Sweet home chicago

We only really booked Chicago out of convenience, flights from California and Pennsylvania both being affordable, we would have met up in Kansas if it had been the only cost-effective option, but I think Chicago surprised us both. Huge and full of character, it felt at once both familiar and completely different.

We stayed in an airbnb room the size of the double bed and, despite its... compact size, it was a great base. The apartment was a short walk to Wicker Park, a gorgeous "hip" red brick area filled to the brim with second hand stores, winding bookshops and restaurants. As we had to walk to the subway station to get into center city anyway, it became the perfect food stop en route to the loop.

Adam and I travel together well, we move at the same pace, we want to explore the places we visit and see everything both of us wish to see, but we try to take it slowly, getting up late, properly stopping and sitting down when we eat, taking time to sit and talk at the top of Chicago 360 or at the side of Lake Michigan. And as we each contribute our ideas to our itinerary, we find ourselves doing things we wouldn't have naturally chosen to do but are very glad we did!

This trip, I found a stripped back, "black box", local theater performance of Pygmalion for $5 a ticket, so we ended up in this rented art space in the middle of a residential area, two of around fifteen audience members watching this show. As a big fan of the play, I was in my element, and was incredibly impressed by the (mostly) decent british accents. And Adam enjoyed it a lot too, it was an experience he wouldn't have chosen for himself, but it was a fun way to spend an evening! Adam, too, found tickets for us, this time going to see the Chicago White Sox playing baseball for $7. I haven't been to see any sports games at Lehigh, partly because they always seemed to be on the days I already had plans, but partly because I've never been too bothered. I wouldn't have ever thought of going to see a game in Chicago, and I definitely wouldn't have thought that tickets would be that reasonable. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy myself at the game, huddling up in the cold as my new team won, eating tater tot nachos with nauseating cheese sauce, but we caught the sunset over the city from the stadium just as we arrived, and got to experience the beautiful skyline at night as we left. Whilst Adam's choice was more glamorous, I love how we both benefit from experiencing the things the other loves and is interested in.

And it was just lovely to explore a new city together, to learn to navigate the overground subway system (infinitely better than New York), wander along the river, and take endless pictures of the infamous Bean. It has made me ridiculously excited for the cross-country trip we are currently planning for three weeks (?!) time! Now to actually start booking things....