IMHO

Chicago

Darn it, I miss Chicago. Squirrels, scorching summer, and all. The parents are heading there on Thursday for my little sister's graduation from her medical residency program, and I'd been planning on going...except that both the parents are going, and we have to man the fort, and I didn't have enough money soon enough, and...

All of sudden, the cash kitty I intended to use for this year's US trip has come in, but a little too late. Probably just as well, because I've put my filofax in God's hands and He's been pencilling in my schedules lately - Chicago in June doesn't seem to be in the Master Plan. Been a little spoiled in the travel arena the last several weeks, so I think it would be pushing it...plus, I have another couple of local trips lined up before the summer wraps, so it's all good.

But...

Darn. I looked at Metromix, my "bible" of a Chicago guide, again tonight, and my heart went into overdrive. I love that city. I miss that city (in case I haven't mentioned it yet). I loathed some of the time I spent there (must have been all that trash TV and the windy chill that hurt my ears and neck, not to mention borderline depression!), but I still love Chicago. More than any other city in the US, safe to say. How to explain it?

I love the lake, the lakeshore, Lakeshore Drive. I remember when I first saw it with H: "THAT'S a LAKE?!?" It looked more like the ocean to me! That's how huge Lake Michigan is - it stretches as far as the eye can sea and beyond. Whenever I'd drive past, I almost rammed into the car in front of me because I couldn't take my eyes off the water. The funny thing is, I'm the same way with Manila Bay - the architecture around which is set up exactly the same way Lakeshore Drive is, Buckingham fountain included, because the same architect (Daniel Burnham) designed both areas. How cool is that? No wonder I felt right at home.

Home. I loved how I came to know the ins and outs of Chicago like the back of my hand, mostly c/o Mapquest. Halsted, Devon, State, the Loop, Magnificent Mile...almost like EDSA, Quezon Avenue, Tandang Sora, and Maginhawa to me! And I loved how I could drive anywhere (getting lost in and out of the city more than once) I wanted on my Pinoy license, heh heh...

I loved the festivals in Lincoln Park - the Gospel festival, which I wept over (the rains kept me away from Anointed, boo hoo); the Blues fest; the Jazz fest...argh, at least my Dad will get to see all those things for the first time. All those plus the squirrels, which I abhor. They're just rats with long, fluffy tails. Yuck.

I loved the Botanical Gardens. And the Art Institute. Despite the fact I am terribly retarded when it comes to both plants and art. But I know what I like when I see it, and I liked.

I loved the people - not too urbane as to be threateningly snooty, and not too "backwardly" Midwestern, but just right and just friendly enough. And of course, I love the bunch of relatives and "relatives" I have down there - they're absolute darlings.

Argh! I'm killing myself. I promised myself I'd go at least once a year, and I already missed 2004, so I'd better get going in the next few months. Anyway, if the bank account holds and God wills it, I hope to be there in the fall. And maybe the winter, to finally see some snow up close and personal. For a seasoned world traveler, that's the one thing I haven't come across (fortunately, or otherwise), so I hope to meet some snowflakes this time around.

Man, I love Chicago. Arrrrrrrrrrrgh. :-)

posted by Honey Oliveros @ 9:29 PM