Aggravation

So we're about 24 hours from the Casey Stratton show in Chicago and unfortunately, some bad news has already come calling (literally.) I got a call tonight from Amtrak telling me that the train is RUNNING 5 HOURS LATE!! (Mechanical problems, so they told me.) I had logged on and checked the web site earlier in the day, and already, at that point, the train wasn't going to arrive in Osceola until 11:30AM or so - some 3 hours late. I wasn't too nervous because it still showed us arriving in Chicago around 6PM. The show's not till 11PM and my reservations are for 10PM, so y'know really, anything no later than 9PM really is ok. However, the lateness is starting to trickle down and now the train is arriving in Osceola at 12:15PM and in Chicago at 6:45PM. There is a chance that they might make up some time overnight, but they're certainly not going to make up 4 hours.

*sigh* So I'm going to get there late. No big deal. I'm really just going for the show + I have some time on Saturday to do some other stuff. However, if the train gets a whole lot later, I may have to do the previously unthinkable and drive to Chicago. It's a 6 hour trip +/- an hour or so, depending on how fast you drive and which route you take and all that. It's not an option I savor as that is a HELL of a long drive by yourself and I'd be a bit nervous driving in downtown Chicago by myself. I mean, I've done it before, but it's just not something that I really relish the idea of. But if it comes down to it, I will. I've only been planning this trip for a month now and to bail would just be a real let down.

I finally got a hold of Doug, my friend who I'll be staying with, so at least that's done. I had started doing a preliminary search for hotel rooms with no luck whatsoever.

And another check of the Amtrak web site shows the train getting into Chicago at 7:04PM now. Much later, and I'll definitely be driving. Time will tell, I guess.