I guess we need to sit in the memories of having had uneventful moves in downtown Chicago with Miss K. Because this week’s move was
a
nightmare!!!
😦
And so I’m posting all these details about it before getting up the pretty pictures and stories from the kids’ graduations. 😉 (It is my blog, you know. Venting allowed.)
Phil & I left home Thursday about 3 and delivered a leftover pie and 2 bags of sandwiches to the nearby homeschool neighbor with hungrier boys than my one. 🙂 We arrived downtown just before 6 p.m.
As usual, we parked in the alley and Phil & K put 4 cart loads into the truck. We 3 rode (in the front seat) the 2 blocks to her summer home building (CB).
You’ll remember I have alley duty on these excursions while P & K make the runs with the loads back & forth from truck to room. Well it was after the usual 5:00 office hours and they hadn’t switched K to this building (& her keys) yet so she wasn’t able to get carts here to unload.
P & K decided to walk back up the 2 blocks to her old building (162) and bring 2 carts from there to use. I continued to wait in the alley, casually reading a quilt magazine.
After a bit, one of Chicago’s
“finest”
motioned me to move along.
Ut-oh. He was on one of those little glider/scooter things. I put down the window and said we were moving our daughter into this building. He didn’t care… said I was blocking traffic (?) and had to move. I said I’d move and he thought that a great idea.
I quickly dialed Phil and put the phone on speaker phone while it laid on my lap. I backed out of the alley – into the 3 lanes of one-way traffic with no helpers and most of my back view blocked – and went back to the 162 alley where P & K were waiting for me. Now what?
P & K got 2 more carts partially loaded and walked them down to the new building. Once unloaded there, they called and summoned me. I arrived and stopped in a tow away zone at the end of the line of parked cars while they quickly unloaded part of the truck into 2 carts.
While they took the carts upstairs, I drove around the blocks. (with the one-ways, it was down 2, over 1, up 2, over 1) Three times! Again they were waiting on the sidewalk with their 2 carts and again from the tow away zone, we quickly unloaded to the carts and I hopped back in the driver’s seat. Now with an empty truck, I went to the 162 alley and waited.
P & K unloaded at CB and then walked 2 blocks to meet me at 162 and devise our next plan. I was starving, K was starving, none of us had food and we only had moved one truck load. 😦
Once again, they loaded up my truck. This time giving me back mirror vision but filling the front seat as well. I continued to sit. (I actually considered going to talk to the Karl Rove protestors outside of the Chicago theater and ask what they were actually saying. I’m sorry they showed their intelligence level by speaking into a megaphone which totally distorted anything that came out of their mouths. Not much point would be made if no one could understand your position.)
P & K took 2 more cart loads to the CB via walking down the sidewalks. When those carts were empty they once again called me to come. This time they were waiting for me at the tow away zone with *4* carts! 🙂 We quickly unloaded the whole truck at one time! K would run the carts into the CB lobby and return for another one. And no, pushing a full post office type cart down a sidewalk, across an alley, down more sidewalk, and through 2 sets of doors is NOT easy! And then throw in some pedestrians!
So with my empty truck, I started making laps around the blocks. It was 8 p.m. and the streets were not very busy. Not many walkers to wait for in the cross walks. Not many red lights to wait at. I looped. Again and again and again. I lost count but think I did 6 laps. Finally, they had called and were at the sidewalk! 🙂
(They talked with security and there was a city ordinance issue with SAIC people using the alley so it is a new problem. We have no idea how the next moving event will pan out at this point.)
They jumped in my back seat since my overnight suitcase was in the front seat by this point. I drove around the block again but this time stopped at The Palmer House where we had a room reserved. 🙂
K took our suitcase in to wait in the lobby while Phil & I drove to the parking garage we like to use. K was so done walking but I was fine to walk back to the hotel 3 blocks. Whew!
We checked in and requested a room with 2 beds. K had forgotten her bedding until the last load and at that point it was just wadded and thrown in my truck. Both her rooms have been loft beds and no one was interested in going back to make her a bed! She stayed with us. 🙂
We went around the corner to Miller’s for supper at 9 p.m.
Finally food! 🙂
And if it matters, I really like the room re-dos that The Palmer House has done. Sheets & beds are still wonderful but the furniture and wall paper are super!!
In the a.m. we enjoyed the breakfast buffet downstairs. K had received a $25 coupon and our discounted room rate from various dinners she was able to attend with the school this past year. 🙂
So this was Friday, May 29th,
our 26th anniversary.
🙂
After a visit for me at Blick’s (*sigh*) and dropping off our suitcase at K’s room, we headed to Chinatown. Have you gone there via the Red Line? I hate heights and it was SO windy when we got off the El. Ugh!!
I wasn’t too thrilled with the various Chinese gift shops but was QUITE happy at the handbag knock-off store. Yes, K could make me one. *I* could make me one. But these were already made. 🙂
At the newer section to the north, we enjoyed 2 of those fruit freezes and got 2 bags of fortune cookies for he who was home working with Grandpa. 😉
We headed back to K’s room for a break and then hopped on a bus for Old Town to the north.
(I said it was windy!)
We walked the whole block around Moody Church but none of the doors were really the “front” door. They had one door marked for counseling use during the week. K knew of a restaurant down the block so we stopped there for a late lunch. After waiting a long time, we each had $6 burgers and enjoyed watching the activity outside as we were across from The Second City.
This is a cute area of town and we stopped at an outdoor plant store for a pink geranium for K’s room. 🙂 Then we got a bus to head back to K’s area. At rush hour. On a very busy bus route. But we did pass MBI and that was cool for us to see. 🙂
Back at K’s room, we all sorted and worked at finding some sense to her moving piles. Phil put together bookcases and shoe racks, K unpacked clothes, and I got the bedding ready for the washer.
Just before 6, K headed to the 162 building while Phil and I went to get the car. We arrived once again in the 162 alley and this time loaded 2 carts worth in the truck to come home. However, a truck was parked there. 😦 Phil had to back out the whole alley after we had loaded up.
We arrived home about 9 p.m. and K had gotten 2 smaller loads to her new room and the old room cleaned and finished and was doing laundry. *sigh*
I’m hoping to put up the wonderful graduation stories and photos soon. And then… I think life goes back to more summer normal. 🙂
13 crusts
This class has gone to the Conservatory, the Zoo, and the Field Museum for painting. Her first 
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