| FILL 'ER UP
¡@Transportation |
Transportation ¡@¡@¡@¡@Dan Hu met his friend Alex Cruz outside the "el" (elevated train) station near their grad school. It was perfect fall weather, sunny yet cool, and the leaves on the trees were just beginning to change. The day had finally arrived when they would set out to explore Chicago's public transit system together. They were both a little nervous, but also a little excited because their American friend, Rachel, had arranged a treasure hunt to make their exploration a little more interesting. She had written several clues which would send them to different places in Chicago, and finally to a place where she would treat them to lunch.
¡@¡@The buses were a little more tricky. They learned to ask for a transfer, which was a little more expensive than the regular fare and allowed them to switch from a train to a bus. It was hard to tell when they should get off the bus, but the drivers were pretty friendly and helped them when they were confused.
¡@¡@The last clue sent them directly to Wrigley Field where the Cubs had an afternoon baseball game. Rachel met them right at the train station. ¡@¡@"Great job, guys! I was afraid I'd still be waiting for you at midnight tonight!" ¡@¡@"Yeah, well, we were afraid of that, too!" said Dan. ¡@¡@They explained about their adventures and about the car accident as they went in to watch the ballgame and eat lunch. ¡@¡@"Some of those clues were pretty hard, I'm just glad I know what I'm doing now," said Alex. ¡@¡@"That was nothing," laughed Rachel. "Next week I'm going to take you guys to get your driver's licenses!" ¡@ |
¡@¡@They figured out the
first clue and hopped on the el to their first
destination, the Art Institute. Riding the train was easier
than figuring out the clues--all they had to do was pick
the right train and either pay at the station or on the
train.
¡@¡@By 12:30, they had been to
the Art Institute, the Sears Tower, and many places in
between. They decided that the public transportation in
Chicago is relatively easy and convenient, but they also
began to think about how fast it would be if they could
just drive their own cars. 
¡@¡@Suddenly, they heard a
loud noise and looked down from the platform just in time
to see an car accident. The thing which confused them the
most was that the drivers of the two cars calmly called
the police, reported the accident and exchanged
information. They would have to ask Rachel about this
later.