Looking for a home

Prodded by paranoia that I'd be living in a box or on Jen's couch next month, I hauled myself to Chicago for the weekend to hunt for my next humble abode. Curiously, as I stepped off the train, the conductor leaned out the window and yelled, "Hey, aren't you graduating from college this year?" I replied, "Yes sir, I did last week!" All right, so even though I don't know anyone in Chicago, at least there are people putting up a good pretense of knowing me.

All in all, I looked at about a dozen places, with lots of options and in a variety of locations. The city is heavily segmented into neighborhoods, which have different flavors and demographics, and simply crossing the railroad tracks or moving a couple blocks over results in a very different vibe. My primary concern was safety, and I did extensive research (well, on Wikipedia) on potential neighborhoods beforehand. Sometimes Wiki aligned with my first impressions, but other times I was pleasantly surprised. The section of Pilsen that I saw seemed like a cute Hispanic enclave, but then again, things might be different at night. In the end, I decided to stick close to Chinatown, since it'd be affordable (we Asians love being thrifty), close to food (I might cook less now that I'm out of college), safe and near public transportation (though I am vaguely considering biking to work).

Business aside, I spent the rest of my time soaking in the city and adjusting to the idea that I can no longer call Ithaca home. Some initial conclusions:

• Big city = more spontaneous options. I was bored Fri night, and then I came across the annual Gospel Music Festival in Millennium Park. The people-watching was pretty quality. I randomly thought of Chipotle, and one appeared on the next corner. Even better, I stumbled across the drawing for $25 Wicked tickets. I didn't win, but I guess I'll have plenty of time to come back later.
  
• Hostels are a great invention. There was some sort of large convention in town that weekend, and nearly every place I tried was either sold out or charging $400+ per night. Then, I stumbled across the Chicago hostel, which offered a great location in the Loop for dirt cheap. Sure, there was a hair under my pillow, the shower floor was kind of gross (but no worse than say, Dickson), and we had to wash our own dishes after breakfast, but the hostel offered suggestions for lots of mostly free activities, sponsored trips to jazz clubs, etc, and I got to meet plenty of internationals. I was a tad embarrassed to tell people I was from MA, which is pretty boring in my book. Me: Hi, nice to meet you, where are you from? Suitemate: Kazakhstan, are you familiar with that? Me: Yes, of course! There was that movie...erm...but I knew the country before that!
• Urban annoyances abound. I felt like I was solicited for money much more often than in NYC. On the train, at Borders, at the pier by a couple boys who claimed they needed money for their cousin so he could get his cast removed. I told them, sorry, I don't have any cash on me. Five minutes later, another boy came by with a kid wearing a cast on his arm, asking for money. This time I told them I'd already donated to their cousins. I also don't see the point of checking bags when you leave the library when they barely glance at the contents. Isn't that what the magnetic detectors are for anyway?
• Hanging out by yourself can be a drag. Don't get me wrong, I like solitude and appreciate having my own space. But nothing ruins the moment quite like an obnoxiously loud couple taking over the other half of your bench. Especially if they're arguing over something on Facebook. Please.

At any rate, it's nice to know I have a place in Chicago. Hmm, considering that I never really met any of the upstairs people (except Destiny from Oklahoma) for the last two years, maybe I should make more of an effort to meet my neighbors this time around.