Days 67-68 Chicago

Chicago sure seems frightening based on the news and the statistics but so far it's been a great visit.

I've walked twice to a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Dos Riccos.

Great food at Dos Riccos

 It's a  short walk and supposedly this area is not the best neighborhood, but at least during daylight it seems quiet and safe. In any case, the restaurant advertises Mexican-Asian fusion and it is outstanding. On my second visit I went with Sean, Dennis and Amy. I knew Amy would enjoy it but wasn't so sure about Sean. It turns out they both enjoyed it immensely.   

As we are sitting outside waiting for our meal,  I see the cloud cover and am concerned that we might get wet. Seating is limited inside so I suggest maybe we should go in now while there's space. Here's Sean assuring me that we will be fine..Amy is a bit more non-committal once I start recording:

Famous Last Words

5 minutes later

Notice we are no longer sitting outside. We are inside, waiting for a table!

 It was a long wait but worth it. The chef, Guillermo, took good care of us and we had a chance to talk about our ride and stroke and heart attack prevention. His first question was, "How can I help?"

Amy is comfortable eating standing up. That comes from living in Japan for so long..

.The rest of us wait!

Today began with a health fair event at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Sean gave a presentation and we set up a booth, talking about what we are doing and selling jerseys and vests. There was no line for the free carotid artery ultrasound checks so I went in for a follow- up to see if 68 days of restaurant food had changed anything, All was still good.

This afternoon I gave my bike a good cleaning and then worked on Diana's. She will be riding the rest of the way to New York.  Both bikes are sparkling clean. This feels good.

 In the process of working on the bikes I met several Mexican painters that were working a the hotel. They gave me a fresh supply of cleaning rags and filled my bucket with water. They were  taken back by the story behind the ride. I gave them all HAA cards and encouraged them to get their BP checked. Speaking Spanish has come in handy on this trip.

As I was packing things up, I met David Barnes, a cyclist and pilot. He chatted for quite some time, you would think we were old friends. It was a treat. He was very aware of cardiac health and keeps a close check on his health.

So now it's time to seek out dinner and put the finishing touches on tomorrow's route to La Porte, Indiana. It will be nice to start heading East again!