We Love Chicago, plain and simple. We just keep coming back to this exhilarating city, time and time again. In fact, Chicago has featured in every major stage of our relationship! We visited Chicago for the first time when we were dating, when I came up from Gainesville with Frank to meet his parents. We took a quick day trip, saw The Bean (bucket list ✅), stopped by the Cathedral, and got our first taste of the Windy City. During our engagement, Frank surprised me with a spectacular, blowout birthday weekend there, which I will Always treasure. That trip, we took an Amtrak train from Toledo to Union Station in Downtown, rode the Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier ✅, and had our first experience of the Skydeck at Willis Tower-another bucket list ✅. Just a few months after our daughter was born, we took her to Chicago for her first time. And long before that, near the end of our time in Naples, we enjoyed a weekend getaway to visit a dear friend from college. That time, we officially fell completely in love with Chicago. That getaway changed everything.
This incredibly sweet friend (check out her blog here) allowed Frank and I to stay in her apartment in an area just north of downtown Chicago, the neighborhood of River North. This experience opened up Chicago to us in a whole new way, because we finally got to see the city through the eyes of a local. She took us to the best restaurants and showed us extra special sights, things only someone intimately familiar with the area would know. She also needed to go out of town, so we had her place to ourselves for a few days too.
The Best Part
She lived 0.1 miles (almost a literal hop, skip, and a jump) from the cutest tea shop called Tea Gschwendner. Immensely popular and widespread in Germany, and with other locations all over the world, this shop was one of two locations in the United States, both of which were in Chicago. (I unfortunately say “were” because one of the shops has since closed, due to Covid. Tea Gschwendner on State St. is still going strong, however!) At the time of our visit, Chris, the manager, opened up a whole new world to me. I discovered the rich diversity of loose leaf tea and learned so much in a short three hour visit. We also bought a Ton of tea that day. Moreover, Chris, somewhat jokingly, offered me a job there should we ever move to Chicago. (Spoiler: I ended up working there for three months! Feel free to reach out with questions or for recommendations on tea, I’ve got you!)
Other Highlights
While we waited for the train at a Brown Line station, Frank looked at my friend and I and declared, “Yep! I can really see it. I think we should move here-I am going to start applying so we can move to Chicago.” He started the application process that very minute, applying to over a hundred jobs before we even left the city.
This little vacation occurred in late October of 2017; we officially moved to Chicago in mid-December. Our first day in town, we stopped by the tea shop again and saw Chris. She remembered us, with an exclamation of, “Florida!” We responded with, “Not anymore! We did it, we live here now!” Her stunned face amused us to no end!
New Year’s and Jade’s Visit
So, we tend to have a bad track record for timing moves. Just as we moved to Naples in the dead of summer, we moved to Chicago just as winter hit with a vengeance. It particularly jarred us as we had just celebrated Christmas in Bonaire with my parents. We arrived back in Chicago just in time for New Year’s. Jade, one of my oldest friends came up to celebrate it with us and get her first Chicago experience. Together, we all received a crash course in Chicago-living. We went back to our favorite restaurant in Chinatown, called Hing Kee. The three of us visited the Skydeck and spent several hours in the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition, we did a mini church tour. Ahead of time, I looked up the most beautiful churches in Chicago and together, we visited a few of them. We spent some time in prayer and photographed the incredible beauty and intricate details. It was so peaceful, and was a lovely way to spend another day. Before we knew it, she went home, and our new life began.
Life in Chicago
Situated on Clark St., a major road, our cozy little one bedroom apartment soon became home. We settled in and got it set up the way we liked. This place had two fireplaces, an itty bitty bathroom and kitchen, and a den we could set up as a second bedroom for guests. Our apartment was right above a Dunkin Donuts and a bus stop. Though we didn’t realize until far too late, we also lived about a quarter mile from the Lincoln Park Zoo and Conservatory! While Frank worked in south Chicago, I kept up with my graduate studies and attempted to adjust to our new location. Winter brought several struggles. We had hoped to make more friends, but most people seem to hibernate in the winter. Thus, we both felt rather lonely. Thankfully, the first several months passed by, and our knowledge of and affection for the city grew.
