(no subject)

[caddyman]

Lifted from far too many to point at...

Name a CD you own that no-one else on your friends list does:
The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp (and so many more, I'll bet)

Name a book you own that no-one else on your friends list does:
How to Make Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Name a movie you own on DVD/VHS/whatever that no-one else on your friends list does:
Pandora's Box by GW Pabst

Name a place that you have visited that no-one else on your friends list has:
Er... coo... gosh. I'm going for Starved Rock, Illinois, USA despite the fact that that's on mollpeartree's manor, and I think, not too far from suitandtieguy and possibly serratia, either.

Blimey, what is it with the Mid-West and my friends list?

Comments

[mollpeartree.livejournal.com]

Well, I've never been to Starved Rock; in fact I'd never heard of the place before, so I Googled it. Tell me, were you on a rock-climbing expedition, or just visiting its beautiful convention center? :-)

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

Neither!

I visited the US in April-May 1999 primarily to attend drjohnsilence's wedding just outside Richmond, VA.

After a week there, I flew to visit some friends just outside Chicago (I forget the town/suburb name, but I think it began with an'E'), and they took me to the 'local' beauty spot (you have to understand that there is a difference in the idea of 'local' between the UK and US).

I enjoyed Chicago, but I must have outstayed my welcome, because a couple of months later, email contact became patchy and then dried up completely. :-(

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

Elmhurst, perhaps. It sounds familiar...

[mollpeartree.livejournal.com]

There is an Elmhurst! Also, Elgin, Evanston, Elk Grove Village ...

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

I reckon it was Elmhurst then...

About 40 minutes out of central Chicago by commuter train...

"there is a difference in the idea of 'local' between the UK and US"

[suitandtieguy.livejournal.com]

well, i'm in Chillicothe. Starved Rock state park is actually closer to me than it is to Elmhurst.

Chillicothe is on the northeast side of Peoria, which is pretty much in between Chicago and St Louis.

about once or twice a month on a Sunday i drive to Oglesby, which is about 3 miles from Starved Rock, to eat at my favourite supper club: Garzanelli's Supper Club.

here are some photos of such a day: http://suitandtieguy.com/sights/080804_stg_seacow/

the drive from Ottawa to Oglesby is 13 miles and takes you _through_ Starved Rock state park, so i've actually been there quite a bit. Oglesby is 50 minutes from my studio. i would rather drive 50 minutes to Oglesby to eat than 15 minutes to Peoria to eat. go figure.

[suitandtieguy.livejournal.com]

How long have you lived in Chicago?

surely Starved Rock isn't so far south of I-80 to be completely off of the radar?

[mollpeartree.livejournal.com]

Oh, 20 years. I guess I don't get out much :-).

I really don't know the state very well at all, probably because I've never had a car here; if I can't get there by air or train, it might as well be on Mars. We did get a rental and take a nice weekend trip to Springfield once, but otherwise Illinois outside Chicago and suburbs where friends live is "flyover" country to me :-).