2012-11-17 41 -87

Sat 17 Nov 2012 in 41,-87: 41.7753100, -87.8081920 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

On a residential street corner in Summit

Participants

• OtherJack
• 2pacchacha (drag-along)

Plans

I'm gonna be on the southwest side anyway that afternoon, so I might as well bag my first Chicagoland hashpoint. Should be pretty straightforward. I'll be there at 4pm by default, but can adjust the time if you like. -- OtherJack 17:17, 16 November 2012 (EST)

Expedition, Chicago Style

Note: I (OtherJack) tried to give 2pacchacha the opportunity to write this one up, but he thinks my prose is better for some reason. So here goes.

I left my family's house in the north suburbs kinda late around 3pm. Asked my friend 2pacchacha if he wanted to go to a geohashpoint, response was an enthusiastic yes, despite not knowing what it was. But then southbound traffic sucked on the Edens, and really wasn't much better on Cicero, making me wish I'd just stayed on the Kennedy. I finally got to 2pacchacha's place on the southwest side (Gage Park, according to him) around 4:45pm... hope we didn't miss any 4pm hashers, though I imagine there were none.

In any case, we immediately set out on the five-mile drive west to the hashpoint, past Midway Airport, with 2pacchacha recording audio. 2 had never heard of Summit, and neither of us really knew what to expect, besides an old suburb. At Oak Park Ave the asphalt disappeared for repaving, but then when we crossed the city line into Summit at Harlem Ave things seemed to get much nicer. The newly paved road was lined with more American flags than I have seen in a long time. But there were some missing street signs, and I ended up blowing past the avenue of the hash by a few blocks, suddenly doing a U, and pissing off a bunch of people who were tailgating me. I guess crappy driving habits return easily to me once I'm back in the ancestral land.

Well, we found 75th Ave, drove the block to the hash corner, parked and got outside. 2 was really excited as the gps revved up. There were a bunch of brothers hanging out on a stoop across the street and down the block a little, who didn't seem to care (or didn't even notice due to the dark). We readily found the point, which was basically right on the curb at the corner, and tried to take some GPS shots. But I couldn't be sure with the dark whether any would come out, so I decided to take a couple shots of the street sign, proving we were standing on that corner. 2 said something like "man, be careful with that flash" but I took the pictures anyway, at which point one of the guys across the street suspiciously asked us what the flash was.

Me: Just taking a picture of the sign, man, not you guys, it's cool

Brother: Why do you want a picture of the sign

Me: So I know where I am... so I can prove where I was

Brother: (even more inquisitively) Why do you got to be here? Why do you got to prove you were here

Me: Because the Internet told us to go here, and the people on the Internet need proof. But it's cool, we're getting out of here, don't worry, we're not sticking around

Brother: OK, OK

and we got out of there. Right after crossing Harlem we were stopped by a pedestrian-speed freight train for about ten minutes, more evidence that I was back in Chicago, and then proceeded uneventfully home, except for the plane that flew over real low as we went by Midway. And the rather perfect job ad that 2 saw in a store window further east, which he will probably pursue tomorrow. Success!!