I’ve been in Chicago for a couple days now. I like the city! I really like it a lot!

- Stayed at the W for the weekend. Pretty swanky place. I didn’t think I was at a hotel when I saw the lobby. It looked more like a bar/lounge place. Turns out it really was a lounge on the bottom floor, but the check-in was there as well. Drinks were a bit pricey, but the place was pretty impressive. The bar on the top floor was so-so.
- Met some family at a family reunion on Friday. Lots I’ve never even met before. Being in a room full of Asians I didn’t know was a bit unsettling.
- Had a night out with some of the cousins I just met. They are pretty awesome. Gotta hang out with them more. We partied at Red Ivy. Some of them knew the manager type guy (I forget) so we got the hook up with some free drinks (and two of us were under-aged but got in).
- I went shopping at the Nordstrom and Macy’s here. I am so jealous. They’re much bigger and have more awesome stuff than the ones in Annapolis. Spent a good chunk of my money on some new clothes, but I’m really happy with ‘em!
- I’m now staying at my cousin’s apartment. She’s got a cool place. Nice location.
- Went out for a walk with my other cousins (I’ve known these guys all my life). At one point, my little cute nephew was running around and this group of people with cameras started taking pictures of him. And he started posing! He totally loved the attention. hehehe. He is totally a chick magnet. lol
- Yesterday I walked over to the Shedd Aquarium. Not as big as the one we have in Baltimore, but they certainly had a larger variety of animals there. My favorites: Glass Lizard, Komodo Dragon, Giant Japanese Spider Crab, and Tasmanian King Crab. Just the sheer size of those animals impressed me. Aquariums are awesome.
- Today I went to the Field Museum. There was LOTS and LOTS of stuff. It’s been forever since I’ve been in a museum though. My favorite exhibit has to be the animals display. There were just so many that I’ve never even heard of before. And although they’re stuffed, they are so life-like. You get to see them all up close… I swear I almost felt like they would just jump out at me. My favorites are the tiger, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, and Aye-aye (soooooo creepy!).

At first I was all like “Damn! Why the hell did I leave warm and sunny Florida for this cold and windy place?!” But I grew to like it here. Chicago has such a different feel than NYC… like less hectic? I can’t really describe it now.

I’m still here for a couple more days. There’s still lots more to see.