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.
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.
Even with a lot of work to do, I still find time to do enjoyable activities. Studying is important, but having downtime is just as important. I don’t work well when I’m stressed because my mood and motivation go down and nothing gets done. Therefore, I’m going to write several of the things I’ve done thus far since school started and things I hope to do in the month of October do de-stressing and have some fun.
Things that I have done:
1. I went to a Cubs game. They lost 2-1, but the game was still worth it. My boyfriend and I sat four rows behind home plate, the weather was perfect and the game wasn’t boring. Even though I’m not a baseball fan, I had a great time because I completely focused on being at Wrigley Field with someone I love spending time with instead of thinking about work, classes, or actually getting stuff done. It was really nice to give my brain a night off and not have to think too much about the stressful aspects of my life.
2. I’ve gone out to dinner about once a week. Since school started, I have gone to Outback Steakhouse and Bakers Square, and discovered Five Roses out in Rosemont, Moretti’s in Edison Park, and Rogs in Schiller Park. These places are out of the way for most Loyola students, but there are many delicious places to go out to eat in the area. Some of my favorites are FoodLife in WaterTower Place, Elly’s near Lincoln Park, and Pete’s near the Granville Red Line.
Things I Look Forward to Doing:
I’m going camping this weekend. I’m really excited because I’m going to Milwaukee, WI tomorrow with my boyfriend and some friends. I’ll be spending a lot of time fishing, sitting by a campfire, gazing at the stars and hopefully doing some hiking. Smores and tents, here I come!
I hope to finally do a corn maze this year. I’ve never done one so I would love to finally make that happen.
Go to Fright Fest at Six Flags and go to the haunted houses. I’ve never gone to the haunted houses at Six Flags and I would love to see if they scare me because thus far, the only haunted houses that terrified me were the ones I went to when I was 12.
I’m going paint balling at the end of October. I went once when I was 13 and I had a lot of fun so I can’t wait to go again after all this time.
Potentially go to a pumpkin patch and carve pumpkins. The last time I carved a pumpkin, the nice word to describe what it looked like is interesting. This year, I want to try again and really make a pumpkin that can look worthy of sitting outside on the front porch for people to see.
We’re back in session for the 2013/2014 school year! Who’s excited? Even if you’re not, I hope you aren’t too upset that summer is over. Summer was nice, but my favorite season is Fall so I’m happy that school has started up again.
There will be plenty of time ahead to blog about this semester, so I’m going to tell you all a little about what I was up to this summer.
Most of my summer was spent working at XSport Fitness as front desk staff. When I wasn’t working, I spent time exploring the outskirts of Chicago with my boyfriend. Before May, I mainly knew Chicago as downtown and what I passed when I was on the different CTA lines. I rarely saw Chicago west of the Kennedy Expressway. This summer though, I finally got past my unintentional boundaries.
Aside from exploring more of Chicago by driving around, several of my favorite discoveries included the following:
1. On a clear day, the Chicago skyline can be seen from Bensenville out near O’Hare Airport
2. Harlem Irving Plaza– to people that frequent the “HIP”, this may seem lame, but other than Watertower Place and 900 North, this is the only mall I’ve seen in Chicago. I love going to malls because they are all so unique on the inside, and the HIP is no exception. I didn’t see much of it, but I liked that to get into the mall, you go through an entrance where you take an escalator down from the outdoor parking lot.
3. I learned to fish in August and took several trips for fishing. I went to Fox River, Lake Michigan and Utica, IL. It’s a very quiet and peaceful activity that took me outdoors for some fresh air, even if all I could catch were logs. One of these days I’m hoping to catch a real fish instead of just feeding them my bait. Maybe tomorrow!
4. Country music- I’ve listened to country tunes for years and have some of my favorites bands and musicians, but listening to county music on the radio day after day really made me listen to it and appreciate it more. My iTunes has greatly expanded due to the extensive list of country songs I added to it this summer, like one of my new favorite songs, “I Want Crazy” by Hunter Hayes.
