Chicago!

It's a gorgeous spring day in Chicago, IL and I'm sitting at a Starbucks on Halsted. I'm sipping some $1.50 coffee because I can't afford my usual tall hazelnut latte with cinnamon sprinkled on top. I'm pretty sure the barista's head was about to explode when I asked for such a plain beverage.

There are a few Greek flags hanging from the wall above the condiment bar, signifying that I am in Greektown. Thank you, Starbucks. I couldn't tell from the plethora of Greek restaurants lining the street. What would I do without you? All joking aside, I really do like Starbucks. Good coffee, free WiFi, great music (usually. I have heard the occasional train wreck played here) A nice place to just sit back, people-watch, and slowly kill myself due to caffeine intake. Hooray for the cooperate monster!

I really do like this city, though. It was the first major city that I had ever visited. I was in a college preparation program, we had a big trip at the end, and we went to Chicago. We stayed at the Knickerbocker hotel, there were ants in my bed and nobody talked to me, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I vowed that I would move here some day, and six years later, here I am.

It's kind of cathartic, fulfilling a dream from my younger years. It seems like such a long time ago, I was a completely different person then. Timid, bookish, and friendless. However, I fell in love with this city, a love that was not surpassed until I hit the New York City streets for the first time. I'm starting to think for the sake of my younger self (and my wallet) that I should stay here for a while. Perhaps go to school, slow down, get a job. I've been feeling like I need to do everything RIGHT NOW since I moved away, as if I'm running out of time or something. I know I'm not, my life is only just starting, but I think we all do that when we first move away from home.