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Pizza and windy weather: The Big City
Posted July 5, 2010 at 17:05 in blog
The trek to Chicago from Indianapolis takes about three hours. You pass cornfield after cornfield while trying to suppress the urge to pull off onto the side of the highway and take a bite into the first husked ear of goodness you see.
Then there are the windmills. They take up miles of farmland and spin in lazy yet productive circles. I felt like I was sucked into an alternative energy commercial.
And as soon as we saw impressive spires in the distance, the highway lanes began to rapidly multiply. And the drivers started getting a little less happy-go-lucky.
When we rolled into town, I thought, “Oh, it isn’t so big!” But as soon as we hopped onto the Red Line and took it to Wrigleyville, I realized how the city just seems to stretch on forever.
Chicago is the third largest populated city in the U.S., and I can see how it’s a big draw to those who just graduated from college. I know a handful of recent University of Florida alum who have gone there to study improv.
I went with Lauren and Scott (snazzy Society of Professional Journalists coworkers) and we saw an improv show at iO, participated in the Taste of Chicago (deliciousness!) and got a tour of the city. Two improv friends took Scott and I to see their “corner,” where they would people-watch at an intersection and witness a lot of interesting city interactions around two in the morning.
We even went and saw The Bean!
We were only in Chicago about 24 hours, and as we were leaving, I already missed it, in a way. There was always something to look at, always something to do. Despite the abruptness of the trip, I realized a lot about where I wanted to end up. I would be happy in a city like Chicago. I would be happy in Alaska. At this point in my life, I’m pretty much open to any geographical possibility…as long as I still get to do journalism.
Also, happy belated birthday, America! I enjoyed hearing my neighbors shout the lyrics to “Come On, Eileen” and “Forever Young” in your honor.