Tuesday, April 15, 2008

tulip days

chicago has a love affair with beauty, i think. for a little over a month, the city welcomed spring by covering every pot or patch of dirt in tulips. and not even just the places the tourists see. all colors were appropriate: white, yellow, hot pink, purple, red... one of my favorite things to do was walk home from work a different route every day and look at all the pretty flowers. when i visited chicago in 2004, the landscaping of the city was one thing that stuck out in my mind. i could tell they cared about making the city look beautiful for residents and tourists and anyone who would appreciate it.


they also invited chicago architects to create kinetic art displays for michigan avenue.


Wednesday, April 2, 2008

moving, part II

i never lived in a high-rise before. i got a really good deal (well it will be good when my condo in atlanta sells and i won't have to pay the mortgage). i like high-rise living a lot; i have a great view, doorman, taxi-caller. real in-town living. there are a few bad things about high-rise living: getting all the way out the door and realize you forget something, not knowing if people in other high-rises can see you, and in chicago, the wind. i think i've gotten used to it by now, but i live close to the lake and when the wind is blowing, it screeches and howls by my windows. the first night i heard it, i kept getting up to check the windows to make sure they wouldn't get sucked out. still intact, so no worries.



my view


my neighborhood is mixed with high-rises, graystones, big sidewalks, old trees, and flowers. a few streets over is old town. old town is great. i love it. it's home to second city (famous improv comedy theatre), a few good mexican restaurants, fleet feet sports (they watch you run and pick out shoes for you), a spice store, an oil store, a chocolate store, the twisted sister bakery, a 24 hour starbucks, a few delicious italian restaurants, to name a few things. north of my neighborhood is lincoln park. it's huge, first of all, and there is a lot more to do than go for a stroll. a free zoo, the lincoln park conservatory, a lake where you can paddle around in a giant swan (or row). i also joined the chicago sport & social club and play softball at the fields.


i know 1 person who moved up here from atlanta last year. she's been great, inviting me out places and introducing me to her friends. i also have gotten to hang out with my cousins a few times. suprisingly few of the people at work live in the city, so i don't really think i'll be making life long friends there. that and apparently people stay in my department for 2 years or less before moving on.


i'm still not used to the weather. in atlanta, i'd be in flip-flops and shorts by may. in chicago, i still wear a jacket to work and some days wish i had a scarf and gloves. have only brought out the flip-flops once and regretted it by the end of the night.


all-in-all, the moving process was a success. i think i managed to move quite cheaply too. i like the city and neighborhood and the lake. i'm sure come warm weather, i'll love all those things too.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

moving, part I

i mentioned to my friend erin (who's moving to london today) that she should start a blog to keep everyone up to date on her big move. a great idea, no? i realized i should do the same to keep everyone abreast of my move and new life in chicago. hence, i'm backtracking to march 2008.


a quick summary:
  • packed up most of my 1 bedroom condo in atlanta with the help of some friends and family
  • hit the road in a bright yellow penske truck with my friend kimberly
  • stopped in nashville to visit janna p.
  • spent a long day traveling through tennessee, kentucky (lots of distilleries), indiana (very long state, doesn't have celery), and into illinois
  • chicago welcomed me with cold temperatures and snow and traffic
  • kimberly and i got to my new place and had approximately 1 hour to unload the whole truck and get everything up to the 26th floor or they would lock us out
  • finished in just enough time and ended the day with giordano's deep dish pizza (yum)

kimberly hung out for the cold weekend and i'm sure was happy to head back to warmer weather.

since moving day, i started work in downtown chicago (aka the loop). i ride the cta bus or take the red line to work and since it's warmed up to the 50s & 60s i walk home. not having a car has been mostly great. i don't get stuck in traffic, i walk slowly through the neighborhoods and soak everything in, and have basically built in exercise to getting where i need to go. the down side: when it rains. everyone wears rain boots which is smart. i need to get some. also umbrellas do no good here. i've had mine flipped inside out by the wind too many times to count.

work started slow (really slow) and i became dependent on coffee. in a one-block radius from my office, there is a cafeteria, a corner bakery, 2 starbucks, and 2 dunkin donuts, so temptation was present. i decided to kick the habit when i added up all the $1-2 charges for coffees and was shocked at what i spent in my first month. living here is expensive!

so my atlanta colleagues would be very impressed with me; i make it to work around 8am every day. this is a significant improvement from my usual 9:30-10am (sometimes 10:30am) arrival times in atlanta.

making acquaintances has been easy. i meet new people practically every day. my accent gives me away to being new to the city, but that makes starting conversation easy. everyone has their opinion of the best restaurants, neighborhoods, and summertime offerings.

making friends is a slow process. a note to all who move: be prepared to not like your city for the first 6 months or so. i heard that and thought i believed it, but being here for almost 2 months has made me accept it. i am excited about what the next 6 months to a year will bring. who will i know? what will my favorite hang-out be? how well will i be able to traverse the 6 street intersections?

i hope i don't give anyone i've talked to the wrong impression about my move, because i feel like i've come across a little down about it. i got what i wanted: living in chicago! and i am thrilled that this move has put atlanta back in a special place in my heart. i love the south. love atlanta. love midtown. who knows, i might end up back there; but for now i know i'm supposed to be in chicago and am going to enjoy it!