One of the best parts about where I live is that the train station is literally across the street. In a quick minute, I'm already at "The L," which is just about the easiest and nicest method of public transportation I have ever used (aside from the bullet trains in Japan).
It's quite different from the NYC subways, the main difference being that it runs above ground... so it's nice to be able to see what you are passing through. I also got my official CTA card, which makes the whole process so much easier. It works like a debit card, but when the balance hits $10, it refills back to $20. No more stopping by the automatic tellers to grab tickets- love it.
I've already used my card way more than Scott has, and he thinks that I'm going to get to know Chicago better than he will! Right now he's really busy with school, so I've been taking off on my own to go on job interviews or meet up with friends downtown.
This is my stop. I felt incredibly touristy taking a photo here, but I thought it would be nice to document as it was my first time taking The L and going into the city.
The very first thing we did was see the Macy's. Until that day, Macy's New York had been my favorite department store in the US, but I have since changed my mind. It was fabulous! I wanted to spend so much more time there, but since I couldn't, I took a quick peek in the Walnut Room (where I desperately want to have a Christmas dinner when the tree arrives), read up on the history of the building (it used to be a Marshall Fields), and made a mental note about how awesome the food court was- come on... Marcus Samuelson AND Rick Bayless had counters there!
Since the food court was closed and we were starving, we decided to go The Plaza at Park Grill. It was a beautiful day, and so nice to have lunch outside and people-watch. I was very impressed with their Kobe beef burger and blue cheese potato salad. I normally hate blue cheese, so I know it must have been good!
After lunch, we saw the famous bean (cloud gate sculpture) and attempted to take several photos until we had a few that were "Facebook profile worthy." I know it's just a bean, but it was pretty cool to see it so close up.
Then I thought I saw what looked like the Disney Concert Hall, and I realized that it was the same designer Frank Gehry's creation called the Pritzker Pavilion. There was a free concert that was about to begin, and I made another mental note to come back one day and see one of the shows. It was certainly a sight to see- funny how I know his work through his jewelry line at Tiffany, but no matter- his work is genius in any art form.
I also found the Crown Fountain to be quite interesting... we saw the Buckingham Fountain too, but I was less impressed with that one. One can only get so excited about fountains. I really wanted to go on the Chicago Architecture Boat Tour, but we just missed the last tour for the day. The desire is two-fold- 1) because I am fascinated by the buildings and architectural design and 2) My Best Friend's Wedding is one of my all-time favorite Romantic Comedies. Of course I need to see the boat tour! And then maybe have a drink at The Drake hotel or something. :)
My first two weeks in Evanston were dedicated mostly to getting the apartment ready, and there would be random times in the day where I would miss home and feel overwhelmed. But I have to say that this trip made the difference in my whole attitude out here, and it really was the first day that I truly enjoyed being in Chicago. There is so much to do and see here. I wish that everyone had the opportunity to pick up and live somewhere completely different from what they are used to. You would be surprised at how much it could change your life.
Before hopping back on the train to go home, we walked along The Magnificent Mile just to take it all in and also visit a few shops.
To me, Chicago is so different than LA and NY. I feel like it's a great combination of the two. A few things I noticed- it has an energy. Not quite like NY, but it's there and just the right amount for me. People stroll instead of walking super fast from point A to point B. It's clean. The architecture is just incredible. There is great food and great shopping.
It doesn't feel like "home" yet, and that realization sank in when I came back from Japan a few days ago. It felt weird to have O'Hare be the final destination. In any case, I am proud to be a part of this city.
Next on the blog: KWEST Japan! Another milestone waiting to be told...
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