Like a regular tourist

Fall Break was, well, excellent. No, I didn’t get to meet Wayne or Garth, but I did have an amazing time with some of my favorite people. Here are some “stories and bleary-eyed photos”:

Sarah, Alison and I started out after classes/work on Thursday. We made a pit stop in West Laf to see my brother and get the warm clothes he’d brought back for me after his fall break. It was good seeing him for three minutes and it’s always fun to navigate the ‘Due!

The rest of the ride to Chicagoland was uneventful, except for a stop in a Starbucks with some crazy ladies who commented on all our orders and got our drinks wrong. We arrived at Cat’s house in St. Charles (no, not Aurora… plans changed) and ate an amazing dinner made by her parents. After dinner we watched MST3K The Final Sacrifice. Rowsdower.

Friday we took the train into Downtown Chicago. Stepping off the Metra onto Madison Ave. was unforgettable. It had been over three years since my last sojourn to downtown and I’d completely forgotten how much I love the city. Allegedly, Oprah walked right past us on the sidewalk, but I was too off-in-my-own-world to notice the beautiful celebrities.

We spent the afternoon walking around the city and taking in Millennium Park. We also had dessert in the Walnut Room and relaxed in Borders. Here are some photos (note: all photos by Alison Gill, Janell Hanna, a lady in the park, or a man on the train… I hope that Finnish student is still REALLY enjoying my camera):



Here’s a lovely shot of Millennium Park with the city beyond.



“The Bean,” probably the coolest piece of modern art I’ve seen in a while. I love the way the city reflects in it, and I love this photo of Janell, me, Margaret and Cat admiring it.



Our reflection in “The Bean.” (L-R) Alison, Sarah, Cat, me, Margaret and Janell.



It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day to be in the city. Here’s a group shot of us in the park squinting in the sun. Alison, Janell, me, Cat, Sarah and Margaret.

The train ride back was especially fun as we got into a semi-heated discussion with some college kids about existentialism and other random topics. It was very refreshing to talk to people who don’t share my beliefs in the existence and nature of God. Here are some group photos of my friends and I in the train pre-discussion:





Saturday everyone split up. Cat hung out with the fam, Margaret went to a wedding, Alison and Sarah went to Wheaton, and Janell and I made a short pilgrimage to AURORA!!! Here I am outside the most excellent place on earth:



After eating Taco Bell, we went back into Geneva to find a Barnes & Noble. On the way we found an Irish pub called the Claddaugh and decided to check it out. Instead of rugby, they definitely had an MSU football game playing on the TV over the bar. There’s just something wrong with sipping a Guinness whilst watching American football. Not that I’d even bother with Guinness in the states anyway. Heck, I hardly bothered with it in Dublin! The pub was definitely mass-produced Irishness which was a little nauseating, but they had the best straight-up coffee I’ve ever put in my mouth.

That night, Janell, Alison, Sarah and I braved World Series traffic into the city for some authentic Venezuelan cuisine. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was unforgettable (Hispanic men getting emotional sitting along the wall watching Game 1 on TV).

Coming back to TU arouses many mixed feelings. I definitely don’t want to be working on projects and reading textbooks and taking quizzes, but it’s nice to be back in my own space. Fall Break was definitely necessary, but it’s over now. Back to reality.