo Tea for second call

·         8:50 Madison Ave to Michigan Ave just north of Millennium Park to Prudential Plaza and CIBT office on 31^st floor at 9:10

·         Collected documents and then headed north on Michigan Avenue to Brazilian consulate at 9:25.  First noticed Marilyn statue.

·         Consulate said new documents are fine but fee is $140 not $160 and they cannot accept $160 or make change.  Go to the post office.

·         Exchanged money order at the post office on Ohio Avenue and returned to Brazilian Consulate with money order for $140.

·         Collected receipt and returned to CIBT at 10:30

·         Walked back to Union Station for 12:30 train

Between 8 and 11:05 I walked 3.7 miles, visited a coffee shop, tea shop, three offices and fielded four phone calls and checked emails on my Blackberry.  Thank goodness I wore comfortable shoes and clothing.

So where does Marilyn come in?  She’s the unexpected.  Earlier in the week we watched My Week with Marilyn.  It was a fascinating portrayal of a complex, misunderstood, mercurial personality.  Michelle Williams was outstanding.  My wife and I discussed Marilyn’s appeal 50 years after her death.  Our conclusion – yes, she was beautiful and voluptuous but what made her captivating was an innocent sincerity.   You can’t help but be drawn in by her beauty and personality. 



40 ft statue at 401 N Michigan Avenue





This statue of Marilyn captures her most iconic moment –the famous white dress over the ventilation shaft.  It’s in front of the Brazilian consulate at 401 N. Michigan Avenue.  The adolescent boy in me couldn’t resist the picture of the Wrigley Building in the second photo.  You have to admire Chicago architecture.