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!