Today I'm thinking that maybe I should move to Chicago. Actually, not just today. I've been thinking about it a lot recently.
Maybe it's time to be in a new place. I've been in DC for quite a while.
I grew up moving every two to four years. And when I hit the four year point here, I got all twitchy. Time to go! And then I realized I was happy in DC and couldn't really think of anywhere else in the US I'd rather live.
I used to uproot myself just out of habit. Or I'd get bored or discontented, and I'd move as an attempt to fix something I didn't like. And at some point I realized it was me I didn't like, not the particular place. It was me I had to work on; changing the place had nothing to do with it.
This time it's different. It's not "I don't like this" but "maybe I'd like that better" - and maybe I would. I don't know.
I'm going to poke around for jobs - I'd like to find a writing job, or a job with a huge writing component, which is not what I currently have. I'm going to visit in the dead of winter. Because the truth is, I might just not be strong enough to survive the cold. And I categorically hate winter.
It might be a today whim. Or it might be what I'd really like to do.
Ohh, a light went off for me when reading "it was me I didn't like, not the place".
ReplyDeleteLife is short - be happ(ier)! My good friend moved from Texas to Chicago years ago and loves it. You can brave the cold.
i moved from dc to chicago and have never looked back. surviving winter is all about having the write clothes. it's not so bad.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, YES!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteXOXO,
Christy
PS. I have an extra bedroom while you look for an apartment. ;)
you just want to folow me don't you?
ReplyDeleteThat was the exact same reason I moved from the NYC area. I loved it there, but grew up moving around, and realized that it was the longest I've ever stayed put in one place, so I had an "itch" to go somewhere else, move away.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand you!!
Everyone in Chicago always seems so happy, so maybe they've got secrets for braving the cold.
ReplyDeleteWe had orders to move to Chicago last spring, but somehow we ended up here on the prairie.
Funny thing, I was just talking about moving to chicago with my best friend. :) If we do, perhaps we can meet you for drinks. Or something. :)
ReplyDeleteHKW - Yah, that was my problem for a long, long time. You are right, life is short! I am thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteAnon - I dunno - I'm a winter wimp. But maybe I could handle it. I'm glad to hear you're happy there.
Christy - Thank you thank you! I might turn up, massive bags in hand!
JWM - Are you really moving?
BB - I'm glad to hear you get where I'm coming from. Thank you!
Shannon - Yah, everyone I know who has lived in Chicago has really, really liked it.
SL - Oh, definitely! Keep me updated!
Boo. No. Icky. Chicago is baaad. You want to stay in warm sunny D.C.
ReplyDelete:-(
ReplyDeleteI went to grad school in Chicago and now live in DC. Chicago is a great place--once described to me as NYC with nice people--but there is a big downside and it's not the cold. Chicago is a million miles from anywhere. There's no going to the beach (a real beach), there's no going to the mountains, and there is no hoping a train for a quick weekend in another major American city. Maybe it's psychological, but you get a strange sense of geographic isolation after a while. Seriously, Chicago is a metropolis in a corn field. Chicago is great, but I wouldn't take it as a long-term option. My two cents....
ReplyDeletei lived in chicago for 2 1/2 years, and can recommend it without hesitation. however, i grew up in new england so the winters were no big thang. if you hate winter, do consider that - it is pretty damn cold for a solid 4-5 months of the year.
ReplyDeleteriley makes a fair point - the upside to the crazy overcrowding on the east coast is that stuff is close! weekend in NY! trip to the carolinas! in chicago, drive for five hours and you're...nowhere terribly interesting (no offense midwest, xoxo miss you, but you're not the I-95 corridor).
the other thing to consider? the cost of living there is SO. MUCH. BETTER. god, i could cry when i think about what we paid for our one-bedroom three blocks from wrigley (though we're white sox fans - go figure) and three blocks from the lake. right downtown, walk to everything you could want - bars, restaurants, grocery shopping, parks. and it cost a little over half of what we pay now for a one-bed in capitol hill.
*waaah.*
well, i guess the apt wasn't really downtown per se - there isn't really a downtown in chicago, at least not where many people live! - but i meant more "in the middle of the city." my brain is a little fried and i should go home now :)
ReplyDeleteAnon AKA A, the only person I know who says boo - I'm just thinking about it. I do have to visit when it's deathly cold there.
ReplyDeleteVVK - Ahhh, thank you my friend!
Riley - You've really given me something to consider, as you and Kate both make very, very good points about geography. I hadn't given any thought whatsoever about feeling stranded in the middle of the country. I do think Chicago is an amazing city. But I also like being able to jump in my car and visit my friends in other east coast cities...
kate.d. - Same as what I said about geography above. But cost of living is definitely something I hadn't given any thought to, and that's a huge plus. Thank you for the very thoughtful response!