gnat's last love letter to chicago

dear chicago,

for two years i was lucky enough to call you home. at the beginning, i wasn't sure you were for me. i'll be honest chicago, we almost didn't make it, but i'm glad we stuck it out through the bad times. below i have listed in no particular order and with, i'm certain, some glaring omissions (you might notice that my girl guy is not on this list. that was not an accident.) many of the things that i loved most about you.

snowflakes. i still can't believe they're real.

being a regular at elly's, where the walls changed color and they always brought coffee as soon as i sat down.

millenium park by day,

and at night.

 

the chicago dog, dragged through the garden and for the love of the windy city...

...without ketchup.

 

throwing peanut shells on the ground and out the window at my favorite bar in chicago (the lodge).

the ugly chair.

snowpocalypse.

snowpocalypse,

snowpocalypse,

snowpocalypse.

the art institute.

happy hours at devon with eileen, which always meant two dozen oysters...

and occasionally a lobster...

because we are classy people like that. (and because it was cheap.)

smoke or fire on the millenium park lawn with the summer concert dream team - 

 

cara,

myself,

eileen,

and sean.

midwest tomatoes. holy crap are they amazing.

the el. even though my stop was underground.

the view from the signature room on top of the hancock tower.

 having a view of skyscrapers from the beach.

 showing up everywhere encrusted with ice between december and march.

 cupcakes from more. so, so many cupcakes from more.

most likely the best burger i have ever eaten, at kuma's corner.

 chagall's america windows,

 and the four seasons mosaic in chase tower plaza.

taking pictures in the reflection of the bean.

dying the river green. why? why not?

cheese on fire in greektown,

 

and at home!

random obama sightings (even when it means getting kicked out of the pedway).

cheesborgers at the billy goat. no fries, chips.

 taco tuesday and the (ever expanding) taco tuesday crew.

the way the city looks right after it snows.

being able to find my apartment from anywhere in the city by looking for the hancock tower.

my awesome roommates.

rod tuffcurls and the bench press at the cubby bear.

the view from the dusable bridge.

and of course, some of the most wonderful people anyone could ever hope to know: 

it wasn't always easy, chicago, but you were good to me and i will always love you. thank you for everything.

love,

gnat

and so ends gnat's chicago experiment. i'll be honest, there are a ton of excursions that just never made it onto the blog. i'm sorry, internets. you'll have to live without reading about the pedway pubcrawl that almost wasn't or my visit to the ukranian village. (i'm sure you'll be fine). 

tomorrow i'll be starting a new adventure - let's all hope it's as successful as this one was. (you can find out at transatlanticbug.blogspot.com!)

it's been fun, guys. really really fun.