Living in the city

Moving back to Chicago has been a lifelong dream. I grew up in a first-ring suburb, eight miles from downtown. I rode the train with my mom to Marshall Field’s and the Art Institute. My school field trips were to the big museums and ornate theaters. My dad took me to ball games at Wrigley Field because he was a Cubs fan and so was his father. Both my parents grew up in the city. My maternal grandparents met here. My grandfather drove a brewery wagon, worked for Marshall Field, and became a legendary car mechanic servicing the autos of some of the city’s most notable denizens.

I dreamed as a young girl that I would live in Lincoln Park in one of the vintage brick courtyard apartment buildings. I found something even better. I live in Hyde Park, home to the 1892 Exposition with the White City, the Midway, and designed by Daniel Burnham. I can walk to Lake Michigan, the Museum of Science and Industry, and soon, the Obama Presidential Library. The University of Chicago is near as is Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House. This location combines my love of a university environment, great architecture, walkability, and amazing residential diversity. Who doesn’t love a tree-lined street? This is my street.

I’m anxious to explore the city, but I’ve had to deal with the whiplash of moving out of my Airstream, no longer living in campgrounds at state and national parks, and trading in the west coast for the midwest. My head is still spinning. I ended my Airstream adventure and packed everything in my pickup truck – including Inky the wonder cat. See my last post – The End of the Line. We drove 2000 miles from Seattle to Chicago. I found and bought a condo in the next six weeks while I stayed with a friend I’ve known since we were itty-bitty kids here in Chicago. Who else would put up with a house guest for that long? I moved in a week ago and have been trying to figure it all out while just sitting back and admiring my new adventure.

I decided that having a car, especially my big pickup truck was not going to work in a place where parallel parking is essential. I can parallel park the truck – thanks to skills I learned in Camden, NJ and Philadelphia. But I can’t do the move for street sweeping and snow plows, driving around the block a dozen times to find a spot, and hoping my catalytic converter doesn’t disappear. I sold it yesterday. It was bittersweet. I sat in that truck for 83,500 miles driving all around the country. It was a sad goodbye but a source of freedom too. I have a train (not an el) 2 blocks away that will take me to the city. I have numerous buses nearby that will take me to many different parts of the city. Within a four block walk in several directions I have Whole Foods, Target, Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, CVS and Walgreens, Ace Hardware, Office Depot and dozens of restaurants and eateries. I can’t wait to try Virtue which just won another James Beard award. It’s a couple of blocks away. One of the things I knew I would need is a cart. I can’t carry everything, so enter my bubbie cart. When I was a kid, most women had one. My mom was a trailblazer and rode a bicycle with saddle baskets. No cart for her, lol. I think my biking days are over, so I am joining the pushcart brigade.

Furniture is the other major issue. I am using my camp chair and camp table as my writing space. I have a proper desk chair coming next week. My window overlooks the street and gets the morning light. I couldn’t be happier. The other furniture purchases are a bit of an issue. Remember, I had a lounge seat about 4 feet long in my Airstream. I have waaaaaay more space in this living room, so I bought a big comfy chair with a big storage ottoman. I also bought a huge couch with a chaise – also with storage, and a pop up cushion that turns the entire piece into a rectangle for lounging or sleeping. Well, they’re huge. My sense of scale thought my space was bigger and that the furniture was smaller. It’s going to be fine. There is no shortage of seating here, so plan a visit!

I decided to change the title and theme of this site in keeping with a new adventure. I won’t be driving and camping around the country. I’ll be walking and riding mass transit around Chicago. I taught urban studies, politics, and planning for over 30 years as a university professor. I’ve been to every major city in the US and most in Canada. Chicago has always remained my favorite place. I return to where it all started and hope to see the city newly. I’ve never really left, though. I’ve been back to visit nearly every year since I left when I was 14. I love this place that much. If you came to follow my Airstream exploits, I hope you’ll stay to see a new kind of adventure in the city. I have a laundry list of places to explore and enjoy. Here is a not-so-flattering photo of me looking for real estate on Michigan Avenue in front of the iconic Tribune Tower (which ironically has been turned into luxury condos).

I’ll be tweaking this site to make the transition as I figure out what I want it to be. You can still find it at coast2coast.blog because I’m too cheap to buy another domain, lol. At first I was not thrilled with the orange color, but orange is the color of the sacral (second) chakra. That chakra – Svadhishthana or Svadhisthana is about letting go of fear and feeding your creativity, ideas, and desires. The home page picture is the view from my place. Can’t quite see the lake, but it’s there. You can expect to see me at a Cubs game soon, Millenium Park, the Lake, and who knows where else. Hop aboard!