Welcome to our newly baptized blog, Kate & Philippe’s Road Trip through America!

On Monday morning, July 2nd, after celebrating Canada Day and packing the car in Elora, ON, we drove West on the 401 through to Windsor and over the border into the U.S.A.

We took one long stop in Indiana at the Dunes, which were warm and very majestic, bringing lots of children to the beach of Lake Michigan. (It almost makes you wonder why we go to the Caribbean for soft sand!)

We continued on to Chicago IL, a city Philippe’s seen a few times lately - but it was first for me! We lucked out at the youth hostel, scoring a private room with its own bathroom. We walked over to the Hancock building where an elevator whisked us up 96 floors to have drinks looking over the dazzling city of skyscrapers, and never-ending lake. Over cocktails, we watched the sun set and the buildings light up, then found our way to the Green Mill, a jazz club that was once Al Capone’s favourite speakeasy. There we saw the Patricia Barber Quartet, a wild bunch who blew my mind, even though we both were struggling to keep our eyes open!

After a deep sleep back "home", we had an early hostel breakfast and headed out in the hot sun to the pier, where we boarded a riverboat cruise for an hour-and-a-half-long Architecture Tour. It was interesting - what an innovative, modern city! Afterwards, we made our way through the Food Festival, and were running out of parking time, so decided that I would go to the Art Institute of Chicago on my own, while Phi took care of groceries, bags and the car. (Yes, I’m spoiled.) I was amazed by the collection - every artist I know and love had a masterpiece in the permanent exhibition it seemed, and the temporary show was of Jeff Wall, a Canadian photographer whose work I’ve seen before. It was a fabulous place, and I left Chicago a happy passenger.

Philippe drove us here to Madison, where we were shocked to see the huge Capital Building looming in front of us in the city centre. Now we hope to see some more art collections, the supposedly gorgeous university campus, the lake, and get ready to hit up another couple of States on our westbound Fourth of July!

Love & Respect, xo