paper planes & playground games.: i would have stayed.

Chicago was wonderful. To say the least.

Unfortunately, everything has to come to an end. It seemed like our trip ended much too soon.

Probably because it ended just two short days after it began.

Contrary to what I had expected, Chicago was beautiful. Upon arriving my opinions about the big city were that it was full of black people who were up to no good, that the traffic would be absolutely horrendous, and that I would immediately appreciate the fact that I literally live in the exact opposite surroundings.

That wasn't the case.

I was shocked when we arrived. There wasn't as much traffic as I thought, and there were just as many white people as black. It was definitely a lot different, but what wasn't to like?

It was fast paced. There was always something to look at. People were everywhere. The entire atmosphere was much different from anything I had ever experienced. But I loved it. I was happy.

& I would have stayed.

There were a lot of things that I really liked about Chicago.

- I really liked how there was so much going on in the city. It was so busy. Everywhere you looked there was something to see, someone to look at. Where I live all there is to look at are trees and fields and rocks and the sky. After a while, you've seen all there is to see. In Chicago, the sights were never ending.

-The city was rather intriguing. It was something different to look at. The lights were amazing. The buildings were enormous chunks of window covered metal towering over you. There were stores everywhere. Looking out of our hotel window at night easily took my breath away. It was beautiful.

However, being in Chicago made me realize the things I really love about living up north surrounded by nothing but the good ol’ outdoors.

-Chicago was frightening at times. Garret (my boyfriend) and I were walking down the Magnificent Mile checking things out and shopping a bit when a black man said to a woman, "No, you watch out. You be a pussy, you get f*cked!" It reminded me of the blatant disrespect people have for those they do not know. Where I live, everyone knows everyone, and hearing a thing like that is literally unheard of.

-The other thing I very much disliked about the big city was the fact that going out to eat turned into a journey all on its own. As I mentioned in my post previous to this one, I was very excited to go to Buffalo Wild Wings. I love Bdubs, it is my favorite restaurant. Unfortunately, my experience with Bdubs and Chicago did not go how I had hoped. My GPS said that it would take a mere 13 minutes to get there. It took 50 minutes just to get there through all the traffic, and then when we arrived, there was a half hour wait. We chose to wait because I love the restaurant so much. Finally, we were seated in a crowded room at a tiny table, surrounded by noisy, disrespectful people. After ordering our drinks and food we waited another half hour at least. By the time I got my food I was so pissed off I wanted to leave. It definitely made me thankful that at home if I want to go out to eat, I know that I will not have to drive for an hour watching out for crazy, terrible drivers. I know that when I arrive, there will be a place for me to park. And I know for sure that if I have to wait, it will only be for a short time and that my waitress/waiter will do her/his best to get my food to me as soon as possible.

Of course there is always bad accompanies the good. But I have to say, my experience in Chicago was amazing and I would DEFINITELY do it again.