City of Broad Shoulders

I talked recently about how a couple friends and I are planning on a trip together.  Those plans have been put on the back burner for awhile as one of those friends recently moved his entire family from the friendly confines of Michigan to the unknown and seemingly unfriendly Texas (just outside of Dallas).

We collectively figured that after going through the whole ordeal of packing up the family and transplanting them far away from any family, friends, or other support structures that he might need some time to get his new house to feel like 'home'.

The other point on our friend triangle was still, however, biting at the bit to travel and get together with friends.  I guess that's fair, as the recently moved friend and I have lived close enough to each other that we saw one another several times a year.  He, on the other hand has always been far away.  So a couple weekends ago, he invited me to Manhattan.  He was going to be there on business and figured we could have a good time around his scant few hours of required work.

At first blush, I thought this was a great idea.  I've been to New York city once, but that was as a child.  I've never experienced the Big Apple as an adult.  But he invited me with a single day of lead time.  This was after a bad week of work and frankly I would have been a horrible travel mate.  I ended up begging off and promised that the next weekend I had off, I'd come down and visit him (his current base of operations is in North Carolina).
My friend, I should say, is a great planner.  He can shoot from the hip too, but he revels in making plans.  So over the next week or so he tried to plan on what we could do.  Sadly, there isn't all that much to do near where he lives.  For my part, I was perfectly content to fly down, open some brewskis, hang out on his couch and just catch up.  It has been years and years since we've reall talked.  Sure, there have been phone calls and emails, but not the truly long organic conversations that flit from topic to topic and cover such things as new music, movies, photography, what adulthood really means, world politics, good dirty jokes, scotch vs rye, football, finding true love, family, baseball, and all other manner of things.

He still insisted on having a 'destination' type trip and we played briefly with the idea of visiting Washington DC.  The only problem there is that the last trip we took together (God.... almost 10 years ago) was to DC.  So after some hand wriging and more planning, we finally decided on taking a trip to our old brief home turf...

Chicago

This friend and I met while in photography school.  We both had the dream of moving to Chicago, paying our dues as assistant photographers, and eventually opening up our own studio.  Once we graduated we did in fact move to Chicago... and then fell flat on our faces.  I've talked a bit about my time there, but to quickly sum it up; it was bittersweet.  We both loved the fully urban experience, but neither of us had the money to truly be a part of it.  I moved away after a year, while he hanged on for another couple years.

So going back to Chicago was going to be a sweet trip.  We both now have enough money to truly enjoy our trip.  I took the train in, while he flew in.

A quick aside here on Amtrak.  I honestly believe that traveling by train might be one of the most overlooked experiences.  At least here in the states.  A round trip from my home town to down town Chicago cost just over $150.  That includes two carry on bags (no extra charge!), and was upgraded from coach to business class.  Business class means that you are in a bigger better seat with more leg and should room, and in a less populated train car (totally worth the $20 difference!).  I got a ride to the station, waited about 10 minutes and then got onto the train.  No security checks, no waiting around for 2 hours... just arrive and board once the train pulls in.  There was a power outlet so I could use my phone the entire trip, there was a cafe car so I could buy snacks and drinks, and a nice window seat to watch the scenery pass by at speeds of up to 110 miles per hour.

The only downside about my train journey was on the way back.  There is some major train line construction going on south of Chicago which forced our train to go onto another companies tracks... and ended up delaying out trip by just over two hours.  So instead of being picked up by a friend when I arrived back home, I had to call for a taxi.

Back to Chicago.  Ahhh... just say it and revel in all it's majestic glory....

Chicago

Trump's new gleaming pile of....

I could go into all the details of our trip.  But for my friend and I this was mostly an exploration of our old haunts and what has changed about them.  Sure, we had a pub crawl, we got some great Deep Dish pizza (All Hail Gino's East!), we munched on some classic Chicago Hot Dogs, and even visited the Art Institute.... but mostly we went from neighborhood to neighborhood and noted everything.