5. I went to quite a few restaurants and small food places this summer that opened up my taste buds. My healthy eating unfortunately came to a halt at the beginning of summer because there became too many temptations for me to pass up. Several places that were new to me were Longhorn Steakhouse, Roma’s, Twin Gyros and Outback Steakhouse. I tried lots of delicious food, some that I’ve had before at other places, and some that were completely new. One of my new favorite treats, courtesy of Roma’s, is Watermelon Italian Ice- delicious!
The other day, I met my friend from my hometown, who also lives in Chicago (she teaches at a Chicago Public school) at Cantina Laredo. We had both never been there, but I suggested it because I have heard good things. Also, I’ve passed it a few times (its right on State Street), and the inside looks really nice and trendy.
We got really lucky, as we just made it for the food happy hour. All of the food was half off. We sat upstairs on these two couches and ordered tons of delicious Mexican food. I got carnitas tacos and empanadas. My friend got fish tacos and guacamole. It was delicious, and my new favorite place, as the food happy hour is every day for three hours!
Yes, I am one of those people who instagrams their food, so of course I had to take a picture of my plates of food. Here are the pork carnitas and empanadas. Looking at this picture makes me want to go back there tonight… something I may just do!
Last weekend, my older cousin and her best friend visited me in Chicago! They were my first visitors of the semester, so I was really excited to show them around the city. They have only been here for dance competitions and other work related things (they’re dance teachers), so they were in for a big surprise in that they would finally discover everything Chicago has to offer.
They took the overnight Megabus and got to my apartment at 6 in the morning. We slept for a few hours and then went for a delicious midday meal at Tempo Cafe. It’s located right next to Water Tower Campus, and it has everything- from breakfast foods to burgers to hot meals. It’s also open twenty four hours to satisfy any late night cravings.
After we ate, I took them to Millennium Park. We of course had to take the cliche bean pictures- how could we not? Here’s one of my favorites.
The rest of the day we went shopping on Michigan Avenue, and got Portillo’s for dinner. (delicious Italian beef) The next day, I had class, so I let them venture out on their own. They spent most of the day tackling Water Tower Place. I recommended FoodLife, the amazing food court in Water Tower, for their lunch and they loved it! They came back with piles of clothes, so it was a successful day for them
That night, we went to the restaurant RPM. Its right downtown, and it’s actually owned by Giuliana and Bill Rancic. (Giuliana is the host of E! News and Bill is the winner of The Apprentice, a Chicago native and a Loyola grad if you didn’t know) It’s a delicious Italian restaurant that is pretty reasonably priced for broke college students like myself! Also, it’s a hot spot for celebrities when they’re in town, so it’s right up my alley for pop culture junkies like me.
The next day, we conquered State Street. It was another successful day of shopping. We got deep dish pizza for dinner to make their Chicago experience complete.
I loved having the both of them visit, as I love acting as a tour guide and showing off the greatest city in the world. I look forward to having more visitors next year!!
I spent this Valentine’s Day with a few of my best friends. We called it “Galentine’s Day.” (Well, we actually got that from Amy Poehler on the funniest television show ever, Parks and Recreation)
We planned on making a bunch of creative desserts inspired by Pinterest, but we ended up being too lazy to attempt any of them. Instead, we went to one of my favorite places in Chicago to eat: FoodLife! FoodLife is the greatest part of Water Tower Place. When you enter, you get seated and get a little card that you could swipe at any of the food stands. (You pay when you leave) The food places range from Chinese, southern comfort food, Mexican, Italian, soups and salads, and much more. I always get the Mexican dishes…followed by some gelato of course!
After FoodLife we exchanged gifts (We went all out this year!). I got some magazines and a ton of candy. I had also received care packages from my parents, aunt, and grandma, so I am pretty set on candy for the rest of the semester! After that, we watched a few chick flicks. (cliche, I know)
It was a perfect Valentines Day: good food, friends, and chick flicks. Here’s a picture of some of the things my friends got me. 🙂
Being the huge foodie that I am, I’m always on the hunt for those great restaurants and hole in the wall places. The past few weeks, I’ve been to two new places that automatically made it into my top five favorite Chicago restaurants. Although they might not be “hole in the wall” places as they are more popular (located right on or off of State Street), they were still fantastic finds.
