Thursday, the last day of the Chicago trip!
We woke up early, packed our things (well, I packed, everyone else packed the night before like responsible young adults) and took the sheets off our beds, then we left!
We took a bus down to Union Station and found a big locker to put all of our bags in until we could come back for our train. Then we called K's cousin (a Chicago native who lives in Wicker Park) so she could come pick us up and give us a tour of her neighborhood (a possible place for college grad's to live).
She drove us around and showed us the different kinds of apartments and told us about where the crime is (on one side of the traffic light, not on the other), and where the dog parks are, and where the best artsy places to check out were. Wicker Park is definitely a nice, pleasant neighborhood. Everyone has a dog, and they're allowed everywhere, even in the shops. The apartments are nice, and she said they aren't too expensive. However, my best friend has informed me that Wicker Park and Lakeview (which is the other neighborhood we all loved) are the most expensive places to live. So I have some research to do.
We ate outside at a nice diner, and then Katie Mac's cousin dropped us off to shop and take the El back to the Amtrak station. We checked out some vintage shops, still looking for my dress for summer auditions. We were stopped by a camera crew after our 1st shop. They were looking for some extra actors to stand in line at a restaurant they were filming for a Best of Chicago segment. We did a couple takes before they finally thought they had it. There were 3 guys, and they were all extremely nice and we got a card so we could be notified when it airs. So we continued to shop, but it was only about 5 minutes before one of the men came in and told us they had technical difficulties and needed us to do it again! So we got to go back out and do a couple more takes, which was fun! It made me love Chicago that much more.
We eventually found a vintage shop that had my perfect dress, a nice blue one, which I purchased. Then we ran to an old bookshop we had wanted to see. We spent 10 minutes (in which I purchased 2 plays) and then ran to the El to make it to our train station.
Of course, it was Easter Weekend so everybody was waiting for their train and we were delayed an hour. Then we were delayed more on the track because a freight train was delayed in our way. And then we were so behind that all the trains that were on time had the right of way, so we had to wait on them. I didn't mind the longer train ride because it gave me more time to sleep before I had to drive everyone back home!
Our 5 hour train ride turned into about 7 hours. We made it back home around 2:30 AM and I fell asleep right away. I woke up in the morning just in time to spend the weekend at K's house in the country!
I thought Chicago was absolutely amazing. I honestly didn't expect to like the city that much, and I thought it would be very similar to New York. But the people were polite, helpful, and nice. It was easy to navigate, and the art scene was so exciting. I loved the neighborhoods and could honestly see myself living there eventually. I could also see myself on a stage in that city someday. So many of the actors were so young! The neighborhoods also seemed friendly and there was always a lot to do in the surrounding areas. All in all, it's a very possible choice for an after graduation situation.
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