Given the very unfortunate reality that spring break is gone, I now reminisce about my trip to Chicago. Every now and then, in between study sessions, I find myself scrolling through my photos and looking at my nearly 100 pictures of Chicago. I honestly feel like I might have “post-trip depression,” because I had such a good time over there that it was kind of a shock to transition from living the big city life to coming back to classes and having to force myself to lock in and do my long list of assignments. To some, it might sound like I am making a big fuss over Chicago, but something about Chicago brought me a nostalgic feeling.
In Chicago, I explored various dessert shops and had a lot of coffee, which is one of my top three favorite activities. I honestly don’t remember how many lavender vanilla lattes I had and how many pastries. I also went to the Starbucks Reserve, which was not only super big compared to regular Starbucks storefronts, but also had drinks and pastries that aren’t available at a normal Starbucks. I also went to “Jennivee’s Bakery & Cafe,” and I can say that this place had my favorite latte of the entire trip (a rose latte with honey foam). My second favorite drink and pastry were from “Tous les Jours”; I got a lavender vanilla latte with a croissant. These were some of my favorite pastries in Chicago. I will definitely go back the next time I visit.
Now let’s talk about the “main attractions.” Of course, I had to go look at the bean and explore downtown Chicago. When I first got to downtown, I immediately knew that I was going to love the city. The number of buildings that would overlap made me feel like I was in a literal movie scene, and the number of shops with outdoor seating was very new to me. As someone who was born and raised here in Fort Worth, we have a downtown, but it is much smaller than Chicago’s, which is one of the biggest cities in the United States.
Additionally, the variety of building designs was very impressive. Some buildings had traditional rectangular shapes, while others had a sort of triangular shape. I saw two that were shaped like a 3D squiggly line, and one that reminded my friends and me of corn on the cob. I appreciate all art, and I know that the designers were very intentional with their creativity, which really contributes to the overall feeling of Chicago.
I also went to see the bean twice, once in the morning and once at night. I recommend either waking up very early in the morning, when there are fewer people, or going at night, because the number of people decreases significantly. My friends and I went around 10 in the morning, and it was already very busy. As someone who loves aesthetics and taking pictures, I definitely preferred it when there were fewer people, because I was able to take more time to pose and get various shots until I was content with my pictures.
On a serious note, I visited DePaul University and the University of Illinois Chicago and learned about their intercultural center. The amount of support that is present on those campuses was pretty extraordinary because they are very open and public about specific topics, which is not the case back home. I also noticed that many students take the train to school, which is such a shock to me because I’ve never experienced heading to school on a train. Along with that, UIC is near downtown, and I think it would be a cool experience to go to campus and see a major city’s skyline from a distance. Additionally, DePaul University has one campus at “The Loop,” which is basically downtown. Once again, this comes as a shock to me, as I am used to Fort Worth, which is a small city compared to major cities in the US.
Overall, Chicago was a beautiful city in my eyes. I left Chicago feeling very nostalgic about the number of times I was mesmerized by the views, the number of lattes I had, the number of times we got stared at for laughing, and the number of times I found myself picturing a life there. Chicago is indeed the “Windy City,” and as someone who loves fall, the night, and rainy days, Chicago gave me the perfect vibes. I would definitely return another time after exploring more cities and countries. Because I like to try and be “mysterious” every now and then, where will Marichuy be traveling next?