5 Things You Should Know About Chicago Semester (and the city)

by Nikki Howard

Hello, readers!

Has fall been passing by so quickly for you all? When I think about how I’m getting down to almost one month left in Chicago, I feel so rushed and nostalgic even though I haven’t left yet. Crazy! Anyway, since I’ve been here for a good amount of time now, I like to think that I have some helpful knowledge of the city. I’m no expert, for sure, but I have definitely had some experiences. So, here’s a list that can help future CS students (or even people visiting Chicago for some points).

Things Nikki Was Not Prepared For:

• The puddles. You know how in the movies sometimes there’s a scene where a car drives by in the rain and causes a huge wave to drench someone? In Chicago, that’s real life. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid those waves by pure luck, but it’s hard sometimes when the buses rush past. Also, rain boots are your best friend. Wearing wet shoes at work all day is not enjoyable.
• The food temptation. If you haven’t heard it before, which I’m sure you have, Chicago has amazing food. You can google great Chicago food and get an endless list, ask colleagues for recommendations, or just explore areas with specific types of food. Everyone has some place to recommend, and it can get overwhelming when you’re trying to keep a budget. Dangerous but delicious.
• The smokers. Honestly, I have never been in a city with such a huge population of smokers, so it has been a bit of a shock. It’s not like that makes me hate the city, though, it’s just something you have to learn to work around. If you’re walking behind a smoker, take a few steps to the left or right so you don’t catch their smoke drift. Cross the street if you can. People have the right to smoke here, but that doesn’t mean you have to expose yourself to it.
• The busy-ness. A previous CS student mentioned a lot about how busy she was during her semester, and I now realized how true her statement was. Our weeks are really a busy schedule: full work day internship, classes on Wednesday, exploring on weekends. It doesn’t seem like that much since it can fit into three points, but they’re definitely extensive activities. Planners and to-do lists are your best friend when you’re trying to organize your time!
• The internship: When you sign up for CS, you usually have a pretty good idea of what you want to do. It’s hard to deviate from that after thinking about it for months beforehand, but I really encourage you future CS students to be open-minded. I went through my three interviews, had two that were more of what I was originally planning to do, but then actually went with the third because there was just something about it that interested me. It’s been an amazing experience because I’ve learned new things that I’m interested in, and also re-affirmed some things I don’t want to do. It’s a wonderful balance of do’s and don’ts for future jobs, which is all I ever wanted.

Those are some of the big things that I’ve learned so far this semester, and I hope they help someone at least! And since I always love to include visuals, I’ll end this update with some photos I’ve taken and captions.

Puerto Rican art from the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture seen during our CS group trip to Humboldt Park

Sugar skulls being sold at the National Museum of Mexican Art for Dia de los Muertos

The beautiful Auditorium Theater where CS saw Joffrey Ballet's Swan Lake

New Month, New Adventures

by Nikki Howard

Happy October, readers!

Chicago has had a very nice fall so far (with the exception of last Saturday’s near winter temps), which has been pretty awesome. During our orientation we were advised to do most of the tourist stuff first, so that’s what a lot of us have done during our first month here. I’ve been to Navy Pier, the Bean, Millennium Park, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Park Zoo, Buckingham Fountain, The Field Museum, and the Art Institute to name a few. Even if they’re considered things for tourists, they’re still a part of Chicago’s history and it’s important for everyone to see and enjoy them! One thing I’ve heard both tourists and natives rave about is the Architecture River Tour, so I decided to try it out a couple weeks ago. The tickets were a bit pricy, but the weather was gorgeous and perfect for a boat ride. After going on it, I’m so happy I decided to take a risk. The tour has been of my favorite things I’ve experienced so far. The city looks beautiful from the river and it’s really fun to get to know more about the buildings you pass all the time.

The coolest thing I learned: there’s one apartment building that has balconies specifically designed to give you the best view possible. It’s been named Aqua because of the wavy look the balconies give it, and it’s just so interesting to look at. Also, it was designed by a very talented female architect named Jeanne Gang, which is awesome in its own way. I would attach a picture, but I was in too much awe to lift my camera. I will include a picture of the Chicago Tribune building, however, because it is such a classic Gothic style that was inspired by French cathedrals. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Chicago, but I also love to look up at that building and imagine I’m in France. 

Another big thing that just happened this weekend is a new tradition called the Great Chicago Fire Festival. It’s a big celebration created to focus on the rebirth of Chicago after the fire and a way to join together the neighborhoods of the city. They had three sculpted buildings to burn in the evening and fireworks to follow. Maybe I lost some of that celebration spirit because I’m not from Chicago, but the idea kind of seemed strange to me. I still wanted to experience it, however, and I wasn’t alone, so a group from Chicago Semester got together to go. Unfortunately, weather wasn’t on the city’s side. It was cold, rainy, and bleak that day, and that rain also got on the sculptures that had been built. Instead of going up into a blaze, they burned slowly in the interior and barely showed on the outside. We watched them for about ten minutes before leaving because of the cold. While our experience wasn’t the best, however, we were witnessing the first festival of this kind to ever be put on. Of course there would be mistakes! If it wasn’t for the rain, everything would have gone a lot better, and next year I’m sure they’ll be more prepared. 

So here’s to new traditions and clear skies!