Out of all of the destinations I have traveled to this year, if I had to have guessed which would have been my favorite, Chicago would have been my answer without a doubt.
Growing up, Chicago had been our destination for a big trip into the city. I loved everything about it. The hustle and bustle, the people, the cultural diversity, the food and the overall feel of being in a city. I was very much looking forward to living in the city and getting a first hand experience.
I resided in Chicago for six weeks during the early summer months. It made sense to be in this location during this time due to an event I had tickets to as well as the close proximity to home as I would be spending the remainder of the summer there. The weather over the course of my stay was in the mid 70s and by the time I was leaving it was in the low 80s. Perfect exploration weather if you ask me! I was happy that I didn’t experience the cold and blustery winter that the Windy City is known for.
This city presented me with my first real experience as to what it was like to navigate public transit. The Chicago Transportation Authority offered a light rail train system and city buses that could get you to 98% of the places you wanted and needed to go. I was fortunate enough to live less than a mile from the closest train station and that train would take me directly to the heart of the city within 20 minutes. A monthly unlimited ride pass for all public transit ran me $75. If you are familiar with the price of city parking, along with the elimination of the added stress of driving in downtown Chicago itself was a more than fair price to pay.
The food throughout the entire city was outstanding and far exceeded my expectations. I truly felt like there was an option for everyone and really at any price range. I am a total foodie so being in a place that had incredible food was a dream. The cocktails were also something to write home about.
While the Midwest is known for its friendly, inviting persona, this was not the overall vibe that was received from the residents of Chicago. Now don’t get me wrong, there were fabulous and friendly people that I interacted with, but the overall sense of warm and welcoming was certainly lacking. There were multiple times that I ventured out into the city, went to a cocktail bar or happy hour, sat at the bar and did not communicate much with anyone else, including the bartenders. Not because of my lack of trying.
Overall, I really did enjoy my stay in Chicago. I loved the big city feeling while also being on the shores of Lake Michigan. I got to live out my true city girl era! It is such a fun, young city and I really think that a younger me would move there in a heartbeat. However, by the time that I was leaving, I wasn’t necessarily sad to go.
It is still difficult for me to wrap my mind around the thought of our wants and desires changing as we do, along with the natural progression of age. It was hard to sit with the feeling of a place I was so sure of wanting to settle down, not necessarily being the place for me anymore. I will always love Chicago, and will happily visit it often but I don’t think it is a place that I will be moving to any time soon.
