Chicago Update

I, Jami, haven't seen Thomas since I left him in Chicago in September so I decided to head over for the day last week. The drive was picture perfect--leaves starting to change color, the sky was clear blue, and the traffic wasn't even terrible (though the service at the Denny's in Michigan City was SO SLOW! It can't take an hour to make an egg white omelet.). I arrived just after dark Thursday night, checked into the Travelodge (which looked like it should have featured in the film Barton Fink) and waited for Thomas to get out of class. It turns out I would have to wait a long time as he said he was TOO TIRED to meet up that night, and it would have to wait until the morning. I was skeptical, since he prefers to sleep until 4 in the afternoon and stay up until 4 in the morning, but there it was. Here is the seedy hotel room:   
And here is the subway train that kept me awake all night. (And for those with a sharp eye, yes, that is the backside of Thomas's dorm. One of those windows on the 10th floor is his room.)

The dutiful son he is, Thomas texted me early next morning to check in. We made plans to meet up at his dorm lobby at 10, which we did, and then, of course, we headed to nearby Meli Diner to have (you guessed it!) Belgian waffles with strawberries, bananas and cream.

Food barely in our tummies, and we headed out the door to see the Windy City (which wasn't too windy that day).

First stop, the amazing library that Thomas took Simon to.

Thomas laughs at my feeble efforts to keep up with him. He doesn't look like he's moving fast, but he's like an antelope, effortlessly loping along, leaving all who wish to get near him far, far behind.

I'm pretending to appreciate the art, but I'm really just catching my breath as we climbed up all 9 flights of stairs to the very top.

And here we are, the 9th floor of the Chicago Public Library, where Thomas hides from his Roommates From Hell (it took much prodding before he would reveal the full horror of them--let's just say (a) I wish I didn't know and (b) they won't last long in college, that much I am sure). I asked if he read any books while he sat here and Thomas snorted, "Yes. Of course."

Now we are off to another favorite spot for Thomas: the park along Lake Michigan. When we got close to the shore, Thomas announced, "That's Lake Michigan there." It looks just like it does from the coastline of Milwaukee.

Here we are, looking the other way. I asked Thomas which architecture style he liked best. He said he liked them all--it's the diversity that makes it, apparently. He even had kind words to say about Trump Tower though he did mention that it's only half as tall as it was announced it would be. The explanation at the time was that they didn't want to put Chicago at risk of a second 9/11. I think it far more likely they ran out of funding.

Here we are in Thomas's room. The cacti are better company than his roommates.

Not allowed to relax for a second, Thomas then steers me toward another favorite haunt, the Lincoln Park Zoo. For this, I got to get my car out of storage and we drove there. It was a tedious drive since Lake Shore Drive is busy. When Thomas goes by himself he takes the subway. His student ID gets him free subway travel, and I'm happy to know that he takes full advantage of it.

Here we are at the zoo. And, as with the rest of the day, I worked hard to just try to keep up with Thomas's ridiculously fast pace. He knows the zoo well, having been here many times. He's looking forward to the cooler weather as the animals will be more active then. The chimps and gorillas have a particularly nice set up--lots of climbing frames with hammocks strung up for comfortable lounging.

And here we are, heading back to the car, and Thomas's dorm where I leave him. He'll be home in Thanksgiving, which is only a month away.

In sum: Setting the roommates issue aside--far, FAR to the side, Thomas has it going on. He enjoys his classes, finds the work interesting yet manageable--the coursework is not too slow, but not too difficult, either; he spends his free time walking around parks, the zoo, the aquarium, and museums, and his evenings attending the symphony. He's figured out how to make his own tea and the dorm cafeteria is tolerable. (Though I did send him Panera Bread gift cards, which are a special treat.) And, perhaps best of all, one of the best Targets ever is only a few blocks away. What could be better (aside from the roommates that is...).