I finally got to Chicago after almost 30 hours of travel.  Some of the first things I wanted to get done quickly were getting a SIM card and opening a US bank account.  Opening a Canadian Account worked really well when we were in Fernie, and I always wanted a US bank account to do iTunes purchases so now I finally had the chance.

I took the bus to down town and went into the Apple store for some free Wi-Fi so I could search for a bank close by.  There was a Chase and Citi banks a few blocks away, so I tried Chase first.  They wanted two forms of ID and a proof of residential address back in South Africa, which was weird since they did not ask for that in Canada.

I tried to send the banker a dropbox link, but the bank terminal does not allow access to dropbox (had the same issue in SA). Then we tried access my icloud email from the terminal but the browser was to old.  I finally found the email on my phone and forwarded it to him.  The rates and taxes bill is send to our postal address, but also have the physical address on it. But they would not accept it as proof of residence, he recommended I try Citi Bank down the road.

The Banker from Chase send me to Citi Bank, whom helped me right away

They quickly help me and were willing to accept the bill as proof of residence.  I got a temporary debit card immediately and they said the permanent one will be mailed within a week.  Anamaria Lopez was extremely helpful. When I got home I registered for Internet banking and installed the iPhone app, got it all working in no time.

Opening a US bank account turned out to be a little more challenging than opening a Canadian bank account, but luckily it is all done.  The next challenge is transferring money from South Africa, so I can start using my new account.  Fortunately my awesome South Africa bank; FNB has the facility to make forex payments online.