Indiana and New Jersey must be in cahoots because they've both got a pretty good racket going in the toll roads business. The ride from Toledo to Chicago ended up costing over $15 and that was far less than it would have been for a car. Indiana tolls were quickly replaced with Chicago parking fees. A few years ago, apparently Morgan Stanley bought the rights to run the meters and the rates have gone nowhere but up since that particular deal went down (and MS absolutely crushed it on the contract).

Fees aside, I really enjoy Chicago. It is almost exactly the same size as Houston by population but they couldn't be more different. Chicago is like New York on the Great Lakes -- great skyline, lots to do, and vibrant energy all around. It feels like, to me, a real city should. The quality of life there, when it's not below-zero and windy, is pretty darn good. Houston, on the other hand, has achieved its population growth through expanding the boundaries of its sprawl and its downtown feels like an afterthought. Were it not for the soul-crushing winters, I could easily find an excuse to relocate to the Windy City.

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My ride to Toledo was unremarkable. The poor scenery of Indiana almost immediately improved upon crossing into Ohio, where it transitioned into a more generic sort of flat commercial farmland. I met my girlfriend at my grandparent's house in Toledo and we all caught up over some steaks while watching the Olympic opening ceremonies. Despite my fear of being completely disappointed after the extraordinary synchronized display at Beijing '08, London '12 did a pretty good job of keeping things on a personal level and I have to credit them for putting together a good followup production.

The highlight of Saturday (aside from pecan pancakes and Buckeye iced cream) was the visit to the Toledo Firefighter Museum. It's a tiny building on the outside but the inside is packed with a very well preserved collection of historical fire engines, artifacts, and memorabilia. We were toured by a retired firefighter who clearly loved the job and walked us through the growth of firefighting technology and the industry itself with a deeply personal touch.

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