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Some four or five years ago Mrs Antidote and I spent a hugely enjoyable ten days in the bustling, windy city of Chicago. Fairly compact for such a major city the home of The Magnificent Mile' possesses an admirable public transport system bringing all it's various sights, shopping, eating and drinking delights within easy reach of each other. Some far more often than others it has to be said.
However, thinking back now I can't exactly remember too much of note to pass on with any great accuracy. I do recall sipping some rather expensive cocktails at the roof' of the world, a game of baseball watched from an apparently equal height way up in the cheap seats of the then called Comiskey Park and a particularly stunning laser light extravaganza set around a huge river side fountain complex. Hmmm, not much danger of me churning out a Complete Guide to Chicago' then.
No. But in recommending Chicago to anyone I would always mention my one little, hard earned, windy tip: Don't let anyone sneak up on your blind side and spray your shoes!
There I was wandering along window shopping, minding my own business when this little snit of a chap suddenly nipped in front of me and sprayed my shoes. What amazing shoes you have.' He commented with a wide inane grin on his face. They were.' I wanted to snap back but before I could get the words out he'd begun rubbing the spray off furiously with a handy rag he just happened to have about him. $20' He said, still smiling but making it obvious that this was by way of a serious demand. The rest of our charming little tate a tate doesn't really need to be repeated here. Pretty soon a dozen or so more random shoe sprayers started to move in our direction, no doubt to provide back up for my newly acquired creditor. Suddenly handing over $20 to simply carry on with my evening appeared to make far more economic sense than it had just to remove some unwanted spray from my shoes.
Oh, the simple joy of the weary traveller! Quite often places visited come, with the passing of time, to be associated with one particular thing. For me the mere mention of Chicago and I immediately check the state of my footwear.

Learn more about this author, Ivaan Antidote.
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