Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Chicago

Moderators: Sluggo, Amskeptic

User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Chicago

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Jun 03, 2008 6:07 pm

It is 55* and misty rainy grey. I say, "that is not fair." The planet could care less.

I have just finished a day with BobD's bus, the sweetest, tightest, cleanest, peppiest, smoothest bus in the country. Today's big big list of projects included dusting the instrument panel, removing smudges from the driver's door glass, wiping clean the upper engine tins, adding exactly 2 psi to each tire, and driving it. Yes, driving the bus was a mandated requirement. I looked through that windshield with the VW-Audi watermark and marvelled at the entire experience.

This. Is. A. New. Volkswagen. Bus.

No two ways about it. And there is BobD sitting next to me, "you could have powered it through this corner" but no, I needed the excuse to double-clutch downshift and feel that transaxle catch 2nd like a

New. Volkswagen. Bus. Here. Now. and I am driving it.

And you want to get going on the freeway on-ramp? Just wind it out barely noticeably and it is 18/32/55/70 lickity split quiet tight snug and clean with a really really white headliner and white sunvisors and big beautiful black windshield seal against perfect white paint and handsome brown door panels and it is a Good Car. Good Spirit. Agreeable. Poised.

I want it. . . .

My bus is tactful when I load my carcass back into it, by reminding me what makes it special too, like it has never belched any horrid clouds of blue smoke when starting in the presence of the BobD bus, and it is quieter. But we both know, and you do too, that 552,000 miles loosens things up, and my bus really does have much more chassis flex, and the ever more obvious and apparent realization that I have massaged most all of its parts past their service lives.

On my way to BobD's this morning, I had the singularly most amazing experience, rivalling the Parting Of The Red Sea, of actually driving into and through Chicago at highway speeds. Of course, it wasn't going to be a flawless passage, traffic did jam up good north of the city on the 94, but it is better! Progress. . . . sometimes DOES occur.

Tonight, I backtrack to Michigan. Tell ya about it later. But let's just say, I'd like to finish what I started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Colin :cyclopsani:

Image
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

User avatar
chitwnvw
Resident Troublemaker
Location: Chicago.
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Chicago

Post by chitwnvw » Tue Jun 03, 2008 6:56 pm

Amskeptic wrote: I had the singularly most amazing experience, rivalling the Parting Of The Red Sea, of actually driving into and through Chicago at highway speeds.
It does happen.

Coming in on I-55 (and 90/94 in the same area ) as you approach LSD, is truly a beautiful experience, a skyline to rival anything, especially at night.

Welcome to Chi-town. It is what you make of it.

User avatar
zblair
The Zster
Location: ATX
Status: Offline

Post by zblair » Tue Jun 03, 2008 8:17 pm

Glad you enjoyed your time with BobD and his beautiful bus.

Chi-town redefined the term "defensive driving" for me. Completely!

There are so many things about Chicago that I love, too. The skyline, Wrigley Field,
the architecture, The Art Institute of Chicago, The BLUES Chicago style, Any and all
music I've heard there, The Taste of Chicago Food Fest, the science museum near
the University....
1974 T1 Super Beetle "Fweem"
2017 Honda HRV "Domina"


"Love something? Serve it."
~Roshni Mitra

User avatar
hambone
Post-Industrial Non-Secular Mennonite
Location: Portland, Ore.
Status: Offline

Post by hambone » Tue Jun 03, 2008 8:59 pm

I'll be there in a couple days. Sure miss that place, it's gonna be nice to connect again. Hell my Grandparents were born there. But I flew th' coop.
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat

User avatar
chitwnvw
Resident Troublemaker
Location: Chicago.
Status: Offline

Post by chitwnvw » Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:00 pm

zblair wrote: Chi-town redefined the term "defensive driving" for me. Completely!
I have gotten used to it, and so don't notice it so much, but there is a sick glee in sticking it to someone, leaving them hanging, while driving around here. There's not much seeing someone needs to get over and making room for them, no you make sure they can't move over and enjoy their discomfort as they miss their exit. A**holes.

This makes me like riding my bike all the more. I call the shots.

vdubyah73
IAC Addict!
Status: Offline

Post by vdubyah73 » Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:23 am

In Boston traffic, you don't use turn signals for lane changes. That is a fatal error, just start moving over. You have to choose who to crowd out of your space, you don't want to crowd a beat up work truck, the driver may not care about a ding or dent. Crowd the nice Beemer or the late model Escalade they'll let you in. Once you cross the dotted line into your chosen lane turn on your signal.

