I spent 56 days in Chicago.


Here are my observations throughout that time:

1) We ordered Chinese and the egg rolls were as thick as my forearm.

2) Flash flood warnings! The streets flood as high as the curbs and surrounding grassy areas turn into lakes. Apparently there are no sewer systems. Get some rain boots... and maybe a canoe.

3) SNOW, SNOW, SNOW! Piles and piles. When it snows, it snows. And it looks beautiful when it does.

4) Coldness. Chilliness. Windy-ness. -17 degrees was the lowest it dropped. It really is the "windy" city. Hat, gloves and scarf required! (Long johns optional but recommended.)

5) No cell phone talk while driving. Against the law. Honestly, I think it will keep more people safe.

6) EVERYONE parks on the steets! Learn how to parallel park (and I mean well!) before making the move to this city or else you'll be getting towed. What's funny is seeing lawn chairs, baby strollers, bbq pits and a plethora of other random items sitting between cars to save someone's parking spot. A little ghetto? Yes, but do you want to walk 6 blocks carrying groceries? There's a parking war out there. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

7) Racially integrated. There are SO many different people in Chicago. I ate at a tiny, "hole-in-the-wall" diner called Huddle House around 2 a.m. one morning. Whites, Blacks, Mexicans, Asians, etc. mingled while ordering and eating superb cuisine. Walking the streets, I passed by a conglomeration of cramped shops continuing on for blocks, which were run by a variety of races. Most chose to decorate their front windows of their shops with authentic, cultural merchandise. Window shopping's never been so outlandish but intriguing. The people are awesome.

8) Radio jockeys on the hit music stations are raunchy and dense. One evening, a RJ had listeners call in to share funny ways of telling your partner/lover that you have a STD. And the advertisements between songs are usually targeted at young women to apply for a job as a show girl or stripper at a local nightclub. And there is one located on nearly every block.

9) Trash trucks made it a priority to wake me up twice a week around 4 or 5 a.m. The trash men are vampires and only operate before sunrise. And the trucks sound like 100 lbs of C-4 exploding outside your window.

10) Some areas were scattered with trash among the sidewalks, which was a little repugnant. A lot of littering. Although, lots of cool things to see if you can brave your way through occasional filth. The city seems repelled from sewers and... trash cans?

11) $5 haircuts. Can't personally tell you if the cheap price leaves customers with cheap hair do's.

12) THICK pizza. EXTRAORDINARY pizza.

13) Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks everywhere. So many places stay open 24/7. Great for late-nighters like myself.

14) Taxi cabs, Taxi cabs, Taxi cabs!

To be entirely honest, I didn't get out as much as I would have liked to. I wanted to navigate my way around downtown taking pictures and exploring the beach on the lake. I did enjoy my (almost 2-month) trip though. It's such a big city so I'm planning on returning soon to continue my nomadic journey. For now, I'm residing in the Lou plotting my next move.