good day to everyone! like i said in london to myself as i was boarding the plane: "oh f*** - here we go!!!!" - this is the start of my year travelling! at last some of you would say - as I have been talking about this for so long! but finally it has happened. Like you can imagine the Check-in at Heathrow was a nightmare - I had to queue for 1.30 hours just to go through security! (btw, thank you Harry for the drive to the airport - that was much appreciated!) after an upgrade to Economy plus - which i was excited about even if it was just more leg rooms, the flight went very well as I slept most of it! LOL on arrival, i was lucky enough to have someone giving me their Day pass so i could take the train to central of Chicago - (no more taxi for me! dont forget i am now unemployed!) and it seems that i was having a lucky day - on arrival at the hotel, after a complain that my room was stinking the cigarette, i got upgraded to a small suite with kitchen...! that was great! on Wednesday 23rd August 06, I was up very early and decided to spend the day walking around Chicago, visiting the Hancock Observatory / the Planetarium and the Shedd Aquarium... well worth seeing! even manage to go to the gym in the evening! before crashing around 10pm!!! LOL today, Thursday 24th, I am taking the day easy, been swimming this morning / read paper / walked around and just chilled out really - i am having such weired feelings at the moment: while I am very excited that i finally started my travel and i am looking forward to it, it s very unsettling to know that in the last week, I have become homeless & unemployed - finish my job / moved out / sold the car... suddenly you have nothing left apart from a bank account and couple of suitcase... give me few more days and i will surely get use to it..LOL one last thing for now - is that i would like to thank you few people that really help me in the last few days - this has been much appreciated - Ed - for helping me move last saturday Harry - for giving me a lift on Tuesday morning John - for being part of my life and keeping daily contact Chicago info: A black man from Haiti named Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable, a fur trader, founded a settlement called Eschikagou on the north bank of the Chicago River. (He was not officially recognized as the city's founder until 1968.) The Chicago River is always dyed green on St. Patrick's Day