Where only the politicians are windy

I’ve decided to go to the AWP Conference in Chicago and all of a sudden I'm filled with this nostalgia for it. I’m really happy in Brooklyn and I don’t want to go back (except perhaps for the rent), but I am starting to fill with this utter joy that I’m going back to Chicago, even for four days. I’m getting excited thinking about jumping in a cab from Midway. Thinking about it, although I only lived in Chicago for five years, that time is a significant portion of my adult life so far. Five years of 24 is significant. I love Brooklyn because it’s lively, it's new, it has my family and old friends, it has great public transportation, it has cafes and bookstores up the wazoo, and I can get served a tasty dinner until Midnight by walking a few blocks. I loved Chicago for the people I was surrounded by. I miss the feelings from the place. When I went to Chicago I knew no one, and when I left, I had made deep friendships and fallen in love with a new city. I miss the character in the buildings that people can actually afford to live in. Chicago isn’t a mean city. I say this with all the love and admiration for New York, but it’s a hard city. It’s a hamster wheel with daggers. I might be projecting the challenges of post college life on New York, but New York can take it.

Anyway, if you're in Chicago Feb 11-15th, let's get a drink, or go stand in line at the Pancake House on 53rd. I really could use those pancakes.