"We're here looking at one of the world's most amazing spectacles, and all you can think about is Superman 2!!!"

Lj questions Dan's motives for travelling to Niagara Falls.

CHICAGO

Arriving in Chicago was always going to be significant. We'd been saying for months that this would be the start of the very last stage of our journey, and we'd given ourselves 4 full days to recharge and prepare ourselves for the frantic final fortnight that would follow. Imagine our disappointment on arrival at our hostel at 6am, tired and weak from another soul destroying overnight Greyhound journey, when we were told that despite booking 2 weeks prior and phoning ahead to forewarn of our early arrival, we couldn't infact have a room until after 3pm!! Circumstances it seems remind us that we are still backpacking and refuse to let us have a holiday - oh well, who needs a shower and clean socks anyway??!! Lets hit the city.

Throughout our entire time travelling from city to city and state to state in America, there has always been a feeling of underlying build up for our finale week in the USA's jewel in the crown - New York City. If anywhere was going to give us a taste of what 'the big apple' had in store, then 'the windy city' would do it. This is the first time any American city has given us the 'wow' factor in terms of city scape and architecture. Time will tell whether New York will beat it, but believe us, it'll be tough. Even in our flaky zombie like state on that first morning, Chicago lit the fire in our bellies and we both instantly fell in love with the place. It seems a strange thing to say, but there are only a few cities in the world that give you these types of feelings; Sydney, Hong Kong, Bombay for example, just a certain magic in the air that just grabs you. This was also the first time since San Francisco that Miss Drury, armed with plastic and paper, could go shopping! As excited as Dan was about checking out the new Madonna collection in H&M, LJ thought a full half day shopping adequate enough revenge for all of the cricket grounds, football grounds, James Bond film sets and Lord of the Rings locations she'd visited over the last 11 months!

Prior to our arrival in Chicago, we'd both agreed that there were no particular sights as such that we wanted to see, more that we were happy just being in the city and taking it in - the only real exception to this was of course The Sears Tower. The tower stands over a quarter of a mile in height and was the tallest building in the world until the Petronas Towers in Malaysia (which we've also been in) were built in 1997, pipping it to the prestigious 'worlds tallest' title. Nevertheless, on a clear day, 103 floors up, it is said that you can see up to 4 different states from its viewing platform. So regardless of Dan's unease, we ascended the beast to see for ourselves. Although over priced and extremely touristy, it is still worth a visit and a wonderful experience. We luckily picked an almost crystal clear day and true to the hype we could see for miles upon miles in every direction and looking out to the Great Lake Michigan, you could believe you were looking out at the ocean, it just goes on forever and forever.

Chicago's motto is, "a drinking town with a sports problem" - a very accurate statement. As much as we tried to resist, in the end it was inevitable that we would indulge in one of the great evils (Dan's words) of the world... American sport. Chicago Cubs baseball team are yet to win a world series in the history of the game (note the word 'world' to describe a competition in which only American teams can enter), so it seemed apt from Dan's recent sporting experience, to go and see a team who, by all accounts, are not very good. We soon realised after entering Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs ad one of the oldest and most traditional baseball grounds in the country, that the experience of watching baseball was actually quite good. Few people actually watch the game and it's more a case of how much beer you can drink and how many hotdogs you can eat - we liked it, apart from the obligatory American famed high fives on show in the stands. According to Dan, these people will never know what real sport is, surely it doesn't mean anything to support a successful 'franchise'?!

Other than the fabulous city life, the jaw dropping architecture and our first taste of American sport, the local area where we stayed, some 10 minutes out the centre, was a lively neighborhood with a good selection of bars, cafes and cheap(ish) eating venues. What more could you possibly need? After a hard day's shopping/sightseeing/baseball watching, we could still catch the last bus home and enjoy a couple at our 'temporary' local. We're getting closer to home everyday.

TORONTO - CANADA

Something we both really wanted to see whilst in the states was Niagara Falls on the US/Canada border. Rather than take a day trip from the American side, we decided to get another stamp in our passports and take advantage of a trip to Toronto - Canada. If nothing else, it would give us the opportunity to get re-acquainted with the ever friendly US officials at passport control on our way back in.

The city of Toronto was a great place to base ourselves for the excursion and gave us a tiny glimpse into the differences of Canadian life in comparison to their continental counterparts. As for the falls nothing more can aptly describe them than 'wow'. No anti-climax whatsoever. We were initially a little worried that the whole experience would be spoiled by commercialism and 'tat' shops, but in fact, and whether it was because of the season we're not sure, the town of Niagara was pleasingly sedate on both sides of the border. Magically, the natural wonder of the falls captures your imagination and you get so close you can literally reach out and touch the icy water, not to mention the constant misty spray that the thunderous gallons give off and the ever changing rainbows that beam from the cavern below. Truly fantastic, an absolute wonder of the world, and let's not forget............Superman 2 was filmed there too!!!

Will update again soon.

Love lots, Laura and Dan xxxx