Bill
1/20/2013 end of an error
never owned a gun. have fired a few.

User avatar
spiffy
IAC Addict!
Location: Walla Walla, WA
Status: Offline

Post by spiffy » Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:13 am

I loved the Boston round abouts, so many people warned me of them before I moved out there but I loved the inertia you could generate. They are semi-controlled 8 way chaos :cheers:
78 Riviera "Spiffy"
67 Riviera "Bill"

User avatar
Vdubtech
IAC Addict!
Location: East Syracuse, NY
Status: Offline

Post by Vdubtech » Wed Jun 04, 2008 10:36 am

Nice description Colin.....next time you're in NY you should take my '79 orange and brown rotbox for a spin. It's smoothness and power are something I've never felt in a Bus. Going from it to my blue Riviera is like going from a Ferrari to a Pinto. Original 51K miles on it when I got it and last week she cracked 55K. Delivered a camper interior to Binghamton last weekend and will be delivering another to Hershey, PA this weekend. Supposed to be 90 and sticky. Anyway, outside of the nice paint and nice seals, driving that Bus reminded me of how it feels to drive that poor rotted out Bus.

User avatar
Hippie
IAC Addict!
Location: 41º 35' 27" N, 93º 37' 15" W
Status: Offline

Post by Hippie » Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:02 pm

chitwnvw wrote:There's not much seeing someone needs to get over and making room for them, no you make sure they can't move over and enjoy their discomfort as they miss their exit. A**holes.
Oh yeah. Never signal.
I'm for the European style of road rules. Signal and pull over. If you happen to colide with the ass that didn't get out of the way, he pays for the repairs!


Rob

User avatar
vwlover77
IAC Addict!
Location: North Canton, Ohio
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Chicago

Post by vwlover77 » Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:45 pm

Amskeptic wrote:But let's just say, I'd like to finish what I started. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Image
Colin
Oh, my lord, I'm hyperventilating. It reminds me of the nightmare illustration in the Muir book!

"Now, dang... where is my 13mm socket?????" :cyclopsani:
Don

---------------------------
78 Westy
71 Super Beetle Convertible Autostick

"When we let our compassion go, we let go of whatever claim we have to the divine." - Bruce Springsteen

User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Chicago

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:57 pm

vwlover77 wrote:Oh, my lord, I'm hyperventilating. It reminds me of the nightmare illustration in the Muir book!

"Now, dang... where is my 13mm socket?????" :cyclopsani:
Well thank YOU for noticing this most-amazing display of VW entropy. The other posters here are devoted to a traffic psychology treatise while I too am staring at this in amazement. It has to be running by tomorrow night before I head back to Chicago.
Colin
(Hambone, you going to be in Chicago?)
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

User avatar
dingo
IAC Addict!
Location: oregon - calif
Status: Offline

Post by dingo » Wed Jun 04, 2008 7:22 pm

Now one and one is two, two and two is four,
I'm heavy loaded, baby, I'm booked I got to go.
Cryin', baby, honey, don't you want to go?
Back to the land of California, to my sweet home Chicago.

-RJ
'71 Kombi, 1600 dp

';78 Tranzporter 2L

" Fill what's empty, empty what's full, and scratch where it itches."

User avatar
hambone
Post-Industrial Non-Secular Mennonite
Location: Portland, Ore.
Status: Offline

Post by hambone » Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:01 pm

I'll be there tomorrow, North and Damen. How long ya gonna be there? Peace everybody, catch ya in a few days.
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat

User avatar
chitwnvw
Resident Troublemaker
Location: Chicago.
Status: Offline

Post by chitwnvw » Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:06 pm

hambone wrote:I'll be there tomorrow, North and Damen. How long ya gonna be there? Peace everybody, catch ya in a few days.
Be happy to take you out for Indian on Devon. Both of ya'. PM if interested. I'm serious. Also Ethiopian, very good around here.

User avatar
hambone
Post-Industrial Non-Secular Mennonite
Location: Portland, Ore.
Status: Offline

Post by hambone » Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:34 pm

Man I LOVE going to Devon. I'll try ta find a web-connection when I'm out there.
I gotta git off this computer and get some sleep.
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat

Post Reply