Day 1. UIUC – Chicago: Union Station. Amazon Go. Ramen-San. Michigan Avenue. Steppenwolf Theatre. [Freehand Chicago]
For the past several weeks, I have been sort of on hiatus: school was a bit demanding and I didn’t get to write as much as I had hoped to. I did write a lot of essays for homework though, and maybe that’s why I avoided blogging so much. To make up for the lost posts, I have decided to take you guys along with my winter break trip! This is the first time for me to solo travel for more than two weeks, and I am so excited! Throughout the course of my trip, I will post everyday to share what I have been doing that day. In the next 24 days, I plan to visit around 10 states in the United States, and today, December 21st, 2018, marks my first day.
Prepping
Staying up till half past four in the morning (or later) because I had no idea how to pack for 24 days in a carry-on suitcase, I am already tired before my journey even started. I woke up at 10 am and I took the 11:25 am Peoria Charter bus ($32 one-way) from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to Union Station in Chicago. Yesterday, while I was packing, I checked the weather forecast for the next few days in all of the cities I am going to visit in hopes of getting an idea what kind of clothes I should pack. It looks like there would be no snow, so I ditched my biggest coat and brought a bunch of T-shirts. Yes, I can wear T-shirt and a jacket in 7ºC (45ºF) if it isn’t too windy. That turned out to be a big mistake. It was 2ºC (36ºF) this morning in UIUC, and that was the coldest we have had in the past week! But too late to unpack everything and grab warmer clothes. Let’s just hope for the best.
Arrival
After a 2.5-hour bus ride, I got off the bus and it was freezing. Chicago can be pretty windy, and with the temperature of 2ºC (36ºF), it felt worse than it should be. But I’ve seen worse so I can manage. I hope. It was a half-hour walk from Union Station to my hotel, and there is no direct bus that doesn’t include a 10-minute or so walk, so I just might as well walk the whole way there.
I passed by Amazon Go and went to have a look. Last month, when I visited Seattle, I went to one with my friend. In case you don’t know what Amazon Go is, it is basically a grocery store without any cashiers. They use countless sensors and cameras with heavy calculations to determine what you got from the shelf and charge you directly once you leave the store. It’s kind of cool so I had to go again, even though the store was small.
It was nearly 3 pm and I needed breakfast. No, maybe lunch? Ever since I had a lot of Japanese food in Seattle, I realised that they were indeed a better alternative to fast food, so I went to Ramen-San and got a tonkotsu ($15 excluding tax & tips). The noodles were hard, just as I like them to be, but the overall taste was too strong for me. I guess it was good, but not my type. Maybe I should try chicken broth ramen next time, if there is a next time.
Checking In
Finally, I arrived at Freehand Chicago and checked into my shared room ($45.95 for 2 nights). One of the girls working at the front desk looked at me, and asked, ‘Weren’t you here a few days ago?’ Well, last week, when everyone was having their finals, I came to Chicago to see Pentatonix Christmas Is Here Tour, and stayed at the exact same hotel. I am rather surprised that she remembered, even though she was the one who checked me in. The room this time was bigger than the one I had last week, and the bathroom size is comfortable and not crammed. But I didn’t waste too much time hanging out in my room. Being just 2 blocks away from Michigan Avenue, Freehand Chicago is very convenient if you love to shop. Michigan Avenue is like Fifth Avenue of New York City, and has just about everything, including one of the two only UNIQLOs in Illinois. I shop at UNIQLO all the time just because I like their quality and fit.
Theatre Time
Of course I am not going into details about my shopping experience today. I left for Steppenwolf Theatre around 7 pm for the 7:30 pm performance of La Ruta. As a RED member of Steppenwolf, I get to see any 6 shows of any seats for $100. The only catch is that I have to be under 30 years old. Steppenwolf Theatre has one of the best young audience memberships in my opinion, because of the price and the non-existent limitations of seat choice. And of course, it is a top-notch theatre company.
La Ruta is a play about the story about the women disappearing along the route of the bus (la ruta = the route) in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and it is based on the true and ongoing situation there. It was one of the most depressing play I have ever seen. Playwright Issac Gomez started working on this piece since undergrad, and has interviewed many women of Ciudad Juárez. Most of the music in the play is open-sourced, because Gomez hoped that this play can be produced more and give voice to the suffering women in a wider scale. The play is so tragic that I am in no place to comment on it.
Summary
Today is my first day of the trip, so everything is more detailed. Not all future posts would be as detailed as this one, but if there is anything you’d like to know more about something I didn’t write too much about, leave a comment below. I’ll try to get back to you.
Have you been to Chicago? If so, what is your favourite place or thing to do? If not, would you like to visit someday?
