My Kind of Town

"Cloud Gate" is it's true name, but everyone calls it "The Bean"

During our time house hunting in St. Louis, we wondered what it would be like to live “in the city”. We both share the same romantic notion that city life is somehow cool, hip and more active than suburban life. Raising our kids in the city would magically turn them into uber-trendy, enlightened, and hyper-aware adults. That was the thought, anyways. It didn't pan out for us to find our urban homestead in St. Louis. So, our time in Chicago would be the perfect opportunity to explore living the metropolitan lifestyle.

First up was utilizing Chicago's efficient and abundant mass transit system. A train ride on the “L” to downtown would make us feel like real city folk. We jumped on the Blue Line to Millennium Park and sat back to enjoy the 30 minute ride. The train was filled with commuters. People headed to work. To school. Home from the airport. To them it was just a way to travel. To us, it was akin to a ride at Disney World. People packed everywhere. Sitting. Standing. Traveling underground. Above ground. Then, as if on cue, a crazy, old woman got on board muttering loudly to herself. For fifteen minutes straight she mumbled nonsensically before getting off. City life is so cool.

They loved the architecture of the "diamond building"

Giordano's Famous Stuffed Pizza

One of the things we want to make a point of doing in our travels, is enjoying the local foods. Our trip to the Windy City wouldn't be complete without some deep dish, Chicago style pizza. While walking around the city (that's what urbanites do) we stopped by for a bite of this gut busting dish. The key to Chicago pizza is not just a deep crust, it's the sauce. It goes on top of the cheese. Crust, then cheese (tons of it), then sauce. We left feeling as stuffed as the pizza.

Goodbye Chicago. Thanks for making us feel cool and hip, if only for a short while.

Special thanks to our Chicago hosts: The De La Cruz Family