So I went to Chicago for the first time, and it was so much better than I had expected. A couple of people had told me that Chicagoans weren't very friendly and aren't very nice to people who aren't from there. So naturally, I had some reservations about it in the back of my mind.

Luckily, they were dead wrong. All of the people we encountered were really nice, and one thing I noticed about midwesterners is that they actually acknowledge you and say hello, even if they don't know you. In a crowded elevator, they won't ignore you - they'll ask you how you're doing and will make friendly conversation. It was kind of odd at first, because I'm used to people ignoring each other and avoiding eye contact. Kind of sad that that's what I'm used to! It's surprisingly nice to chat with random strangers. Who'd have thought?! ;)

Also, the other thing I like about the midwest is that I don't feel like a fat cow over there. The women there are mostly my size or bigger. How refreshing to not feel like some gigantic mutant all the time! Maybe I should move there. It'd do wonders for my self-esteem and body image issues.

But the reason they're probably not on the small side is because they're eating some damn good food! And the portions really are way too big. The "lunch size" portions were bigger than some dinner size portions we get over here. It was incredible. And I can eat a lot - but this was something else. But honestly, everything was so good. I'm sure I gained about 10 lbs!

One other thing I liked was that the city had a slower pace to it than I had expected. I thought it was going to be like New York - very crowded and chaotic and loud and fast. But it was the opposite, and it was really nice. I could easily live there if it weren't for the weather. (Don't get me started on that yet - that's another post entirely.) All in all, I absolutely loved Chicago. Beautiful city, really clean, really nice people, really good food. What's not to like?

I'll have more posts about specific places and restaurants in Chicago coming soon. Stay tuned...

 


Comments

lostdwarf

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:08:05

It sounds so great! And I never heard of Midwesterners being unfriendly. I'd always heard they were the friendliest people EVER.

Nice to know they really are.

 

crystal

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:08:12

It really is kind of weird at first, when you're in an elevator and someone starts talking to you instead of standing there averting their eyes and counting down the awkwardly silent seconds until the doors open again.

The day after I got back, I found myself talking to random strangers and I was like, 1) wow, what am I doing? and 2) hey I kinda like talking to people! lol

 



Leave a Reply