Well, I made it to Chicago. I am safely installed in my little apartment and just trying to get my bearings. Honestly, I'm exhausted. Virtually no sleep last night (due to anxiety) made the drive that much more difficult. But I am here so I had better make the best of it. I do miss Critter and our doggies terribly. I am heartsick without them around, even Critter--who is rarely home anyway.
I took a long walk this afternoon down to the atelier. I'll definitely be riding the bus occasionally. It's only 2 miles, but felt much longer in the heat. Glad I brought my hiking shoes!
I discovered that I am located in the Mayfair Park area on Chicago's northwest side. I think the neighborhood is officially Albany Park, but I saw street banners proclaiming Mayfair Park, so I looked it up. It's really a great neighborhood and wonderfully diverse: Mexican, Peruvian, Korean, etc.
Some of the street corners along Lawrence Ave (one of the main drags) have small, intimate park bench seating with well-kept flowers. Very nice to soothe sore feet. I met an older, retired gentleman on my walk. We were walking near each other for awhile and he said, "It's a great day for a walk." I agreed and added that I was thankful for the breeze, too. I went along on my way to find the atelier and on my way back, I spotted him again sitting on a bench near a bed of lovely flowers. I called out to him, asking how his walk had been. He mentioned that since retirement he got himself a pedometer and tracks his walking each day. He averages around 30,000 steps a day! Put my poor sore feet to shame. He said he had been down to Eli's Cheesecake earlier and that's quite a walk. I told him I was new around here and didn't know where that was, so he kindly gave me directions. He pulled out a flyer from the restaurant that listed summer events and showed me that there is a farmer's market every Thursday, beginning this upcoming week. I'm so excited. I'll be able to get fresh fruit on Thursday mornings, plus get my gazillion steps in to boot.
I want to mention how nice everyone has been to me so far in this city. It is a friendly place. I parked my car a few blocks from the apartment and the man who rented the spot to me was so kind. He pointed out where I could catch the bus and the Blue Line. He made me feel much less nervous about everything. He said that this is a great city and he hopes that I enjoy my stay. So far, despite my anxiety, I am enjoying it pretty well.
I also want to say how grateful I am to the atelier student who kindly sublet his apartment to me this summer. It is lovely. Granted, I feel like I'm in college again, which isn't the greatest feeling, but I have a safe place to rest in a really charming neighborhood. I also want to thank the student's mother for contacting me with lots of info about the apartment and neighborhood, and for helping to make the place spotless. It is such a relief to have a nice and clean place to stay while I am here.
Dinner tonight was at Taqueria Morelia not far from the apartment. I had tacos al pastor and they were truly delicious. Dare I say they were better than what I can get in Detroit's Mexicantown? If they weren't better, it was a very close tie. They were served with onions and cilantro, as well as a particularly delectable verde sauce. I'll definitely go back there for fine eats.
On my way home from dinner, I noticed a sign advertising Lobster Gram. What?!? It's kind of like a lobster warehouse. Across the street from my apartment. So, if anyone is hankering for lobster, I guess I can hook you up.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day, so I'll be out and about a little more. I'll be sure to start taking photos and drawing so that I can add them to these updates. It is somewhat cumbersome updating via phone, so bear with me.
No comments:
Post a Comment