Chicago! Day 3

Our last day in Chicago began with leftover Deep Dish for breakfast. Cold and day-old, that pizza was still delicious!

Jamila and I headed out to the Wicker Park farmer's market, a small and good-vibes kinda market. There seemed to be a wedding party/picnic going on and that was sweet. Afterwards, Joe drove us to the Navy Pier, which, although it's touristy, was BEAUTIFUL. I didn't realize that there was a small beach in Chicago and how beautiful the water was. Navy Pier is also right next to Oprah Winfrey's huge apartment building, but we did not sight her. At Navy Pier, we met up with Zena, a Macalester classmate and former Cultural House housemate. She lives in Little Italy and met up with us. It was so hot and sunny, and the four of us found a cool fountain, which made for refreshment and people-watching.

After that, we headed to Eric's house for a 4th of July BBQ/ fireworks viewing party. Eric set up a wonderful party, but forgot lighter fluid for the fire, so it took a while to heat the grill up. But it finally worked and we made a great fire. I was the GrillMaster, an absolute honor. I held tongs and a spatula and pride and I may still smell like barbecue. There were burgers, different sausages, portabella mushrooms and lamb. It was delicious, and I kept taking bites of everything. After standing in the heat in front of the grill and eating so much, I was tired! But I made it to the fireworks before going back to Joe's to sleep. I should say that all of Joe's friends were so nice and welcoming to us and invited us back. Even though they were about ten years older than me, we had good conversations without any condescension. Yay!

We woke up early for an early MegaBus ride back. We slept for a lot of it and watched Night at the Museum and Ocean's Eleven on the rides. I had never seen either of those films before and they definitely entertained me. On both legs of the trip, we had bathroom lunch stops at fast food restauarants. It wasn't like a big stop with lots of options, but rather a lone McDonald's off the highway. People had no choice but to get fast food, which was frustrating and interesting. Food deserts are a serious problem and while I don't normally eat fast food so I didn't feel too awful about getting it once in a while, I felt saddened that many people do not have or do not know about their options for healthy food and fresh produce.

Anyway, I had an amazing time in Chicago. I met amazing people, got a real feel of the city and the vibes, and would love to go back. Who knows- I could even see myself living there someday! But for now, it's just a fabulous place to visit with dear friends and family.