Christmastime in Chi-Town

 

Gratitude 294
All of the below...except for the leaving Chicago part. ;)

Monday morning, my buddy Anthony and I practically froze our toes off waiting to catch the megabus to Chicago. So exciting!! :)  Approximately a 6 1/2 - 7 hr bus ride but SO worth it (and the price is right!). We chatted and gossiped and so many jokes along the way! And of course, we were the loudest people on the bus...i.e. no one else was talking whatsoever. haha!

Arrived downtown Chicago around dusk and had a little adventure trying to locate Katie and Bryan, who had come to meet us at Union Square Station. Anthony said when we began our adventure that morning that he liked traveling with me because I was so organized and took care of all the details. Well, he also found out as soon as we arrived in Chicago that part of traveling with me is going every direction BUT the one we were supposed to go in FIRST. I think it's funny and just go with the ridiculousness...and amazingly, so did he! We asked this dude if he knew where the entrance hall that we were looking for was, and he pointed us in the direction. We left before him, but somehow he was standing beside us, once again, as soon as we got off the escalator, pointing around the corner. We have no idea how he got there before us. Weird! haha!

Took the Metra out to Evanston, where Katie and Bry live, and had a lovely evening at their adorable chatting and catching up on life. (Seriously, their place is perfect. I love it. I'd live there in a snap!) Chicago-style deep-dish pizza from our voice teacher Lynn's favorite place, Carmen's. (Lynn is an alumna of Northwestern University, where Katie now studies...and hopefully I will as well...possibly...;)...more on that in a minute.)

Home Alone house :o

Tuesday took us to Northwestern University for a little looksy around...and a voice lesson with the lovely Ms. Sunny Joy Langton. :) Katie currently studies with her and arranged for me to meet and work with her for a bit. I observed Katie's lesson and then sang a little myself. She is such a sweetheart. :) The incredible difference in my high notes...and all capacities of my vocal range...over those mere 20-30 minutes was slightly startling. I'm beginning to discover exactly what my natural voice is and free the tones in my voice, creating that shimmery tapestry of overtones that a soprano must weave. :)

There's something about that place...not a "pulls-at-the-heartstrings" thing, like I [usually unfortunately] let myself be guided by. No, it's something different than all that. It's a sense; a sense of how somethings are simply meant to be. It's very difficult to explain in words and to an audience that is not just specifically me. And I won't even begin to try to explain the irony of the entire situation! Let's just say that if "signs" were dropped for me to follow, they were placed there. Literally in a physical sense. It's weird. That's the only word that can explain it. Not allowed to get too attached to anything, though, because nothing is known yet...

After our time at NU, we went into Chicago for the Christkindlmarkt, the German-style Christmas markets! LOVE IT! :) It was soooo cool. (And soooo cold! Windchill of -5°F...approx. -20°C for you folks on the metric system!) Glühwein, Bratwurst, Brezeln, Magenbrot...Yum! Got to practice my German a little, too, because everyone working there was German. Fun times! :)

A bitterly cold walk to the Trump Tower for drinks graciously provided my Ann and Carl McGookey at Rebar. (Thanks, guys! That was really sweet of you!) Then, The El back to Evanston. I must say, I really like the transportation systems of Chicago...which is really important in my life. ;)

Wednesday, Bryan had to work, so Anthony, Katie, and I went into Chicago without him for awhile to explore The Magnificent Mile. A cute hat from H&M (yes...actually a store we could afford! haha!), harassed by Santa in the Hershey store, Garret's caramel crisp popcorn, Starbucks Christmas blend coffee, and a nice rest in the hotel lobby where Starbucks happened to be located. Dinner in Evanston with Bryan, our own mulled wine, and a viewing of The Audition. 

I'd say, a lovely, much-needed, inspiring, and happy adventure. :) I've missed my Katie and Bryan. Also, Anthony has taken to calling me "Lucia" for some reason. So I guess that's my new name. Ridiculous! haha! Funny that he did this pretty much all of yesterday, which we found out last night happened to be St. Lucia Day... 

Now, I'm on my way back to boring ol' Ohio. *sigh*  How I wish I had not have had to leave Chicago... It is very simply a quintessentially "Samantha" city, and I could see myself living there very happily. Freezing cold winters, yes, but totally survivable! haha! I love the cold, anyhow. And actually, while we were on the CTA yesterday, I had this image/premonition of living there and leading my dad around the city as he freaked out about how many people there were and how "scary" it was. haha! He is definitely the complete opposite of a city slicker. But he would be coming to visit, along with the whole family. And he would survive!

Perhaps soon, I shall live there...perhaps... ;)