Before I arrived in Chicago, I knew two months wouldn’t be a long time. But I never realized how quickly they would go by because there is so much to do in Chicago. So with more than one teardrop in my eye, here is my list of nine favorite things around the city:
The Lake Shore bus drive. Every weekday in the morning I took CTA’s 145 (Wilson/Michigan Express) or 148 (Clarendon/Michigan Express) bus downtown. Getting on the bus in Ravenswood, I could pick a seat — always one of the three in the back facing the left side, so when the bus reached Lake Shore Drive I would be able to look at the beach and the water. What better start to a sunny day can you have?
Walking into Tribune Tower. The Sunday after I arrived in Chicago, I walked around the city, ending up in front of Tribune Tower. What an impressive building (among others, certainly), I thought. But after the next day, I just walked in. And every time I walked in, it remained something exciting.
Millennium Park/Jay Pritzker Pavilion. While the sun is fading away, reflecting off some of the downtown buildings, the music from this stage buzzes through the late summer air and escapes in the cloudless sky. Jay Pritzker would be really proud of this landmark carrying his name.
Biking through the city. You bike in Chicago? This question, with a horrified undertone, came up several times from friends and family, back in Germany. Refuting the bike-unfriendly cliches about the U.S., this way of getting around is a lot of fun in Chicago: because it is flat, traffic is reasonable (with minor exceptions) and most car drivers seem to acknowledge bike riders as part of the game.
Buying sneakers. Many products in the U.S. are cheaper than in Germany (also due to the strong euro), but sneakers in particular. A pair of sneakers that might cost 200 euros in Germany (about $158 U.S.), cost $100 here. The question is: How will I get all this stuff into my luggage?
Playing pickup basketball. After my first game on a U.S. playground, I felt pretty bad: I was too soft, and the other players pushed me around. But I adjusted to the physical style — and then, people started complaining about my aggressiveness.
Watching TV. Whether it is one of the funny shows, a movie or a late-night program, watching things we don’t have in Germany — such as “Late Night With David Letterman” — is so much fun.
A special lake spot. During my second weekend in Chicago, I was biking home from downtown on the lakefront path and came upon this mystical spot, where the trail makes a soft right bend before the Theatre on the Lake (at Fullerton Avenue): If you look to the right, you see a couple of maple trees spread on the green grass that also produce an arcane light — and through them you have the most amazing view of the skyline.
Coffee across the street. Whenever I began to feel tired or lose focus at work, I would just cross Michigan Avenue and have a coffee at Starbucks, which has an amazingly friendly staff. What a delight, because the newspaper in Germany where I work is in the middle of nowhere.
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Florian Gathmann is the Arthur F. Burns Fellow who worked during the summer at the Chicago Tribune. He lives in Erfurt, in eastern Germany, and works as an editor at Thueringer Allgemeine newspaper.
