[major] Progress report!
 

http://www.thedrakehotel.com/photos/photo02.jpg
Sweet home Chicago, sweet home all cities of the world, my oyster.

Dear Buddies,

I don't think many of you here besides those I've befriended then remember my situation just over 3 years ago. To give you the Reader's Digest version, I was laid off from being assistant designer for a sportswear company (the owners retired, so did the company) and not working for 6 months, subsequently working only part-time. I then had no choice but to give up my cosmopolitan hole-in-the-wall and move to the cornfields (to my brother's condo; think suburbs, but with cows and pasture - rural), triggering a major disruption of my city life, in which I grew up, which I worship, and which feeds me on many levels). Isolation, cultural depravation, and an undermining sense of dislocation permeated my spirit, and though I managed to subjugate them and remain buoyant, they in turn retaliated as they would, turning me into a hermit and suspending my social life - I more or less lost touch with friends, and I would remain in my room listening to music, 'hanging out' at Adventure Gamers Forums, gaming online or off, or catching up with work at ForeverDream Studios. My commute to work was from 3-5 hours total each day :eek: . Fate issued me an extended stint of hibernation, whether I wanted it or not, and I tried best as I could to work with it. And so I promised myself I would return to the City first chance I got.

The chance has finally arrived.

Next week I will be signing the lease to an attractive studio flat in the heart of Chicago - six floors up, 1920s vintage building, eastern view of the lakefront (which is 3 blocks away), southern view of downtown (the apartment is actually bigger than I thought). Amenities: the entire city of Chicago! Its museums (El Greco, Zurbaran, the New Guinea shrunken human heads, and the sliced up human cadavers, here I come! I missed you!), outdoor sculptures, history, architecture (including the new cathections by Rem Koolhaas and Frank Gehry, 2 of my favourites), 3:00am chorizo burritos served to you by giggling Mexican women (Swordmaster: ;) ), 24 hour diners (biscuits 'n' gravy...mmmm!), Chinatown, Pilsen (city's Hispanic neighbourhood), Andersonville (Swedish neighbourhood), Roscoe's (my favourite martini on a Friday), Big Chick's (my favourite club to dance)....and more, so much damn more! Best thing is that most of these things are free (given the day/season) - especially the summer evening walk on the lakefront! This is great for a poor starving artist, and can the cornfields offer these?

Well, I just thought I'd mention this. I speed my gratitude to you all who have continually supported and encouraged me these past few years. I promise that first chance I get, I'll take pictures of my new cubbyhole and surrounding landscape and share them with you. Here's to the city life, no matter how frugal! :7

Love,
The Trep

Sweet man! Sounds like a very nice apartment :)

I'm glad that things have picked up for you. Man, I'd love to visit Chicago one day.

((((((INTRÉPIDO)))))
You deserve it :)

Congrats, man. Sounds like a great situation. :)

Congratulations, my good man. :7

It's strange, but I have the exact opposite point of view. I yearn for the simple country life.

And I love the way you signed off...'The Trep'. 8-)

Congrats, The Trep!

I on the other hand hope to move out of the city some day. I currently live in what you would call suburbs, I guess, although it's nothing like the suburbs I've learned to know from american movies.

Great, man! Although I wouldn't say I'm a big city person I'm definitely a city person, having grown up in nicely medium-sized Alkmaar. It can be good to get away from it all every now and then, but I know what you mean about feeling cut off.

Hm, Chicago has a Swedish neighbourhood? Interesting. I thought localized communities stopped at Chinatown and Little Italy. D'you have a Dutch community as well?

Anyway... congrats!

Yeah, Andersonville sounds very interesting. :)

Anyway, congrats! Sounds lovely.

Go girl! Go girl! Go, go, go girl! http://koti.welho.com/jlinkola/images/jiihaa.gif

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/im...2/048_F447.jpg

... and I thought you would become the next Unabomber, centered in the middle of nowhere. Shows you what I know...

:) Erm, I don't think the 'country' that I've been living in applies to your definition of such. True, there are farms within a few miles radius of me, but this hardly qualifies as simple and peaceful, what with the shopping malls and disturbingly conservative culture. The kind of country you and I both probably want is more conducive to rising above all that, a more spiritual and natural existence, though I'd want it when I'm much older and even more introspective.

You're right, there's nothing quite like the American Suburb. I could easily go on an extended rant about it, its mind numbing undercurrents, cultural isolation, false, stuccoed sense of security... Seriously, I'd rather live on the outskirts of a European city, maybe London or Paris, than in any American city.

I think my situation had much more to do with feeling like a slave to being cut off. I was a slave to the commuter train schedule, I was forced to arrange my life around it, and I hated it vehemently. The suburbs is not a 24 hour place, never was. In the city I can go to a diner at 3 in the morning and eat pancakes and bacon and drink coffee while I write in my journal (the city is more sympathetic to insomniacs); I can stay a bit longer at a friend's place knowing that the bus never stops running; I can walk everywhere without feeling chained to a car. I was born in, grew up in, and lived of the city.

Yep, Andersonville is Chicago's Sweden Central. Sadly, though, there is no Dutch community, asaik. But there's also a Vietnamese neighbourhood, German (Lincoln Square), Ukrainian, Greek, Caribbean, Puerto Rican, Polish, Indian, Hasidic, and others. :)

I don't think so. Where's the money in that?

Congrats Intrepid :)

I've always wanted my own "studio flat". Not sure what I'd do with it, though :P

I'd suggest throwing parties.

Personally, I'm lousy at throwing parties and have no interest. But I do like having a couple of friends over for pizza, beer, and a movie, or drinks and dinner over heady discussions. I'm planning on learning to cook again. It saves money. :frown: Sadly, though, none of my current friends are serious gamers so doing that is out of the question. Hmm, perhaps there's a chance of making new friends - gamer friends - in the city :) .

Big City Nights, eh? :P

edit: Oh, and hug and awe Michael Jordan's monument for me...

Some of our politicians love USA so much though, that they want to recreate even the suburbs here. This is what they've done (it actually looks worse in real life / photo):

http://www.tiskremaja.ee/img/krundid.gif

I drive by this horror every monday (but luckily when it's dark :))

Geez, that's depressing...

http://mysmilies.ipbfree.com/s/contr...own/face20.gif That's utterly disturbing, Erk. I can imagine what that will do to the families who'll end up living there. I don't even see a main square where people can meet and socialize, and it's more than obvious the whole thing is designed for cars, not humans. Just like so much of the U.S.

DOGMAN!!! I love Dogman! Thanks! Love that piece from them.

Can't, my arms aren't long enough, but I'll smile at him for you next time I'm round there :) .

That's a good point. And very true. There's practically no access to the place
except by cars.

http://www.einst.ee/Ea/2_00/images/oismae.jpg
I'd even prefer this (a lot of places like this were built under the soviet occupation):