Chicago is one of the (few) cities in the US that can support hostels, so due to their lower costs, excellent locations, and tourism support I decided to go that route. As is often the case, wandering the streets alone was replaced by more social activities, which certainly changes the dynamic of the experience.

The downtown area, especially on the weekend, is a bit soulless. Arriving on a Sunday, I escaped the immediate area and wandered to a neighborhood up past the riverwalk and spent a lot of the day just exploring. I had beautiful weather (all week).

After more wandering, I ended up having a beer and watching football at First Draft, which turned out to be more about beer and sports than initial attempts at writing. Sandwiched between a couple older people watching sports on their own, I got a few tips on things to do around the city and gained some insights into the lesbian community of West Seneca.

That night at the hostel, I was approached by a guy in his late 40s clearly having some kind of existential crisis determined to discuss the meaning of life with me. It was a little odd but not horrible, and he gave me a bracelet in the end so at least I was compensated for my time.

The next morning, I went for a run along the harbor. I was staying adjacent to the Clarence F Buckingham Memorial Fountain which made for an easy landmark.

Going North lead me to the riverwalk (see previous photo) which I didn’t entirely intend as it’s a bit congested, but at least I went early and was able to get about a 4 mile run in.

I was disappointed overall by downtown Chicago’s cafe culture with most of the places being takeout only, but I got some work done at the Chicago Public Library.

That night, there was a trivia night at the hostel. Participating netted me two free drinks, boba tea, peanut butter pretzels, and some other snacks, so worth it. I also defeated everyone participating, handily I might add, but I was mostly playing against children and foreigners so not much of an accomplishment. I did get a keychain for my victory though.

Arguably as valuable as that haul was friendship in the form of a South Africa guy that was working in Minnesota for the summer. We chatted during the post-trivia mingling period and then went to the organized karaoke night (I did not sing and called it an early night) and decided to run the next morning.

We ran the other direction this time, taking us past the Field Museum, Aquarium and Planetarium – none of which I actually went to but you probably should as a tourist. Later, we were joined by a Costa Rican guy (who had been working in the hostel in my vicinity at the public tables and also went to karaoke night) and went to check off the bean and consumption of deep-dish “pizza” together.

Later that evening, I went to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game. Or to “watch the baby bears” as a girl from Taiwan put it. The guy from Costa Rica bought a ticket a couple seats away from me, so we were able to go together, which made things a little more interesting.

I had pretty good seats, and even sprung for an overpriced pretzel and beer to make sure I didn’t miss out on any part of the experience. They lost 4-3, and there were a few home runs that kept things interesting.

After the game, we went back to the hostel and played pool and chatted for a while, so it was another night with less sleep than I would have preferred. How could I not though, since I was so energized after watching the baseball game.

Wednesday was mostly a work day, although I went along the riverwalk to a pretty nice McDonald’s – my “embassy” has some nice locations in its hometown of Chicago. But this photo was from a place where you could grab a drink and just watch the boats.

That evening, there was a brewery tour offered through the hostel that went up to Logan Square, a vibrant neighborhood in Chicago with popular bars, restaurants, and such social things. I mustered the energy to go – mainly due to peer pressure from a couple people I had been working with in the hostel and a lingering feeling that I hadn’t done enough here. Ultimately, glad I did so I could see a different part of the city.

Our volunteer tour guide was an attorney who defends people on death row in Texas, which was probably the most interesting part. I also chatted with a carpenter from Germany and accountants (who were obviously the least interesting) from France and China.

I didn’t take any photos, but according to my credit card receipt we went to Pilot Project. Three beers at three different bars, and then I actually made it back to the hostel to sleep at a reasonable hour.