Chicago Update No. 1

Ok, let's see where to begin...
My first flight had so many screaming and pooping kiddos on it... The parents of the screamer in front of me were young and had a great sense of humor, but it didn't mask the child who made noises louder than my high school percussionists. I wished I had my earplugs...
The overall travel experience was good until I got to Chicago. The L was difficult to manage when it was time to change from one color line to another - the stations were not well marked and I had to ask for help. My room is at IIT and my roommie never showed. Dinner at a college caf was less than nostalgic. They have some great vegetarian and vegan offerings that will help keep the WW struggle in check, but I did help myself to a slice of pizza. Oh, and an Auntie Annie's pretzil yesterday at the airport. What, I had 5 minutes between getting off a flight and boarding the next one and it was the closest lunch in sight...
I fell asleep feeling a little alone and at a loss for resources. Maybe it was just overload that had me down. At least I saw a great sunset over the city:

This morning I woke up and missed my morning coffee so much that I had to download the app for Starbucks. I'm a block away, so I walked over. On my way in, a dude said, "good morning" to me and I just ignored him because I couldn't tell if he was being friendly or had a maliscious intent. The barista told me where the nearest supermarket was, and also explained that the stadium I saw along the way was the home of the White Sox. Along my walk to the store, every single person I saw said, "good morning" and I realized: Everybody out here is just super friendly! Score one for Chicago.
I was able to get what I needed and get back to the dorm, and now I feel so adventurous that I might go find my room for class tomorrow, eat at Gino's East for dinner, and see the fireworks. Maybe Chicago is not half bad.