This winter break, when I needed it most, I was able to take a trip out to Chicago, IL. When I would tell people about my trip it was kind of shocking that anyone would want to go somewhere...cold! We Californians complain about anything under 40 degrees. So here I am on a train on my way to Chicago.
So after not sleeping so much on our second and last night on the train, we finally arrive in Chicago around 1:30 P.M. and it's not as cold as I thought it was going to be. I wasn't prepared either. I walked out with one layer missing on top and bottom, but I was able to make it to the apartment without freezing. This is probably because the train was so hot an humid, that anything was better than that. After showering, my friend and I went to find dinner in Lincoln Square and took the "L" for the first time. We settled on Thai food and really enjoyed our first meal of "real" food. We picked up some frozen food because we had decided to stay in on Christmas since there wouldn't be much to do because of holiday closures.
The next day, was the epitome of a lazy day. Our morning was spent in bed, checking social media and thinking about what we should do the next day. Around noon, we moved out of the bed to the living room to eat lunch and begin our movie marathon. Staying in to relax was exactly what the doctor ordered.
After a relaxing morning, we head out on the "L" to the loop. We only had two goals: eat at Lou Malnati's and go to the Bean. Or the Cloud Gate. Over all the weather was beautiful and maneuvering around the city was incredibly easy. After eating deep dish and going to Millennial Park to see the Cloud Gate, we set off to walk and shop. Which was so relaxing and much needed. We even stocked up for our return trip. Or at least I stocked up, because I am always drinking water. Going back to the apartment for the last night was bitter sweet. We put on some movies and started to repack our suitcases. While we didn't buy anything large, mainly beauty supplies, our suitcases were feeling just as snugly packed. We went to sleep wishing that this trip would not be over.
Our last day was bitter sweet. We were sluggish as we were getting our final items packed up. We left early, which was smart due to the traffic around the station. But after eating and buying some small souvenirs, we went on a confusing search for the boarding line. But we found it in the Great Hall, and made our way with the rest of the other passengers to the train.
Leaving this beautiful city was one of the saddest things I've done. I only spent a few days there but I loved it. Getting around was easy and the weather, though colder was amazing. I can't wait to return to the city. Maybe in the spring...but for now Chicago has a piece of my heart.
