Leaving Chicago

I spent the last six nights in Chicago.  I've been here several times before, so I didn't feel like I needed to spend all my time either sight-seeing or exploring the city with an eye towards living here, because I know it fairly well.  Instead, I spent most of my non-solitary time with friends, first Susan and Marc in Evanston, and lunch with Jim in the Southport neighborhood, then with Gino and Denise in Hinsdale.

Susan & Marc

I don't like all suburbs, but I liked Evanston.  There are L and Metra stops, and you can walk to places like shops, restaurants, and the public library.  The library was really nice, too.  It's where I camped for a few hours on the day I arrived, waiting for Susan to get home from work.

The cool mobile (is that what they are called?) in Evanston's library.

Chicago has great food, and I expect Iowa, my next stop, will generally have ... less-than-great food, so I ate out several times while I still knew I'd get something good.  Eating out is not a habit I want to continue for the rest of my trip, as the costs add up, but I don't regret doing it here.

Gino likes to vogue while waiting for his sushi.

A couple of this stop's highlights were seeing a play called Chinglish, which was written by the man who wrote M Butterfly, and which apparently is heading to Broadway soon.  (It was good -- I'd recommend it if you're in the Chicago area.)  And meeting yet another friend from The World of Warcraft, Kyllan (aka Vallingar).  It's pronounced KAI-lin, if you're wondering.  Not KILL-in'.  He's as fun in person as he is in the game.

Elevated pizza, to match the elevated trains.

My next stop, and the first "serious" stop on my trip is coming up next.  After one night in NE Iowa to see a friend, I'll be in Des Moines for about 5 nights, exploring the city with an eye towards possibly relocating there.  Des Moines is one of eight cities I plan to explore this way.  (Seven of the eight are places I've never been to).  I will mostly avoid tourist sites (museums, etc.) and will spend my time exploring neighborhoods, libraries, shopping options, diners, the public transportation, etc.  The things I'd have to deal with on a daily basis if I lived somewhere.  I like museums and orchestras and theaters, etc.  But I don't go to those every week.  My daily routine will affect my life far more than things like that, although I'd prefer to live in a place that has a fair amount of culture.

This part of my trip may be a completely failed experiment.  Either because all eight cities are crap and I'd never move there in a million years, or because it turns out I just can't learn anything about them by hanging out for a week, or because other aspects of life intervene -- like I can't get a job there or for other reasons decide to re-settle down in a city I already know.  But if nothing else, these eight stops will help anchor my tour of the US, and at worst should feel like eight mini-vacations within the bigger trip.  So the stops shouldn't be a waste of time overall, even if they don't result in me finding a new home.  More on what I'm looking for in a future post.