Chicago, IL

This weekend I went to Chicago to see my friend Jackie and to attend her Bachelorette Party. I flew on Southwest where I had my personal space completely raped by not one but two obese creatures whom I had the luxury of sitting next.  I fumed for hours in my seat, squirming and thinking unkind things until my personal space bubble was restored upon exiting the aircraft at Midway airport. Friday afternoon, where I quickly made my way to Jackie’s neighborhood of Logan Park via the L-train. After changing trains downtown, I noticed I was heading toward what appeared to be the city’s outskirts, I became confused because I thought she lived in “the city.” I soon learned that my idea of “the city” which included tall buildings (over 4 stories) was inaccurate and actually the urban Chicago landscape was more sprawling consisting of various neighborhoods and boroughs. It took some convincing to get me to believe that more was going on in these neighborhoods than in the area with the tall buildings that I could see in the distance. After dropping off my stuff at Jackie’s apartment we grabbed some late lunch at the Earwax Café before heading over on bike to an engagement party her friends were having for her and her fiancée.

I didn’t sleep well on the foam pad in the living room, and after the second night in a row of poor sleep, I awoke Saturday morning with a headache that I could not shake until my plane landed in Orange County Sunday evening.  I had a feeling that this headache would not mix well with the thumping beats coming from whatever night club we would end up at that night for the Bachelorette Party. Before the party started we rode our bikes a few miles to Karyn’s raw food store and restaurant where we ate lunch before going to the Renegade Craft Fair. The Renegade Craft Fair was really cool, and just happened to be going on the weekend I was in town not far from where she lived. It was made up of hundreds of tents lining a blocked off street with local artists selling creative goods ranging from clothing and jewelry, to glass and pottery. It was very youthful and hip, and not at all the type of craft fair where grandmas sell country quilts, wreaths and applique vests.

After the craft fair we rode the bikes back over the rough streets of Chicago to Jackie’s apartment to get ready for the Bachelorette Party. I can’t say I was completely at ease with riding helmet-less, in traffic, on pothole-filled asphalt in a city I was unfamiliar with. But somehow I made it out alive, even though I never managed to find a balance between avoiding potholes below and watching for cars and red lights above.

Later we headed over to Blue Fin Sushi to begin the Bachelorette festivities, before heading via taxi to The Sky Bar nightclub, where I seemed to make the most of the whole nightclub scene without alcohol and with a headache pounding louder than the speakers.

Forbidden Love

I realized that there are a lot of creepy people who hang out in night clubs. Besides the bouncers and their awkward comments, the weirdest people ‘up in the club’ were a couple who didn’t dance at all. They were a good 15 years older than anyone else in there and they just stood in the corner in an awkward embrace watching everyone else. The woman looked straight off the Mormon compound with no makeup, hair to her butt and a conservative long lace-accented floral dress, while her man looked like Native American chief complete with braided hair and a Adidas tracksuit.

Downtown

Sunday morning we slept in and took the L-train into what I call “the city” to see Millennium Park and the Bean before I headed to the airport to fly home. All in all I had lots of fun on this trip. I had been to Chicago before, but this time saw a totally different part of the city. It was a short trip, but great to spend time with a good friend. I like Chicago, but still feel confused by it, and maybe confused by the Midwest in general. I left this trip having no idea how to return to see all that I had missed without a resident tour guide.

The city’s sprawl seems to have multiple points of interest spread all over, leaving me with the impression that I would be clueless about where to go and where to stay if left on my own. It reminds me of what I imagine Brooklyn, NY to be like, with endless 4-story old brick buildings and various hip neighborhoods. Although since I have not been there I could be completely inaccurate. The neighborhoods were urban, but not cramped and there was a surprising amount of old buildings still standing and being occupied. Jackie and her friends all lived in apartments in old brick buildings that all seemed to have envious features such as original hardwood, moulding and fireplaces, large windows bringing in lots of light and roomy unique layouts with extra space. All these things and that they enjoy low rent makes the idea of living in Chicago very appealing.