You do you know this is my favorite city, right? I’m very much OK with going back every year. 🙂
The trip got off to a rough start because I was running late to the airport (I was trying to deposit some funds but the two ATMs I went to are not working). But everything worked out. When I arrived, I looked up prices Uber and Lyft. Initially, they were about $50 but when I was ready to secure a trip, they jumped to $75. I was appalled. I paid about 65 bucks for a taxi and I spent over an hour in traffic even though the hotel was 12 miles away. This was my first time experiencing Chicago traffic.
I was very hungry when I arrived, I was hungry when I waited in traffic, I was hungry when I check in and I was hungry when I waited for an elevator up to my room. I stayed at the Warwick Hotel on Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave.) There was a wedding reception taking place that day which is why it was so busy. While I was struggling to wait patiently for my turn on the elevator I made acquaintance with a couple who was waiting behind me and we ended up meeting a few times during my stay. Once I got settled, decided I would go find food immediately. The last time I was in the city, I kept seeing a restaurant called Wow Bao and it was the first thing that popped up when I searched for food so I made a beeline straight there. I got the food, rushed back to the hotel, got cozy and ate while watching Family Guy. I would stay at this hotel again because it was in an amazing spot and everything was within walking. That evening ,I had plans to go see Hasan Minhaj at the Chicago theater. I took on the scenery while walking there. The line was unreal but once they finally open the doors it moved rather quickly the show started an hour after the expected time but it was worth it. This man was brilliant and very funny.
After the show got out, I longed to return to the hotel and call it a night. But, the people I met while checking in invited me out to go barhopping. A part of me just wanted to rest and the other part really wanted to make the most of my vacation so I got over myself and decided to meet in the lobby. We ended up going to a bar called Streeters Tavern. We had some drinks and played beer pong — it was a good vibe. The three of us witnessed a bit of drama as we were leaving and we wanted to stick around a little bit just to make sure nothing bad happened. Eventually, it was deescalated.
The next day, I got a late start. Unfortunately, I spent a lot of time inside during the morning while I waited until the people I met were ready for the day. My objective was to be less dependent on other people and explore on my own– I’m working on that. I’m glad I met them because they added value to my trip, though I am still learning how to navigate completely by myself. I knew it would rain and I still wanted to wear the outfit I packed (it was cute!). The outfit would have been perfect if we didn’t keep trying to go different restaurants without a reservation. I had to walk far and the heels were not comfortable after a while. And then it start to rain. But ya girl brought her cute dark green raincoat, so I was all set! After that, I wanted to take a nap. The plan for the night was to check out another comedy event (but I didn’t plan on that one: the couple invited me out). I reached out to one of my friends who went to the same college as I and he agreed to come. We all went out for dinner. The vibe was chill, friendly and welcoming. We hopped over to the Laugh Factory for the evening and got to check out a handful of comedians with different humor styles. Some jokes were just dark but other comedians had the laughs coming nonstop. After that, we all went our separate ways: my friend Anthony went back home and the couple continued their night. I had to go back to the hotel because I had to wake up early for my flight back home. 
Of course, I wanted to stay longer but I’m glad I got to check it out before it got too cold. It’s likely I’ll return to Chicago for another solo trip and check out some touristy things.
See you soon, Chi-Town 💋
Zaira Viteria 