Five more days stand between me and my first class as a bona fide journalism grad student, but these days my mind is stuck on trivial, mundane tasks like finding bedding that's softer than a hardwood floor.
I already did the hard part and found an apartment within two days of touching down in Chicago and I even baked a tasty loaf of banana bread for my friend as a thank you for letting me crash on his futon while I hunt for said bedding.
But actually furnishing my room is turning out to be my most difficult task, which is really saying something considering how I burned and possibly gassed myself while making the banana bread.
My old college roommate saved my butt big time when he let me stay at his place. His apartment is north of downtown Chicago and south of the Northwestern campus so I've had the opportunity to reacquaint myself with the joys of public transportation during my frequent bargain-hunting and sightseeing trips.
My best bargain so far is my new room, which is about three blocks from campus. It's big enough to fit one and a half Hummers and it's got four windows and a closet and all for the low, low price of 500 bucks a month, including utilities. My fellow apartment-mates are a Chinese marketing grad student and some dude whose name may or may not be "Car" – the Chinese marketing grad student is a little difficult to understand over the phone sometimes.
The city itself rushes around like New York but the short walking distances and waterfront parks give Chicago the small-city charm of San Francisco. Attractions like Millenium Park are extremely well cared for and the dining is excellent. I highly recommend a Kobe burger if you ever temporarily lose your mind and want to toss twenty dollars on a cheeseburger.
My to-do list over the next five days includes buying textbooks, hauling my stuff uptown to my new place, getting internet access installed (already ordered it), and last but not least, finding a damn bed.
I already did the hard part and found an apartment within two days of touching down in Chicago and I even baked a tasty loaf of banana bread for my friend as a thank you for letting me crash on his futon while I hunt for said bedding.
But actually furnishing my room is turning out to be my most difficult task, which is really saying something considering how I burned and possibly gassed myself while making the banana bread.
My old college roommate saved my butt big time when he let me stay at his place. His apartment is north of downtown Chicago and south of the Northwestern campus so I've had the opportunity to reacquaint myself with the joys of public transportation during my frequent bargain-hunting and sightseeing trips.
My best bargain so far is my new room, which is about three blocks from campus. It's big enough to fit one and a half Hummers and it's got four windows and a closet and all for the low, low price of 500 bucks a month, including utilities. My fellow apartment-mates are a Chinese marketing grad student and some dude whose name may or may not be "Car" – the Chinese marketing grad student is a little difficult to understand over the phone sometimes.
The city itself rushes around like New York but the short walking distances and waterfront parks give Chicago the small-city charm of San Francisco. Attractions like Millenium Park are extremely well cared for and the dining is excellent. I highly recommend a Kobe burger if you ever temporarily lose your mind and want to toss twenty dollars on a cheeseburger.
My to-do list over the next five days includes buying textbooks, hauling my stuff uptown to my new place, getting internet access installed (already ordered it), and last but not least, finding a damn bed.
5 comments:
Woot! You made it!!! Check craigslist for cheap stuff - which you probably already did :)
finding furniture on craigslist isn't too difficult, but finding people who will deliver their furniture is a pain in the behind.
Very true! Might need to invest in some sort of oversized granny cart to haul your goods! :) Or perhaps you need to find burly friends?
I just moved from New York to Chicago and find the city an outstanding place to live at. The stunning waterfront parks are sure are a view to see.
Woot! You made it!!! Check craigslist for cheap stuff - which you probably already did :)
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