Roadtrip

I took a roadtrip this past weekend with my brother - not quite a weekend vacation though. We left for Chicago at 5:30 AM on Saturday. An eight hour drive through Missouri, Iowa and Illinois full of traffic, McDonald's breakfast, a little snow, a wrecked diesel and beef jerky.

When we finally reached Chicago, I drove downtown through the towering skyscrapers. I was overwhelmed with the feeling of "I finally did it. This is it." Nate and I made our way up to Lincoln Park to check out the first apartment. At this first place, I met the would-be roommate who discussed in detail her issues with friends and her medical history. She continued to describe her worst allergic reaction to butternut squash which made her flesh peel off when she washed her hands. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a very weak stomach that doesn't handle flesh-eating butternut squash stories. NEXT!

Nate and I then drove over to Logan Square where a couple other apartments were. We checked out the neighborhood quickly learning that it's the Hispanic side of town. Every sign was bilingual or in Spanish. Good thing I speak a little Spanish - now all I need is a better tan.

After checking out the area, we went to check in at the hostel. Looks like I have trouble with dates, because I booked our room for this coming weekend. So Nate and I were out on the streets with no place to stay...and it began to rain/sleet as we headed back to Logan Square. Perfect.

I put the whole "not having a place to stay in this freezing, wet weather" thing when we got to the second apartment appointment. The outside of the place was beautiful and when we reached the inside, it was even better. I met Christina and her adorable dog, Cali - my future roommates. The apartment and roommate was just what I was looking for. I had enough of the weirdos with odd food allergens. I'm so relieved to have found a great place and will be moving this Saturday.

After an hour of visiting with Christina and Cali, Nate and I were soon back on the road with a mission to find a cheap place to stay. Eventually, we found a Best Western out in the 'burbs of Chicago. Cold, hungry and exhausted - we get settled in our king-size bedroom (although we requested two doubles.) I fell asleep on my side of the bed after eating a couple bites of my cold leftover pizza. What a day.