Day 2: Out and About

Today we had several Things To Do: we had to get a student I.D., get the public transport pass (included in the tuition and housing costs is a pass that allows him free bus and subway usage all year), get all his required books, eat lunch...So, we set off in search of the campus bookstore, which is about 4 blocks from Thomas's dorm building.

Here it is.  We got there at 9:55 (Thomas could easily have gotten there much more quickly but he was hampered by my slow-poke walking).

More signs that Columbia has made its mark right downtown.

We got the books.  We also headed to the student services center, which takes care of the student id's and transport passes.  Apparently there was a bit of a balls up and we missed his orientation meeting.  I got an email last month that said our orientation time was Sept the 6th at 9:05 but apparently there is no such orientation meeting then.  I was hugely relieved but Thomas was worried--he said he was feeling disoriented and suspected he was in serious need of orientation. I tried to reassure him that those things don't really give anyone a sense of ease, since they overwhelm you with information that doesn't make sense given that you aren't settled in yet.  A student "orientation leader" I talked to agreed and said that, so long as he wasn't having any student loans or financial aid issues (not on my watch, I assured her!) then it was pretty much a waste of time.  I don't think Thomas felt too happy about it (a mess up and here not even 24 hours) but eating a nice lunch did us both wonders.

I'm staying in a Holiday Inn about half a mile from Thomas's dorm.  I've done the walk about 4 times now and it's not so bad (it seemed eternal yesterday, but today walking back it was pretty quick).  Every one walks a LOT here.  There is a strange mix of old buildings (late 1800s), mid-1900s retro/art deco, and post-60s glass things...as well as empty fields and abandoned buildings.  And a LOT of construction going on.

There are three very obvious rush hours: early morning, noon and dinner time.  The rest of the time, the streets are fairly empty.

I liked this building, particularly the font used; even the name of the building 'Vetro' is odd.  (Click on the pic and it will enlarge.)

Famous skyline, and all that sort of thing.

After we finished unpacking yesterday, it was clear that we had brought things we didn't need (which are now in a box in the trunk of Simon's car) and didn't bring things Thomas does need (like the ethernet cable I mentioned).  Thomas and I decided to find the Target that we knew had to be near as every damn kid was carrying in sacks and sacks of Target stuff (so forgotten items seemed to be the norm).  We headed out the door and, after about half a mile, realized we had walked the wrong way.  We decided to eat and try again later using the car.  So, we did, and headed off in the other direction...only to find that that part of downtown is strictly for pedestrians and moving cars--no parked cars allowed!  We drove back to the hotel, I checked in and we ate in the hotel restaurant (the food wasn't bad and Thomas can really pack in a lot of food when he decides to).  We walked back to Thomas's dorm and decided to brave the Target again, eventually getting there and finding MADNESS: it was so crowded, and the shelves so picked clean, we could hardly find anything we needed.  Exhausted and cranky, we walked back to his dorm where I left Thomas to his devices and I stumbled back to my hotel.

Today I was determined to do better:  after getting his pic for his I.D. card and signing up for the transport pass (both to be picked up tomorrow, if all goes well), and spending a LOT of money on books (you would not BELIEVE what a Music Theory text book costs!) we (me, Thomas felt fine) stumbled around looking for a place for lunch.  Finally, we found a sandwich place and ate heartily and both our moods improved.  Thomas didn't seem to want to tackle Target again so I left Thomas to his devices in his room (he later told me his roommate moved in today) with the idea that we would meet up after his honors Meet 'n' Greet 'n' Eat, about 7ish.  I managed to walk back to my hotel and sat about, but it was driving me nuts that we didn't get everything we needed at that damn Target.  So I went online and found that there is ANOTHER Target about a mile in the opposite direction (actually, there are about 20 Targets in Chicago but this was the second closest).  Emboldened, I drove there (moving away from downtown) and found that, indeed, there is easy free parking under the store and the store itself is PARADISE!  It makes the Flint Target look decidedly ghetto.  They even sell fresh raspberries exactly like the kind we buy at Meijer!  I got Thomas the necessary bedding and more food stuffs (specifically Siggi yogurts--yeah, try to find those at the Flint Target!--and popcorn).  I called him and told him to meet me at the curb outside his dorm room and we managed to time it pretty much perfectly:  I pulled up, he came out about a minute later, he grabbed his stuff and I peeled away.

So, now I sit with my aching feet up, we'll go out later unless he's too full of honors students finger foods.  In the meanwhile, I am going to eat a Noos yogurt (which you also can't get at Flint Target).