Another Area to Cross Off

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_City,_Indiana

In Michigan City we boondocked at the Blue Chip Casino which is right near the waterfront. Not a horrible area but it has one of the worst laundromats I have ever been to....90% of the equipment was inoperable and the place was dirty and run down....I really, really hate not having a washer or a place to line dry the laundry! We had wanted to visit the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore but the weather would not cooperate. All the rain has caused quite a bit of flooding and an increase in my pain of course. Hopefully we will be able to catch the park in some better weather. The casino itself is nice and we each received a coupon booklet that included a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Buffet which was very good.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumet_City,_Illinois

Calumet City was a stop that we were worried about due to reported violence. We don't really need someone thinking we are rich as we have an RV and trying to break in some night while Bill is in the store! But it didn't turn out as bad as expected. Granted I felt like a minority while in the mall and at a couple of other shops but the area the Target was in was fairly safe. It is right on the border of Hammond IN and there were quite a few Illinois people crossing over the border and stopping at the first gas station as gas was $3.09 in Calumet City and $2.84 in Hammond. Al Capone once owned a getaway home in Calumet City and after prohibition was repealed Calumet City had the largest amount of liquor licenses of any city in the country. Calumet City was also the birthplace of "Joliet Jake", John Belushi's character in the Blues Brothers and the orphanage they were trying to save was located there also.

This area and style of living is just definitely NOT us. I guess it is better to be able to cross places you'd like to live off of your list as you can't live everywhere rather than find tons of places you would like to spend more time in! We have spent the last few days in some rather populated, dirty, run down areas with people crammed next to each other like sardines and very little green areas anywhere. Going to the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond for a shop last night we passed by an oil refinery and I could feel my chest get tight and I had a hard time breathing....how do people live with that day in and day out? I met a guy at an Aldi shop and he said that if he could get out of northwestern Indiana he would. Unfortunately I guess he can't and either many other people can't as well or they just are afraid to take that step....or of course, maybe some of them like city living. To each his own but I am very glad we both agree it is not for us!