Back in April, one of my good college friends was getting married in Chicago. I had never been to Chicago, despite living relatively close to it for 4 years, so I was excited to finally pay a visit.
Evan and I both flew for free, thanks to sky miles, and we stayed in a hostel in the Arlington neighborhood near Lincoln Park, which was a really lovely area of town. This is what $85 a night can get you in Chicago (with a shared bathroom down the hall).
The hostel was being (inexplicably?) occupied by a large class of French students on a field trip, so there was never a shortage of people hanging around. Our hostel room had an unexpected guest who hung out with us as well. I think this is Katharine Hepburn, though I don't think Hedy Lamarr would be too far off either.
The weather was pretty dismal; highs in the 50s, gray, cloudy, and drizzly most of the time we were there.. quite a change from the South, where the redbuds had bloomed 2 months earlier and where we were starting to hit highs in the 70s and 80s each day. But I hear that's just how the Windy City rolls.
One of the best parts about Chicago is the L (or "el" for elevated train system). It took us everywhere we needed to go at any time, it ran regularly, and it was completely reasonably priced at $2.25 a ride to most anywhere in the system. We used it to get from Midway to the hostel, to bars and restaurants, and to downtown. We also used Uber for the first time, and it was a smooth, easy experience, waiting for 2 minutes on the corner and getting dropped off at the hostel doorstep (for free, since it was our first use).
We hit up the Lincoln Park Conservatory and briefly the Zoo, but mostly we caught up with my old friends who I hadn't seen in a long time, which was quite nice. Also, Lou Malnati's Chicago-style pizza, mmm mmm.
