just a closer walk...

(...with thee)

people in chicago travel by trains, mostly. the 'l' trains, marked by colors to distinguish lines (destinations), are easy to navigate and convenient for traveling around. i really enjoy them and wish denver was a bit more public transportation friendly.

that being said, they don't offer much feel for the city. both times i've been to this windy city, i've gotten a great feel for dan and hol's surrounding few blocks, know exactly where their train station is (rockwell), and what line to take into the city (the Loop) and what line to take into midway. i've even become a bit familiar with the city itself, walking around michigan ave and state st (great shopping!) however, both times, i have had NO idea where, geographically, i am. in nov, hol and i went for a six mile run along the lake. i have never, in my life, seen a lake so big. you can't see across it: it looks infinite and has a foamy, green color like the ocean, rather than the deep, imperial blue lake i was imagining.

i had a few hours to kill today, and i walked through the city, all over (not in great shoes though... these boots were not made for walking).... from the rockwell stop to the Loop; up and down state st, over a mile or so to michigan ave, to the john hancock building, and then back to another train station. i walked and walked and walked. i walked so much that my legs hurt when i got on the plane, and the 11 hours of sleep from the night previous didn't do me any good- i zonked right out when i sat down. my feet still hurt when i got home a few hours later, and i felt justified in eating a huge, fried, delicious chile relleno from tacomex across the way.

and even after all that walking, i still feel like maybe i missed something. the city was bustling, busy, crowded.  i walked through macy's and their huge garden displays. i walked through the largest forever 21 i have ever seen (three floors, what?!), and even did some business at the local sprint store. i saw lines out the door for a sweet smelling, sugary popcorn shop, and i saw men and women painted head to toe in silver, miming for crowds. i caught some chilly breezes, i sat in the sun and soaked up it's warmth.

it's times like this that make me realize i don't have the travel bug. i have wanted to have the t.b. for my whole life: my sister is amazing at travel, and gets so much out of it. she takes time and effort to plan trips and make things happen; i just let opportunities arise and take them when i can. don't get me wrong, i LOVE to travel and visit new places- even this one day in the city was awesome and refreshing!! but i don't make it a priority. it's not something i am dying to see, to do, to experience...

i think what strikes me most about traveling is not the differences in all these places (africa, ireland, the us) but the similarities in humanity i find in each one. in most places, people are self-centered- the train needs to wait for them, we are all in their way, they need it done the way they want. in most places, people are poor. and the rich people don't seem to notice. and then there is everyone in between. in most places, people have accents that i wish i had. in most places, people do business the same (money. it makes the world go 'round) and like the same thing on the same day (the three story forever 21 was just as busy on a saturday as the boutique sized one in our mall). from the african slums to the trains in ireland to the sprint store in chicago, it's all humans. surviving. living. getting things done. and i love it. love love love. i love to experience that part of it... the sites, the events, the things that make each place unique: those are great. but i like to see how we are all the same, intrinsically. it gives me faith in the human race, it gives me humility about who i really am, and how i am just like everyone else, and it reminds me that i am living for something bigger: this is not the end game.

but i would like to date a guy with a mid-west or east coast accent. like ben affleck in the town. yumma.