Chi-City

Just this past weekend I took a trip to The Windy City a.k.a. Chicago, IL. I have discovered that Chicago is a beautiful city filled with art museums, clubs, taxis, and plenty of things to do. However, with all the buildings and activities that are present the city is far from perfect. Although parts of the city are beautiful, trash is almost guaranteed from corner to corner. Upon my departure from the city that seems to never sleep, I must say I enjoyed myself and I have found three things that intrigued me; transportation, the people, and the buildings.
The transportation in Chicago is vast ranging from taxis to subways, from buses to walking for your own personal pleasure but I recommend taking the train above ground if you want to avoid the hectic rush. I realize the subways are normally dark, and if you smell hard enough you can detect a lingering smell of liquor or garbage. Also, it seems that every taxi in the city is different; they range from yellow to white, and vans to cars. Each night, Michigan Avenue is filled with people, and activities to partake in to those passing as they walk by observing. If you decide to walk in the city, I suggest you walk with a group of friends or at least another person after dark since there are gangs that are rumored to be present.
While walking through the Windy City, expect to turn down pleads for change from the occasional pan handler, or expect to be bumped by someone on a crowed street without an apology. Around 5:00pm if you walk through the federal district, you most likely will run into an army of work tired zombies leaving the office. The ‘suits’ as they are called all seem to be in unison as they walk with their Bluetooth earpiece in, or phones to their ear. Nighttime is when things get good in the inner city, dozens of people pour into fine dining restaurants and jazz clubs. I watched as couples sneaked away from the work week to hit the movie theaters to catch the latest movie released. The Club doors open to ages 18 and up and you can see the women in the line waiting in anticipation. Dressed in slim black dresses, accessorized with shiny bracelets and earrings, the entourages of ladies wait to enter the club with the DJ’s voice carrying outside.
The buildings in the inner city are all magnificent and vary in sizes. The Sears Tower is a natural tourist attraction, which provides a five to ten mile view of the rest of the city. I observed a father as he picked his daughter up and placed her over his shoulders so she could share the experience with the rest of us as we glanced over south Chicago. Of course there were buildings under construction, as well as other buildings that were covered with graffiti on the inside throughout the halls, and fire exits. The apartment building we stayed in was completely remodeled from the luxurious suites to the heated pool, and was blessed with a top notch security guard in the lobby. If you are lucky enough to stay in a room high enough and facing the direction towards downtown, you might see a beautiful burnt orange and passion red sunset glowing off of the Trump Towers downtown.
The city of Chicago—this is where I stayed twenty three stories above the ambulance sirens, and noise of the cars whizzing by. Chicago—where I realized that no city is perfect but holds it own beauty. As I loaded onto the bus to return back home, I felt as if I were leaving a part of me behind that would await for my return to ‘The Windy City’. A smile made its way to my face, and I waved…goodbye.