5 New Things I’ve Tried in Chicago and Loved

Okay so it was hard to narrow this list down to five that didn’t include talking about the restaurants and food I’ve been trying. That I will save for another blog post because it would be 10,000 words and I want to be able to talk about other things than food! Chicago is such an incredibly diverse, growing city that I think brings out the personal growth in my life that has led us to these five things!

Bike Riding

I fully credit Peloton (in fact sometimes I skip the Peloton and just get outside) for this. I would have never even considered biking riding in Chicago without that conditioning. My friends here all ride their bikes and convinced me to overcome (my unknown) apprehension when it came to renting a Divvy bike. One Sunday afternoon we all wanted to and now it’s become a weekly, if not more, habit! My friend Melissa and I rode our bikes to Sephora on Michigan avenue and got to choose our own adventure(s) on the way home. It was the perfect way to get some distance from my work mode so I could be a more present person in my personal life.

Riding a bike downtown or along the lake has been one of the most healing things I’ve done. It’s my favorite way to say goodbye to the weekend, a late Sunday afternoon ride. Sometimes I feel like if I just don’t get off the bike the weekend won’t end. (I may be willing to test out this theory soon. I’ll let you know if I somehow extend Sunday.) Yes, it can be intimidating to ride on the road, especially in heavy traffic. Yes, I know it’s dangerous. But honestly being alive comes with inherent danger and the reward is really worth it.

You can catch my Sunday afternoon rides on Instagram!

P.S. If you’re planning to visit Chicago soon, don’t plan on taking an Uber or Lyft, it’s about $30-40 to go 1-2 miles, one way, no matter what time of day it is. You’ll want to ride or take the el! You can easily get on the train from the airport. Ridesharing is extremely limited and thus, availability is unreliable.

Baseball Games

Anyone who’s been with me in real life at a baseball game is shocked reading this. I hate the actual sport of baseball. It’s slow, hot, boring and I have yet to find a single thing I’ve liked about it. I went to a Royals game in KC and my friend and I STILL laugh about that experience. So even I was shocked when I said I would go to a Cubs baseball game.

I think it was the most perfect night for it. It was warm but we were in the shade, the sunset was gorgeous and quickly cooled us all out. We played our rivals and swept them. The Chicago dogs had the perfect mustard to sport pepper ratio. It was over in eight innings and was high-scoring. Bases loaded. Go Cubs Go was played majestically as we all filed out of Wrigley. I couldn’t tell you a single thing that happened in the game but I know the food that was consumed, the price of a Diet Pepsi (ugh, we all know I’m a Diet Coke or Vanilla Coke Zero person) and that we flew the W. (No one flies a L which seems a bit like we need to have some fairness.)

I loved my experience, not sure how often I’ll go back but if family or friends are in town I’ll definitely not be opposed to going again. (Update: I wrote this and six hours later had tickets to a Sunday game.)

Espresso Martinis

“Espresso martinis are just martinis that studied abroad and won’t shut up about it.”

I noticed a very strong and specific theme the first few times I went out in Chicago. Espresso martinis. I don’t like normal martinis nor do I like espresso so really none of this should make sense. But then I had one during a dinner and it has quickly become my summer drink of choice. Almost everywhere in Chicago has them and if you’re at a decent place, even if they don’t have it on the menu, the bartender will make you one. (One bartender was attempting to flex so he proudly had the staff run back to the kitchen to get like… a nut to slightly grate over the top just to showoff.) (Another used their own coffee creamer which is definitely not code but got the job done.)

Oh and no one waits for the dessert course. We start and end with them. I once watched the table next to me do four total rounds of espresso martinis from start to finish. This seems like a good time to reminder you that there is INDEED espresso in there that can keep you amped up.

Fewer Things… More Experiences

Kansas did not offer me experiences and I discussed this in therapy. While others may have enough opportunity and experiences for them, it was not enough for me. I had outgrown Wichita to the point of disdain and loathing (present tense), particularly for the lack of experiences as a life-long resident I was struggling with. So my money was spent on things. The high of buying *things* is what my money went towards.

There’s a few factors merging into this “new” for me.

• The cost of living is much higher and I’m focused on more foundational things now that I’m downtown.
• The unlimited access to incredible experiences that abound daily, in the most unexpected of ways. Walking around my neighborhood to the dog park or the coffee shop offer so much and it’s free.
• I’m sick and tired of moving stuff that I don’t use.
• There is no place to store stuff unless you want to pay for storage.
• Practicing gratitude (see below).

Practicing Gratitude and Content

Following up on fewer things and more experiences I’ve been actively practicing a mindset of gratitude and content with what I have. My friend and I were talking about our shift from things to experiences and we had a little wish list of items we wanted and then she said, “But what’s the point? Who cares what I’m wearing to the dog park? I don’t need something new just to prove something.”

In Wichita I felt like I could slightly rise to the top so I bought it in and played that game. In Chicago, it’s absolutely overwhelmingly not possible to feel like I will and I am okay with this. There will always, always be someone who has more money and in this town it surrounds me. For me, being surrounded by this is better than me feeling like I have a chance to be in that “top.” There is nothing I truly need right now that will enhance my life long-term. Short-term? Eh, there’s a lot of stuff I want, but will not long-term impact my happiness.

There is always, always someone that is going to pass me with a bag from Gucci and Burberry (I live very close to them) and I am thrilled for them. I don’t know their story and they don’t know mine. There will always be bigger and better, it’s my time to practice understanding what is mine and how to appreciate it.

On the weekends I often have to remind myself that I truly have what I need. (Why oh WHY are weekends so expensive?!) I have the energy that I need and the physical items. I am content with what I have and am grateful for it.

If you want to learn more about my Chicago adventures you can check out this, this or this blog post!