Chicagoan Adventure

My dad and I decided to visit University of Chicago sometime last year. That was an experience: two guys with a bad sense of direction, shoddy mapquest directions and even worse hotel directions. Let's just say Chicago's version of the LIE is a lot harder to cooperate with. This led us, in our minivan, into the heart of suburban Chicago. We found ourself making wrong turn after wrong turn until we finally accepted the fact that we were lost. Though I was thrust way out of my comfort zone, into areas that very destitute and underpriveleged, and I can honestly say I felt uncomfortable, I do felt like I gained something from the experience. Driving around in this area, I saw dozens of boarded up apartments, rundown houses, overgrown parks and playgrounds, shacks, broken chain-link fences etc etc. When we pulled into a gas station to refuel, we were the only car not up on cement blocks, the "doorman" was a homeless man, and there was at least 15 inches of bullet proof glass between the customer and the employee. Scary; overwhelming; informative; humbling. Those are the words that come to mind. Compared to what I experienced, our lives are VERY well off. We have so much opportunities that so many other people don't have. I'm glad that even though I was thrusted not only out of my comfort zone but also into someone else's comfort zone, that I was able to learn something from the experience.

Of course we ended up calling the University asking for directions. When I told the lady who answered the phone what street we were on she said:

"MacArthur St....MacArthur St...MacArth-- Oh Lordy, hunny, you don't wanna be over there" as she chuckled.