You may have noticed that I haven't made any grateful posts in a while. I'm hitting pause on my gratefulness challenge. I'm thrilled to see that others are taking it on. It really did make a difference for me. I loved the challenge and I may come back to it at some point.
Today, instead, I'd like to tip my hat to Chicago:
I cannot believe that it has been 10 years since we lived there. In some ways it feels like a lifetime ago and in others it feels like yesterday. In honor of being back to one of my favorite cities, I thought I’d test my memory. Here are a few of my favorite memories from the “second city.”
The chills. There are a lot of really great views of this city as you approach from the highway. The day that I drove into Chicago from Michigan as I was about to make Chicago my home, I caught a glimpse of the skyline and I instantly had the chills. It was so majestic and big and I couldn't believe I was going to be a part of it. What's fantastic is that I get those same chills every time I arrive here and I've driven and flown in a lot. I wondered if I would still feel that same way when I arrived last night and as the cab approached the city: I absolutely did.
Scott’s hug. This was my personal Cameron Crowe moment. My first credit union served Macy’s employees. We were based in Waterford, MI with offices in Chicago and Minneapolis. In my first summer working there I had the opportunity to go to our Chicago location. Scott and I knew each other from college, but hadn’t seen one another since graduation. I called him and let him know that I would be in town. We agreed to meet and have dinner and drinks. I walked out into the front of my hotel where we had planned to meet. The moment he saw me, he picked me and spun me around hugging me. My heart leaped. Scottie, that moment, that street, and Chicago will always have a piece of my heart.
Working in the State Street Macy’s store. I’m from a town of 7,000 people. We had to drive 90 minutes to get to a decent department store. Thus, having an office inside the flagship State Street store was really a treat. The windows at Christmas, the constantly changing seasons and styles. The discount. It rocked.
My first Chicago apartment. When I first moved to Chicago, I was not rolling in disposable income. I found a tiny little one-bedroom apartment on Southport Ave. It was somewhat dark and dingy. It was on the garden level and so I felt the need to keep my blinds closed most of the time in order to not be on display. It was a block and a half from the train station. It was about ten steps from “Southport Billiards and Lanes” which makes the best quesadilla (with pesto!), fries and gin & tonics I have had to-date. I loved living there.
Althea. Within two months of my arrival in Chicago Scott and I agreed that we would get a dog. We both loved dogs and thought it would be fun. Scott said that he wanted a beagle. My mom and I went to a place called, “Let’s Pet” that was five blocks from my little apartment. I wanted to find a Beagle that would cuddle me and also be willing to run with me. We both were hoping for a dog that might play Frisbee. I picked up a little mutt (Beagle mixed with Dalmatian) out of the mass of puppies. When I picked her up she snuggled right up to me. When I put her down, she jumped and ran and played with the other dogs. I instantly loved her. She moved into the tiny little apartment. She destroyed our comforters. She peed on the carpet. She ate our shoes and our clothes. She had more energy than any creature we had ever encountered. She fit right in. Today she’s one of the most traveled dogs around having made her way with us to Michigan, Connecticut and now New York. Love you Althea.
“Crazy.” When my yearlong lease came up, Scott and I made plans to move in together. We hunted around and found a place just slightly north of my first apartment. It was the top floor of a divided house. It had two bedrooms and one bathroom. It had recently been renovated. It was bright with big windows and hardwood floors. The kitchen was huge. We signed the lease and were introduced to the stepson of the owner who lived in the basement of the house and would be “managing” the apartment. As we introduced ourselves and Scott and Tansley he chuckled a bit and said, “Hi, I’m Crazy.” He wasn’t kidding. He was short and scruffy and in his mid-forties. He wore a lot of black leather including hats, vests and pants. During the two years that we lived there he earned his name. I watched him slice the tires of someone that “took his parking spot” (a street parking space that could not be reserved). He set up a television in front of the house and would sit watching sports as though it were his living room. He even spent some time in jail and his girlfriend and her son were left living in the little apartment in the basement. I will never forget Crazy.
Sex & the City. When Sex & the City started on HBO, Scott & I were living in Crazy’s place. Our friends Thomas and Sarah lived a few blocks away. Sarah and I started doing “Sex & the City” nights on Sundays. We perfected making Cosmopolitans and watched the 30 minute show most weeks. We weren't New Yorkers, but we were relatively small town ladies living in the city. It resonated. It was a great show and a great way to spend a Sunday night. I still have fun watch the re-runs whenever I catch them. Plus, I can now make a mean Cosmo.
Pub Crawls. Scott & Thomas started a pub-crawl on St. Patty’s Day. They mapped it out so that we started downtown and ended near our respective apartments. The plan was to have a beer at each pub. It was probably one of our most visited weekends from our friends and loved ones outside of Chicago. We’d start with a relatively large group and by the end there were very few left. It was a fabulous tradition.
Walking home in the snow in heels. As much as I loved living here, the winters could be brutal. One year there was a very big snowstorm and although I successfully got on the train to get home, the service was interrupted within minutes of boarding and everyone had to get off the train and find another way home. There were no cabs to be found. While the actual mileage from my office to our apartment was only six miles, I was not wearing sensible shoes (4 inch heels) and the snow was almost to my knees in places. I walked the rest of the way home. My toes were frozen and my shoes were wrecked, but I survived.
Potbelly. There was a Potbelly sandwich shop just a block from the State Street Macy’s where our credit union was housed. When I would go out for lunch most days there would be lines out the door. I looked at that line in wonder for months thinking: “who in their right mind would wait in such a line for lunch?” Eventually I started paying closer attention the line and realized that the pace of the line was unbelievably fast. One day I took a chance and got in line. It moved extremely quickly. They had a system: they’d yell to the folks way in the back for their orders and get them going. It reminded me of the “no soup for you” Seinfeld episode: you had to pay attention to not frustrate folks. Better than the speed was the taste. Potbelly quickly became one of my favorite sandwiches and lunch spots. Who can beat warm cheese, bread and pickles?
Our wedding. It’s near the top of my list of memories, but it’s much too long a story for this list. The full details will have to be another post on another day. But on September 7, 2002 in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple in Oak Park we were married and we celebrated with our family and friends atPops for Champagne afterwards. A glorious day.
The Chicago Distance Classic. I started doing a fair amount of racing when we lived in Chicago. One of my all time favorites was a half-marathon called the “Chicago Distance Classic.” It was a great race because it was right on the lakefront in Chicago. It was a brutal race because it was in the middle of July. One year I nearly thought I would die with the heat and humidity. The biggest challenges always make for the best memories.
The Chicago Marathon. My very first marathon. I had no idea what I was getting myself into: how much I’d love it and how much I’d hate it all at once. It was the start of my progression into becoming a stronger runner that eventually lead to me attaining my goal to run the Boston Marathon. The support of my parents, my aunt Judy and uncle Harry, my cousin Danielle and Scott were amazing.
There are many more memories, but those are just a few. Cheers to this great city. I'm going to go take a run by the lake!
