Chicago, IL

Long, lonely days on the road with little rest in between had been taxing my soul, and I was glad to arrive in Chicago where I would finally rest for more than two or three days. My friend and former organic lab partner, Phoebe, from Wesleyan, generously welcomed me into her home for my entire stay in the windy city. We were able to spend a large amount of time together because she was in between jobs and happy to have someone around who also had few commitments on any given day. Aside from job hunting, Phoebe was spending most of her time on her true passion, improv comedy. In fact, during my first night in Chicago I was lucky enough to watch the final performance for one of her improv classes held in the Second City building. She and her classmates did very well even when I threw out the horrible suggestion of "common advantage" (they asked for a two word phrase that had the initials C A). I was even lucky enough to sit ever so quietly in on a rehearsal for her sketch comedy troupe where I got a behind-the-scenes look into all the planning that goes into a one-liner. Because I don't remember the exact chronological order of all of my Chicago memories, I'll give you the highlights in no particular order.

Deep Dish Pizza

When they said deep dish, they meant it

One of my first gastronomical excursions in Chicago came in the form of the almighty Chicago style deep dish Pizza. Many people had recommended Lou Malnati's for the best deep dish in town. In addition to the many recommendations it received, I like Lou's because when you say its name in whole at a fast pace, it sounds vaguely like Illuminati's pizza. I liked to think that there was a deep hidden meaning or mystery embedded in my pizza. Puzzle laden or not, Lou's pizza  measured over an inch in thickness by the time they had loaded it to the brim with cheeses and veggies. It came in a special deep dish pizza box because any normal box would have collapsed under the pizza's staggering weight. Normally when I'm hungry I can eat an entire large to myself, but it took three of us to slay the circular beast in the end. For those of you who have never had deep dish pizza from Chicago, I highly recommend it; it is an unparalleled pizza experience.

Sight Seeing

Lake Michigan and Chicago from Willis tower

While in Chicago I had plenty of time to visit all of the wonderful public and private tourist areas. The Willis tower, formerly and probably more popularly known as Sears Tower, was first on my list. My friend Chris who I visited in Seattle and know from Exeter told me that the viewing deck on the top floor of the tower was a sight not to be missed. When I arrived at the base of the tower I had to crane my neck and almost lean backwards to see the height of the skyscraper. I had to go through quite an ordeal to finally gain access to the top of the building. I was forced to go through a security check, mandatory photo op, a long line for ticket sales, a short video detailing the history of the building and a maze/museum with Chicago history facts just to reach the viewing deck elevators. When at last I made it to the front of the line for the elevators, the surly operator packed as many passengers in to the elevator as physically possible before we zipped up the 109 stories to the top. The viewing deck offers a 360 degree panorama of the Chicago Skyline, but I had to fight dozens of gawkers at each side to get good pictures with my camera. It is possible to dangle a few feet out over the West side of the buidling's side if you wait in line for 20 minutes to access the glass balconies, but there were more sights to see and so little time.


Also in the loop area of Chicago where the elevated trains all converge, lies Millenium park. It is home to many of the classic Chicago icons including the bean, a gigantic reflective bean-shaped scultpure, the Jay Pritzker Pavillion, a large grassy auditorium roofed by a lattice of metal beams where free concerts are often held, the BP bridge another smooth metallic structure that snakes its way across the park, and a large fountain in which kids and sometimes adults often frolic. The park is right next to lake Michigan and offers spectacular sights in all of its areas. Here are some of the aforementioned parts of the park.

The bean

BP bridge

Millenium park

Dinner with Tommy

All of my walking and sightseeing had left me hungry which was perfect as I had dinner plans with my friend Tommy from Exeter. He lives in the crazy world of finance which means working 80-90 hours a week, so I was lucky snag him for a brief evening of barbecue. I met him at his girlfriend's house where we grilled burgers and talked about the good old days over many cold beers and mojitos. He proved the work hard play hard stereotype true by knocking back over 8 drinks on a Sunday night, but hey it's summer and you only live once! As an editorial note, I have been surprised to see how differently my Exeter friends remember their boarding school experience even though most of us had quite similar lives when in school. Almost all their reviews have been positive, but some of my comrades have looked back much more favorably than others.

Beach Day

Montrose beach

On a separate day, Phoebe and I made a trip to lake Michigan to enjoy the beach and soak up some sun. We went to Montrose beach, the biggest and most popular in all of Chicago, which extended over 200 yards before it reached the water front. While the sun was abundant, the windy city earned its title with constant gusts blowing sand around making frisbee impossible, but let us watch some good kitesurfers in the water. Phoebe and I ended up sitting and talking in the sun which was quite enjoyable, but by the time we decided leave, we found our bags had been almost buried under the constant shifting of the sand in the wind. 

Cubs Game

Footprints to indicate the proper
eating stance at Al's Beef

When I asked my friend Kalen, whom I knew from the diving team at Wesleyan, if she wanted to see a Cubs game while I was in Chicago, she emphatically responded that she already had tickets with her boyfriend Nick (also from Wesleyan) to see the Tuesday night game vs. the Mets. Before we made it Wrigley field, we stopped at Al's Beef in the wrigleyville district near the ballpark, for a another Chicago classic, Italian Beef. At Al's we all ordered their signature Italian beef sandwiches which are essentially Philly Cheese's steaks minus the cheese with the addition of grilled peppers, both sweet and spicy. As a meal, it was a juicy twenty napkin adventure leaving beef drippings and smiles on everyone's faces. Al's even has a special stance adapted for the consumption of italian beef where the eater spreads his or her feet shoulder's width apart, about two feet from the counter and leans forward to eat the sandwich so as not to spill on himself.

Luckily I managed to get a ticket near Kalen and Nick seats and we all watched the game together while enjoying beers. Nick wore his Mets jersey to the game and to my surprise encountered no heckling even though he vehemently expressed his support for the visiting team. He explained that Wrigley field is one of the nicest stadiums because the Cubs tend to lose and most home fans aren't very competitive. What the Cubs lack in competitiveness, they make up for in beauty and charm. Their spectacular ivy covered brick stadium has low stadium walls that have led to the creation bleacher seats on top of the neighboring buildings for additional seating capacity.

Dollar Store Adventures

On my last day in town, Phoebe and I went down to the local dollar store to stock up on wacky items I might be able to use at the music festival at my next stop on the road. Together we found me a blue durag (if you don't know what that is, I suggest you google it for a good laugh), an orange swim cap, green streamers, a jump rope, some temporary tatoos, glow sticks, and three belts (one red, one yellow and one purple). Those hippies won't know what hit em!