Shirt: H&M * Jeans: Gap * Scarf: shop in Mexico * Earrings: boutique * Ring: gift * Boots: Target
I'm very happy to report that I took the night "off" last night. I secluded myself in my bedroom, enjoyed one of my favorite beers (Bell's Hopslam, if you're wondering. It's brewed with honey, and is one of those burn-your-tongue hoppy beers, and the beer that initially sparked my interest in pale ales and hops), watched a delightfully indulgently terrible movie (The Other Boleyn Girl), and read some Michael Chabon. I feel much more rejuvenated this morning, and actually feel excited for the rest of the day and week.
These pictures were taken outside of the Field Museum with Joe on Sunday. I'm (surprise, surprise) behind on posting outfits, but I promise that I am being totally faithful to the 30 for 30 everyday. I'm even taking pictures everyday, but I can't keep up with a take-'em-and-post-'em schedule. Anyway, on Sunday, beautiful sunny Sunday, we paused for a photoshoot in the "Museum Campus" neighborhood of downtown (as Joe pointed out, any city that has an area called a "Museum Campus" must have something good going for it). I don't often take outfit pictures downtown, so it was definitely a bit of a treat!
There are definitely things about Chicago that I'll miss if and when I no longer call it my home. The museums, the spectacular skyline, and the overall energy of the city are perfectly one-of-a-kind. I'm a small town girl at heart, and feel most at home in rural areas. I'll never get used to so many people and cars and buses, and I always feel a bit of a release of tension when I leave the city. Being able to see the stars at night, hearing birds and bugs and grasses blowing around at night, and actually making eye contact with strangers when you pass them on the street; these are all things that I adore about rural America, and things that I miss dearly in my busy apartment in the city, which shakes a bit whenever the Metra train rolls by.
But Chicago is also beautiful, and spectacularly unique. It has an energy that is noticeably different than any other city I've been in, and a history that draws me in every time. It has everything a city should have, and anything you could ever need, but I think what makes Chicago really special is its personality. This city has attitude in a way that I've never felt before in other cities. It has a self-possessed confidence and autonomy that makes it vibrate with ideas and production and motivation. It pulls you into its bubble of influence and identity, and you become a part of it; a proud, deeply territorial Chicagoan who feels deep passion for the city's well-being and survival.
It's a weird sensation, feeling like a small-town Chicago girl. I know I won't stay here forever, but being here for nearly four years has made a distinct mark on who I am and how I identify myself. There is a part of me now that will always be a slightly more aggressive pedestrian than I used to be, and I will always scoff at people who complain about the cold. A part of me will always feel the pull of the city, and sway with the pulse of its energy, no matter where I am.
Title song: Sufjan Stevens, "Chicago"
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