My first week back at school has been full of great new food, specifically of the Italian variety. My friends and I ventured down the red line this week to Eataly, an authentic Italian restaurant and supermarket.
Eataly is located downtown just off the Grand stop. The place is two floors of Italian food paradise. The smell of fresh bread fills the market, and free samples are offered around every corner. After a quick walk through the first floor, my friends and I settled down in the upstairs restaurant and enjoyed some thin crust pizza.
After scarfing it all down, it didn’t take long to decide that some gelato was the perfect way to end the trip. For a good price, Eataly is a great option for eating out on a college-student budget. I’d highly recommend it for any authentic Italian lover looking for a fun new dinner spot.
I’m back from winter break, and I’m excited to start my fourth semester at Loyola. I had one of the most enjoyable breaks I’ve had since I came here. I watched an embarrassing amount of Netflix (go watch Parks & Rec right now) and spent time with my parents, which I’ve appreciated more every time I get home. Of course, it was a plus to be out of town during the freezing Chiberia weather. I also visited Denver, Colorado for a few days. I don’t venture out of the Midwest much, and I have never been out West before, but I’m so glad I got the chance to. The mountains were beautiful. I went to the top of Pike’s Peak, which was as scenic as it was scary-there were points on the trip I felt like the car was going to topple over the mountain, but I made it to the top! I wouldn’t be a college kid if I didn’t Instagram it, so you can see the view from the mountain below.
But, as much as I enjoyed break, I have to say I’m happy to be back-can’t ever stay away for too long. Now that I’ve been to all my classes for the semester, I am honestly pretty excited. Last semester was a treat because I took mostly theatre classes, and this semester I’m taking a lot of classes for my newly declared second major, Advertising & Public Relations. I’m taking the intro classes for that major and am feeling relieved to think that I made the right choice switching over.
When I first came to college, I could not imagine switching from journalism and theatre, but I am glad I stayed open-minded. The advertising major is actually pretty similar to the journalism major, so I don’t feel like I’m doing a complete about-face, but I think this will suit my interests and skill sets a little more. So listen to the people who tell you you don’t need to decide a major right away. Even if you’re set, you have time to change your mind, and I promise you will not die.
Part of the decision to switch came from my internship. While I started out mainly writing articles, my bosses gave more chance to do more writing related to public relations and marketing. I am glad they gave me free reign to explore what I was interested in. As I’ve told many people, my internship at the University Marketing & Communications department is one of the best opportunities I’ve been given at Loyola, and I encourage any future (or present)Ramblers to apply for one of the many jobs available to students.
This semester is going to be a lot of work, but it’s also my first semester here I haven’t been acting in a production. I am excited to take this extra free time to see what other ways I can get involved on campus while I have the chance.
For my last year at Loyola, I decided to move off campus and take advantage of other areas of Chicago. My friends and I finally decided on an apartment less than one block from Wrigley Field. So far, SO GREAT.
A lot of people have asked me if it gets annoying having to make the commute to campus everyday for class. For me, it’s no problem at all. The 15-20 minute ride on the train gives me some extra time for leisure reading, listening to music, or cramming for that test I put off studying for. It’s been a good transition period between waking up in the morning and having to concentrate in class.
Not only that, but I’ve gotten the chance to know more than just Roger’s Park. Lakeview has treated me to good shopping and great food, most of which fit into my struggling-college-student budget. If anyone is ever in the area, stop by Lucky’s for a sandwich – you will not be sorry!
But it hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows in my new life of commuting. Occasionally, the city likes to spring surprise construction projects on me. Take it from someone who’s been late to more than a couple of classes, our beloved el train is not always dependable.
When you live on campus, getting to class simply means timing out your walking pace. Unless there happens to be some act of God, getting to class is a pretty standard routine. But as a commuter, I am at the mercy of the gods of the train. I started off my last semester of college being almost 30 minutes late to class because the north-bound train didn’t stop at Addison. It was a less than ideal situation.
So my advice for any Loyola student who is considering moving off campus is to weigh the pros and cons. Overall, I think living in Lakeview is fantastic, and I would encourage anyone to do the same.
