And Where Beauty Leads, There It Follows

In preparation for my upcoming move to Chicago, I have been immersing myself in some of Chicago's finest literature, most recently Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie.

The heart-wrenching novel initially appealed to me because of its premise: small town midwestern girl moves to the big city. Indeed, I found myself identifying with Carrie's overwhelmed approach to the city. The more I read about all Chicago has to offer, the more excited and daunted I become.

Of course, I don't intend to settle with a Drouet or to run away with a Hurstwood, but perhaps my cozy room in the Gold Coast might offer the same comfort that Carrie initially feels in regards to her apartment with Drouet in Ogden Place. I certainly hope I am not inspired, whether forcibly or not, to depart Chicago on the arm of Hurstwood and settle in New York. Firstly, unlike Carrie, I do not possess dramatic aspirations, and secondly, I think Chicago is a big enough city for me right now.

Indeed, while Carrie's adventure ends in fame and fortune, I do not seek so much. I can only hope upon reaching Chicago in pursuit of beauty I, too, may dream of "such happiness as you may never feel."

Reading and All that Business

Today, I was supposed to be working on finishing some of my summer projects (I'm working on a research project on the gender dynamics of the Norton Anthology of English Literature and typing some lovely love letters from WWII), but instead I found myself perusing a present from my grandmother: Chicago Free and Dirt Cheap. I started listing everything I want to check out in the city, and I think it's safe to say I won't be able to do them all, and that's not even counting all of the things I don't yet know about.

Here's the greatest hits list:

Chicago SummerDance in Grant Park

Uptown Poetry Slam with Marc Smith

Chicago Jazz Festival

Mexican Independence Day Parade

Heaven on Seven

Greektown

Oak Park Beach

Green City Market

Hull House

Art Institute

Grant Park Movie Festival

Old Town School of Folk Music

Women and Children First Bookstore

Beatnix

This list is much more exciting than that of Westerville (my hometown). I'm back in the Ville for a few weeks before returning to Kenyon for one last week of hellos to the new first year class and goodbyes to my dear friends. The greatest hits of Westerville include:

Cookies from Cheryl and Company

Ice cream from Graeter's

Fish and Chips at Old Bag of Nails

Fourth Fridays

Sand volleyball at Hoff Woods

A bike ride along the Hoover Reservoir

A jaunt into Columbus

A stroll around Otterbein College

While these are wonderful, I've done them all about a billion times, and I can't do any of them without running into an old babysitter, ten old classmates, my next door neighbor, or my parents. So, right now, while I'm home for a bit, I'm excited about new adventures and a little anonymity.