Downtown was it's beautiful gargantuan old self.  Sure, some of the buildings have different tenants, and some even changed their name (It's the Sears Tower Damnit! Who the hell is this Willis guy going around and changing the names of landmarks!?), and yes there is the new Trump International Hotel and Tower, but for the most part walking the streets of downtown Chicago was as awe inspiring as ever.  I really do get a unique high walking around surrounded by skyscrapers, and if you haven't done it you really should.

I'm not merely talking about walking around a handful of 40+ story buildings that some bigger cities have... I'm talking about walking the urban canyons that only a small handful of cities provide.  Walking down street after street completely surrounded by glass, concrete and iron.  Having no horizon in sight, and the only sky being almost completely above you.  It makes me squirm in delight just remembering it.

Most of the neighborhoods we visited were very similar to how we left them.  Logan Square, Near North Side, Wrigleyville, Humboldt Park.... they all felt the same.  But our neighborhood.... well damn it up and changed quite dramatically.

We actually called three neighborhoods our stomping ground.  Technically we were right between Wicker Park, the Ukranian Village, and just south of Bucktown.  When we lived there Bucktown was 'up and coming'.  Lots of new businesses, buildings recently built or renovated, and sadly most of the artists moving out.  Wicker Park and the Ukranian Village on the other hand... well they weren't exactly ghetto, but they were definitely neglected.  That neglect is what made the price right.  We had a garden apartment in a standard brownstone (in case you didn't know, a garden apartment means the basement... we had small windows near our ceilings) and paid $750 a month in rent.  Even if the neighborhood hadn't changed, we'd expect the rent to rise as it's been almost 15 year since we lived there.  But when we walked by the old homestead, we saw that one of the apartments were for rent.... for $3000 a month.  Figuring in square feet and elevation we figured out quaint apartment was probably going for just a hair under $2000 a month now.

And honestly with all the changes, it's probably fair market value.  We walked from the train station down to our apartment and were expecting to see all the places where we daren't have gone before.   But where the old broken down and abandoned gas station used to be was an entirely new and clean Citgo station.  Where the group of burned out and gutted brownstones were was now a brand spanking new and glorious apartment complex.  That old used adult book store (seriously... we lived just a few blocks from a USED adult book store!), had been replaced by a Chase Bank.  The streets were clean, the park was well kept.  It was all clean and... sterile.  

As sad as it was seeing the neighborhood we remembered getting swept aside like trash in the street, it was still a wonderful trip.

One discussion topic that came up between my buddy and I was this... would we still want to return and live in Chicago.  Ever since leaving that wonderful city in 1999, it's always been a goal to 'return'.  Not just on a visit, but to somehow work in a career and real life there.  But after many beers and waxing poetically for hours, we both decided that no.  No... moving back to Chicago is no longer a goal that either of us have.  For one thing, our career paths no longer have a direct path to the city.  Sure, I could probably be a nurse there, but why?  It would be far away from my friends and family and I wouldn't make all that much more money.  And while I can be very happy with my income here in mid Michigan, it wouldn't be all that much in such a big city.

But beyond that, coming back to Chicago was full of memories and past dreams... and living there would somehow diminish those.  Many of the memories was about the day to day struggle of just surviving in such a megalopolis.  Surrounded by millions of people and still feeling all alone.  While walking by particular businesses on this trip we were reminded of how much we wanted to go in and participate in the economy back then... now?  Well now we just don't want to shop there.  We could... we both have the funds to do so... but that desire to 'make it' just isn't there any more.  We've both 'made it' already.  And those past dreams?  Well... they're dead.  I'll never be a commercial photographer or digital artist in that grand city.  Never.

So going back there to live now?  Sure... it would be nice, but my life just doesn't gravitate there any longer.  And you know what?  While losing that goal... that dream... may be a little sad, I can honestly say that I'm happier to put those goals away.  Those were the goals and dreams of a young adult.  I've replaced them with goals and dreams of a real adult.  Happiness doesn't have to come from a place any longer... I know that it comes from within.

Plus I can always have weekend trips to Chicago.  It's only a three hour train ride!