As everyone starts to straggle home from their designated universities and winter break begins, I realize that in about a week everyone will be bored of their suburban bubble and start to crave doing something "different."The lightbulbs will turn on simultaneously as "THE CITY" pops into their heads.
Don't get me wrong, going to "The City" is fun. But, after experiencing "The City" for ten weeks, "The City" doesn't seem so enticing.
You see, "The City" is a fictional place. It is made up of: Michigan Avenue, State Street, Millenium Park (or really just The Bean), and every so often, museum campus. And though I used to be one in the population of "The City," the past 10 weeks I've spent at school have given a sense of disdain for the place. It's always crowded, full of tourists, and there's nothing cheap or non-franchised. It's basically a large outdoor mall with a park next door.
I understand the appeal: popular shops, decent food, lots of holiday spirit all in walking distance off a few stops on the El. It's easy to get to and relatively safe. But, "The City" is not a true representative of the city.
Yes, 10 weeks is not a lot of time, but it's enough to understand that "The City" creates such a poor picture of the city. So, instead of me talking further about how the suburban kids (including me) need to explore, I've decided to include a few photos of my version of the city. Hopefully they'll make you rethink your winter adventures.
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| The Metro - Wrigleyville. My favorite venue. |
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| Grant Park - far south end. |
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| Urban farm in Bridgeport |
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| Riot Fest - Humboldt Park |
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| Old Town |
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| View from campus |
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| My parking garage |
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| Boystown on Halloween |
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| Molly's Cupcakes - Lincoln Park |
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| Ravenswood Used Books - Lincoln Square |
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| Panes Bread Cafe - Lakeview |
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| Museum campus view |
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