Kroll Report 8

This past weekend was Family Weekend at Coe. A lot of my friends were expecting their family and friends to come visit them and were some felt it necessary to talk about it all week. My family members were unable to make it to family weekend and the idea of a trip away from Coe came up. Ryan and Shade and I started throwing ideas around about making a weekend trip Chicago. I applied to go to Chicago for Fall Break through the Academic Achievement Program but the trip was cancelled due to a lack of applicants.

We left Friday afternoon and headed to the city. We also left without any sort of plan, so there's that. We said we would find a hotel when we got there but in reaching complete euphoria while driving straight through Chicago, we lost our plan. We parked and started walking. We found the Bean. We found the Chicago theatre. We found a two story Walgreens and it was probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

We obviously looked like the worst kind of tourists taking pictures of everything in sight. It was slightly embarrassing. Yet, the way some people chose to present themselves in the city was probably really embarrassing for them. So it was all fine.

After seeing the heart of downtown Chicago we decided food was a good idea. Since the restaurant we planned on eating on would take about 90 minutes to walk to we decided against it. We ate at this little deli near the theatre. I had a roast beef sandwich, my favorite sandwich to get at real deli's. So there we were sitting in the deli still without a hotel. We proceeded to take the next 45 minutes calling every hotel in the area. The problem wasn't room availability, no, it was that we simply weren't old enough. Panic set in and we considered sleeping in the car...which would have cost a ton of money.

Finally we found a hotel fit for a C-List celebrity and spent a lot of money for the room. However, we were in a nice area (about 4 blocks from Wrigley Field) and we weren't scared. Plus, we all got take "Mariah Carey" showers in the amazing shower. Overhead music video rainfall shower. Basically, my entire life was complete and I ran through a couple songs while showering that the rain (shower) would compliment if I ever get to perform at the Grammy's.

We ate at the Continental breakfast provided by the Hawthorne Terrace (Best Western) Hotel while Shade informed us that she made a quick trip around the entire city. She got up a little earlier than Ryan and I, probably due to the fact that she was literally shaking with excitement the entire weekend. She definitely would have slept outside with the homeless people if she absolutely had to. We caught the Red Line (what is that?) over to Chicago/State (where?) which is near the Magnificent Mile (SHOPPING). We spent most of the day around this area, and I spent money I shouldn't have, then we ate lunch and headed over the to the Navy Pier. After taking pictures at the Pier we headed back to the hotel retrieved our car and headed home.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

No I didn't apply an Instagram filter to this picture... (yea i did) The beauty of the city is unquestionable regardless.

This is the apartment building I live in. We decided that I am from Chicago.  A picture below demonstrates.

Another beautiful shot of the city. 

Wrigley. A 10 minute walk from out hotel and a three minute walk from various sports bar full of drunk people for Saturday's Hawkeye game. 

And finally, we see a true young urbanite, struggling to find his way in the world. I'm obviously working the streets of Chicago and loving every minute of it. The weird face I  have on is due to peasant tourist getting in my way, taking pictures of their friends in front of building's and such. What noobs. 

The weekend was a success. No, it wasn't the most responsible thing to do. Yes, we should have had a better plan. But as we drove towards the sunset back to Coe, away from Chicago, I realized that our short escape from reality was much more than an irresponsible decision. It represented what I want the next four years to be like. Full of adventure and spontaneity, living life and experiencing new things. Yes, I could have been more conservative by spending less money (I didn't spend a ridiculous amount) but what I took away from the trip was extremely valuable and for that I am glad I went. I felt alive in Chicago, like I haven't felt in a long time. I was on my own, with some of my closest friends and it was awesome. I'll never forget it, and I hope to make more memories like Chicago in my four years at Coe.