Once we got through winter, spring lasted roughly a week. That March, I got the job with Tea Gschwendner, and I developed a deep and passionate love of tea. Another major highlight of March was St. Patrick’s Day! The Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union has dyed the Chicago River green every year since 1962 (except 2020). Full story here. I never knew I needed to see the Chicago River dyed green, but that immediately became a bucket list ✅. We reveled in the energy of the city and other Chicagoans, and attempted to attend the St. Patrick’s Day Parade as well. I say attempted because we had difficulty getting close enough to see, and I am short!
Food!
I could (and will) write an entire post about the food we had the pleasure and privilege to experience in Chicago. Chicago is a veritable melting pot of cultures and cuisines. Most of our favorite food and restaurants can still be found there. I will give a brief shout out to: Hing Kee, Lawrence Fish Market, The Berghoff, Cho Sun Ok, and The Crepe Shop as some of the best restaurants for their respective kinds of food. Several years later, Frank and I went back to Chicago specifically for a Food Tour, to be able to enjoy our favorite foods again. That food seriously never gets old! More to come later!
Bucket List Checks
I (Julia) had the magnificent opportunity to check off a bucket list ✅ that will always rank in my Top 10 Must-Do’s. On April 27, 2018, Frank and I witnessed The Maestro, John Williams, conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. John Williams, for those who don’t know, composed the music for some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. Indiana Jones. Jaws. Star Wars. E.T. Harry Potter (the first three). Home Alone. Jurassic Park (the first two). Superman. Schindler’s List. (I could go on!) We picked the most incredible seats, behind the orchestra, and watched the master conduct some of his greatest hits. It will forever be one of the greatest highlights of my life.
Another bucket list ✅ was when we went up to Winnetka, IL to find the Home Alone house! We found it in late May, so it did not look very much like it’s Christmas self. They also changed the front yard and put a fence around the outer perimeter. It wasn’t much, but we enjoyed the excursion! Yet another ✅ involved driving around the city, searching for filming sites from “The Dark Knight,” one of Frank’s favorite films. Among others, we found the spot where the *spoiler* semi-truck flipped! We had a lot of fun that day as well.
That summer, I had the enormous privilege and responsibility to do my first counseling internship. Located in a downtown high-rise building, I started seeing clients and having supervision several times a week. While it did cause a lot of anxiety, I will always be thankful for that experience. It taught me a great deal about myself and how to be a counselor. Plus, the view never got old!
A Temporary Separation
As stated above, Frank and I Love Chicago. Yet, it’s probably no secret that the city has its drawbacks. The weather can be rather extreme, the exorbitant cost of living…and, honestly, Frank was not crazy about his job. We decided we would rather visit Chicago than live there full time. Thus, that summer of 2018, Frank began job hunting once again. Within a measly eight days, he found a remarkable contract in Jacksonville, FL, and had to move immediately. I, however, could not. I had just started that internship and could not afford to lose the experience. Therefore, we had two apartments for two months, until I began living in hostels! The Freehand downtown and the Chicago Getaway Hostel in Lincoln Park provided a magical month for me. Don’t get me wrong, we struggled to endure the distance. Nevertheless, those months to myself gave me plenty of time to say a proper goodbye to the city.
I completed my internship in late August and spent the last couple of weeks attempting to fit in as many highlights as possible. I ate at all of my favorite restaurants “one last time.” On one of my last days in town, I checked a bucket list ✅ by doing the Chicago Architecture Boat Tour, which blew my mind! On a lovely summer’s day, I cruised around the Chicago River and learned a ton about the history behind many of Chicago’s great skyscrapers. I hope to one day recreate the experience with Frank and our munchkin!
Frank and I still saw each other practically every weekend, with one of us flying up or down to see the other. Before I knew it, the summer ended, and our next (and wildly different) adventure began in Jacksonville! Tune in next week for the highlights of our next nomadic stop!
