It’s now been four weeks since we drove into Chicago with our dogs to begin our new life. I remember looking up at the skyscrapers and being mesmerized by the city lights. Snow blanketed the ground and the city had an eerie feel. It was 20-something degrees.
I’m learning a lot about the city and myself in a short time. Each day brings a small victory.
Over the past couple of days I’ve ventured farther than I have since we’ve been here. I took the train downtown for the first time by myself. I have had to rely on Google maps on my phone, but I never seem to get the directions correct when I’m walking. Google maps has difficulty locating where I am, so I end up just walking in any direction until it finds me and I can be rerouted. I’m not used to being so lost, to not knowing whether I’m walking east, west, north or south. Luckily I was among crowds of tourists who didn’t know where they were going. I met up with a friend’s mom and a friend at LuxBar, where I devoured a veggie burger and fries — my carbo-loading has begun early. The next day, I went to Argo Tea Cafe with a friend who is in town for work. Afterward we checked out the Tribune Tower and the pool at the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile. We unsuccessfully tried to get a tour of the Tribune newsroom; we didn’t know any names to drop in order to get it. It was fun to explore a slice of downtown with a familiar face.
In the limited time we have together, Graham and I like to explore our neighborhood and take the dogs to the beach. Windy and 40 degrees: perfect beach weather, if you want the place to yourself.
We’ve also had takeout from BopNGrill, which was featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” I got the only vegetarian option on the menu.
It’s too soon to say how I feel about Chicago, but so far I like what I’ve seen.
Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.