Via Chicago

When I first visited the United States in 2005, I had to omit a stop in Chicago due to a lack of both time and money. After learning that the entire U.S. goes on holiday over the Thanksgiving weekend, I figured that this might be a good opportunity to take the trip north and leave my mice in the care of one of my superiors (thanks Tom!) for a few days. Being the home of Wilco, and the setting for Saul Bellow’s The Adventures of Augie March, and having the largest Polish population outside Warsaw, not to mention the astounding architecture, Chicago has been a place I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. I have to admit that after getting used to the slow pace and old-school manners of Atlanta, I was actually quite anxious about whether the enormity and ruggedness of Chicago would agree with me. Almost as soon as I got there though, these concerns were pretty much forgotten. I also have to say an enormous thank you to the lovely Daz for putting me up (and putting up with me) during my stay, at what was a hectic time for him, as well as his friends for being so welcoming and hospitable. I don’t think that kicking off my Sunday morning with a glass of red to celebrate Kevin Rudd’s election victory would have been quite the same if I had been on my own…

Honestly, I’ve never been so enamoured with a city – and being there at a time when it was averaging 0oC/32oF during the day, with the kind of wind that blows right through you, and rain that’s so cold it stings your face, only added to the romance and rugged beauty of this city. They say that Chicago is a city of neighbourhoods, such as the largely Ukrainian Wicker Park, the yuppy Lincoln Park, and Hyde Park, with the latter being populated largely by academics and students from the University of Chicago. I was lucky enough to be based in Hyde Park, which with its rows and rows of apartment blocks, and tree-lined streets, is a far cry from the grey of the downtown Loop area, so-called because of the elevated train tracks that surround it. The perimeter neighbourhoods are also especially pretty at this time of year, with the beautiful yellows and golds of the falling leaves littering the nature strips.






But probably the best fun to be had whilst in Chicago – especially if you have an (albeit amateur) interest in architecture and photography is to go for a jaunt downtown. The main street, Michigan Avenue, is more or less divided into two – North and South – by the river. Going north (which is one thing I’ve had to get used to in the U.S. – whenever anyone gives you directions, they never talk in terms of streets or street numbers, but in terms of north, east, south or west) on Michigan, you hit the famous Magnificent Mile, which is a glorified shopping strip full of upmarket stores and fancy labels. Needless to say, I feasted my eyes on the buildings and streetscapes and stuck largely to window shopping instead.










I only intended to spend an hour or two at the university campus, but ended up spending nearly half a day in the place. On the way there, walking down Woodlawn Avenue, are two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous designs, Robie House and Isidore Heller House – both of which are now recognised as important architectural landmarks and apparently typify Wright’s building style.




The university campus itself is full of Gothic-inspired buildings, and looks rather deceptively old. I was disappointed to find out that a lot of the buildings were actually built around the 1890s and very deliberately made to emulate the Gothic style. Nonetheless, these structures are still pretty imposing…and slightly off the topic, the squirrels here are certainly more tubby than the ones in Atlanta…my theory is that it’s because of the far more extreme cold so they need more fat reserves for the winter. Maybe??












One thing that’s also definitely worth doing while in Chicago is taking one of the many architectural walking tours that are on offer. The guides are all volunteers who just happen to have an interest in the buildings and the history of the city. Our guide had grown up in Chicago and lived there all his life, and so was able to give us heaps of trivia not only with regard to some of the well-known buildings, but the general history of the area, and how it relates to the way things are now. Another perk of going on one of these walking tours is that it can get you inside places you might otherwise not have access to on your own...






At Thanksgiving dinner, we had to go around the table and state some of the things we were thankful for. Amongst a bunch of 20-somethings, it wasn’t something that we were taking entirely seriously at the time, with no one wanting to get too heavy and solemn. But after visiting the great city, and with the time for me to come home for graduation and Christmas fast approaching, I feel immensely grateful for the opportunities I’ve had this year – particularly in the latter half that I’ve spent abroad. Even though the actual origin of Thanksgiving in the U.S. is slightly dubious, the idea of occasionally stepping back, taking stock and being grateful for what one has is still kind of nice.