December 8th-11th, 2006

So, I took my journey down to Chicago. The first leg of this trip down to Miami's South Beach.I had the luxury of a good friend to bring me to Holland, MI through the blizzard of snow and ice to catch an Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) train to Chicago's beautiful Union Station. This being my first train ride besides the metro rails, I was intrigued to see how accessible it would be. I arrived at the station to about 8" of snow on the ground. I made my way through the snow, winter tires diggin' in all the way. I just love living in the north! I hope everyone can just hear the intense sarcasm in my words. I had made my reservation on the phone with a very pleasant gentleman at Amtrak by the name of Kenny so, when I got to the station it was a quick swipe of the credit card and the machine spit my tickets out. The staff at the station was extremely helpful and polite as they helped me get on the train and helped with my bags. The train itself was rather accessible, just a small ramp to the train. The halls are a little tight, but I am nice and skinny. I just had to think thin. They had a seat reserved for me, but I opted to give it up and stay in my chair for the nearly 4 hour ride. My thought usually is that someone could use it more than me and I was right. In walks an elderly lady with a walker and her daughter by her side. I gave my seat so they could sit together.

I spent most of the ride to myself working on my computer and listening to music. With about an hour left of the trip I put everything up and struck up a conversation with the ladies sitting in front of me. One was the older woman and her daughter(I believe it was) who I had given my seat to at the beginning of the trip. They were coming to the Cancer Center in Northern Chicago. I had a very nice conversation with them until the train stops finally at the station.

After a 4 hour ride that was amazingly smooth, I got off my train with a hop down one step. They were going to grab the ramp again for me, but I said there was no need. A quick push through Union Station and I got a quick cab and headed off to The James Hotel in downtown Chicago. This place was very modern in design and the people were very eager to help me. I checked in and went up to my room. I roll in to a rather small room, but very open with a pair of very soft looking beds and a gigantic LCD TV on the wall with a quaint little sitting area. I spent a few hours on the good ole computer before my friend Jim shows up and we head out on the town. The night held The Second City (www.secondcity.com) and a lot of laughs. The theatre itself was rather old and archaic but they did their best to make it accessible. The staff there gave me a quick push up a rather steep ramp and through the back doors. With seats on the isle only a few rows back off the stage we enjoyed the show. Everyone should partake of this show, it was hilarious! Improv is such a cool experience.

The next morning we headed out on the long journey by cab to the wonderful O'Hare Airport. The ticket agent for American Airlines (www.aa.com) was very helpful getting our tickets and getting us on our way. Getting there with plenty of time to make our flight the security staff decides to take their time. The joy of being in a chair and people wanting to make an example of you takes me on a 20 minute stay in the security glass cage while a hand full of people search every bag I have and every possible part of me aside from a strip search. After a stop at Wolfgang Puck's in the airport for a very nice meal we jump on our plane and sit back in First Class to the warmth of Miami.

We arrived in Miami with a welcome rush of warm sea air. Got a cab and went to the Mayfair Hotel in Coconut Grove. This place was awesome! The entry is these beautiful carved wood doors and the whole center of this hotel is a huge atrium. The rooms are amazing. Ours even had patio with a little hot tub on it. Again, two very comfy-looking beds and an enormous LCD TV, this time with a DVD player to boot. Right across the street was the Grove Walk where there were a bunch of clubs and restaurants. We decided to hit the Coyote Ugly (www.coyoteuglysaloon.com) for a few drinks. It was a lot of fun.

The next afternoon we headed to yet another hotel called The Shore Club in South Beach. There the staff was again overly eager to help, but very polite. We got our room keys and headed up. This room was the best of all -- the piece de resistance! Like the James, this hotel was designed very contemporary with an incredible view of the ocean and Miami's South Beach. Our room had two separate balconies, both with a view of the ocean. A rather large bathroom with a roman-style whirlpool tub and a separate shower enclosure. Some parts of the hotel would be rather difficult to get to for someone unlike myself. The balconies' sliding doors had a really tall threshold and the sink in the bathroom was quite awkward from a seated position.

The first night in the Shore Club we went down stairs to the mail level for dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant call Ago. The manager of the restaurant was very helpful in getting us to our table and the wait staff was right on top of things. After a killer meal we decided to go out on the town and see what South Beach had to offer. To not much surprise of my own, Miami is quite full of many places to go for all sorts of refreshing beverages. And the 4:00am last call definitely helps. The next day we set out again to find some cool places and just wandered the beach area. There are a ton of shops and vendors all down the boardwalk and streets along the beach. The city itself was quite accessible and easy to navigate. Some of the intersections of streets were a bit choppy, but with some fancy wheel work I got anywhere I wanted. This was the weekend of Thee Art Basel Art Show so there were tons of people all around. People that I talked to had said it was an amazing show, so maybe I can get a chance to get back to Miami next year and see what all the fuss was about.

After a quiet last night in the warmth we got our last cab to Miami International Airport. It seems that the Miami area has made some changes to their accessibility because, for example the restrooms in the airport and the hotels were really large. The gimper stalls were huge with their own sink and everything. I felt like a king in those things. Jim finally headed off to his gate for his flight home and I headed to mine. I had a gate change and a bit of a delay on the way back, but it gave me an opportunity to strike up a conversation with another gentleman in a wheelchair waiting to get on the same flight. It is always good to network and meet new people. It always gives me an opportunity to hear someone else's perspective and make a connection if possible. This case was a good one for me. I got to chat with a gentleman by the name of Gus who happens to work for another organization that helps out people with disabilities. So see, it pays to open yourself up to meeting new people.

I got off my plane and had to chase down my luggage 'cuz American Airlines in O'Hare tried to play the shell game with me changing the baggage claim spot on me a few times, but I got it and all was good. I decided to make things a little interesting for the end of the trip. Not just for my own benefit but for you the readers. I decided to take the good ole L-Train from O'Hare to another station and then take a cab to the Amtrak station. The guys running the L-Train on Monday night were awesome. They got me all hooked up with directions and on the right track--literally. I jumped in yet one last cab to Union station. Then on my Amtrak back home...