This is my friend Hannah. For lack of a better way to put it, Hannah is totally and completely wonderful. I can easily say she was my first real friend in college…don’t get me wrong, I’m now very real friends with people I met before we introduced ourselves, but she was the first person who I actually considered to be a real friend. We met each other in a time when we were both seeking someone who felt the way we did–scared, excited, sometimes the butterflies kind and sometimes the cry yourself to sleep at night kind. Hannah is the friend who came to the airport and drove me back 4 hours later, just so I could get a 3 hour nighttime nap in a real bed.
I don’t remember how many weekends ago it was, but I was lucky enough to get an easy ride down to Chicago. (Thanks Tyler!…Actually I’m the one that drove to Chicago, but it wasn’t my vehicle so technically Tyler gave me the ride.)
I’ve been to Chicago on three separate occasions now, and I get a different taste of it each time I visit.
The first time, it was winter and it was cold and we mostly toured downtown, seeing the major sights and climbing the Sears Tower (via elevators, and is it the Willis Tower now?) and basically just being tourists.
The second time, it was fall and it was warm and we were watching the Chicago Marathon. My Calvin Grey hated me that day, I turned it a shade darker (or maybe more than one) with my sweat…I actually think I have hyperhidrosis, ask any of the girls on the team…anyways, we chased marathoners around and I got to run the streets of Chicago. Less sight-seeing that day, but a cool experience none-the-less.
I guess I also went to Chicago-ish with my roommate for Easter freshman year…we toured Wheaton and made a pit stop in Naperville to watch a race via periscope, but I guess that felt less like Chicago and more like just another town.
This time, which is technically the fourth time now that I think about it, I got to see a little bit of downtown and a little bit of Des Plaines. We toured downtown one afternoon–and walked a reallyyyy long ways in the heat–and the second afternoon was just a bike ride and drive around Des Plaines, the suburb Hannah lives in. I was totally a tourist and took a ton of photos on our downtown day, so I might just let the photos do the talking. (Shoutout to VSCO for the cool edits and filters.)
I don’t know why, but I have such a fascination with subways. I always see them in movies, but I rarely ride them so every time I do, I feel like I should turn around and see Captain America sulking in the back with his ball cap and sunglasses.
Just a city girl…
We walked down the Riverwalk first…
…and so did a lot of other people. I’m not used to the crowds.
Art makes a nice playground, I think.
I just love water.
The only successful bean-reflection photo we took!
Someone called this “the second best bean in Chicago” while with Mich and I think it was the best VSCO caption ever, so now this is forever the second best Bean in Chicago.
We had just noticed the heat and there were children playing in the fountain and I definitely wished I was 5 again so I could get wet and have it still be acceptable.
This city is growing on me.
THIS EXISTS??
We went in just to see what it looked like and what you could eat…I really wanted ice cream and as we were walking out I saw someone with Nutella gelato and I think my taste buds evaporated they got so excited.
If I follow this all the way to Michigan will it bring me to Reeds?
That bathroom was cool…the floor was sticky though. @roti
I made Hannah go back and get some with me…I think it was actually the best cold dessert I have ever eaten.
Macy’s
The best gumballs in Chicago.
No, I didn’t absolutely freak out over everything in the little kid section…
…okay, maybe a little bit…
We questioned whether or not this was a lamp and Hannah said it looked like one of those things in the hair salon and I told her to put her head under it and this happened…
Hannah is Squad Goals. (also I almost bought this pillow.)
A Macy’s employee was following us around by this point, but how on earth would two blonde girls like us manage to steal a table?
Thanks for letting me be a tourist and take literally all of the silly pictures…
I need more fancy clothes so I can eat at fancy places like this.
Is it possible to be drunk on dehydration?
I actually am incapable of taking a normal selfie without sticking out my tongue…
High on the city.
Every time I come back I like this city just a little bit more.
It was worth walking the extra while to see the fountain against this sky.
Sunsets and city skylines.
In another life I would love the nightlife.
Chicago is starting to grow on me. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but every time I go back it feels a little more normal, a little more appealing, a little more like a place and a little less like a over-crowded fairytale.
Thanks for giving me the complete Chicago-experience Hannah! Hopefully I’ll come back soon.
chicago. This is my friend Hannah. For lack of a better way to put it, Hannah is totally and completely wonderful.