The first place, Quartino, is an Italian restaurant on State Street about five blocks down from Loyola. I’ve heard different things about the place, not so good things, so I was excited to try it out for myself. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the place was very crowded, bustling and family friendly. It looks very fancy from the inside, but inside, its pretty casual, checkered table cloths and all. The high quality food was actually pretty cheap for an Italian place, too. I got chicken alfredo for only ten dollars, and a few of my friends got lasagna and pasta for twelve. It was definitely a good choice.
The second place I tried was Panang. It’s a small Thai place off of State Street. I wasn’t expecting a small place for take out only, but much to my surprise it was a nice sit down restaurant. I ordered pad thai and my friend ordered sweet and sour chicken. For an appetizer, we got crab rangoon, which was probably the best part of both of our meals; crab rangoon with sweet and sour sauce= extremely delectable. The pad thai was good, too, but I’ll definitely be going back for the crab rangoon.
One of my favorite parts about living in Chicago is exploring all of its fine cuisine. I’ve definitely found two winners, but I’m looking forward to exploring more restaurants in the future!
Throughout the travel season, I’ve noticed that quite a few students are applying to a wide array of schools. Applying to many schools can be a good way to keep your options open, but it can also be quite time consuming. I would recommend narrowing the list to save your self some time (and money if there are application fees, which Loyola does NOT have). One of the easiest ways to shorten the list, spend some time considering the city your school is located in and whether or not it’s a good fit for you.
Some things to consider about cities:
Distance- Is it the right distance from home? Are you looking to stay close by or do you want to move further away to get a new experience? What forms of transportation can you take to get back & forth? Will you be able to afford to commute home easily for holidays?
Weather/Climate- Are you looking for a city with all 4 seasons or just 1? Do you want a snowy winter? Do you want to be near a beach? (Loyola offers both of those options!)
Culture- How is the social scene of the campus/city? What types of events/food/shopping/etc. are you looking for? (Check out what Chicago offers here!)
Rural Life Vs. City Life- Are you looking to study in a small, rural town or do you want to experience fast-pace, city life? Are you looking for a quiet environment or are you okay with a little city noise?
Transit- Will you be able to easily commute to grocery stores, restaurants, etc? Do you need a car? How does parking work on campus? Can you rely on public transit to get around? Or is everything within walking distance? (At Loyola you can always rely on the CTA, Chicago Transit Authority, to get you around the city at no cost with your U-Pass!)
Diversity- How diverse is the campus & the neighborhood? Will you get a different experience from your hometown? What opportunities are there to explore different cultures, beliefs, etc.? (Loyola is in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country, Rogers Park.)
Internship/Job Opportunities- Are there businesses nearby who will provide internship opportunities? How far will you have to commute for work? How far are you willing to commute for an internship or job? (Being in Chicago, Loyola is very close in proximity to uncountable internship & experiential learning opportunities.)
There’s no right or wrong answer to the questions listed above, they’re all things you need to consider and answer honestly for yourself when deciding if a college or city is a good fit for you.
Confession time. I have a problem. Or, more accurately, an addiction. An addiction to only the most delicious dessert and food item in the history of the world: CUPCAKES.
One of my favorite parts about Chicago is the plethora of places where you can pick up some of these delicious treats. In fact, last year, for an APO event, we had a “cupcake crawl,” where we consecutively went to three cupcake bakeries within 2 hours.
It might have been the best day in my entire life.
Inspired by that highlight of my existence as a human being, I thought I’d leave you with a list of some of my favorite cupcake places in the city to explore when you’re here! Enjoy!
NBD. Just some birthday cake and chocolate chip cookie cupcakes - SO GOOD!
Molly’s is located in Lincoln Park, and it is one of my absolute favorite places. The decor is funky and fun, and I could probably eat at least 10 of their birthday cake cupcakes in a single day. They taste a little like a combination of real birthday cake and unicorns and miracles.
Swirlz is also located in Lincoln Park. The shop is small, but they have an awesome selection of both regular sized and mini cupcakes. The minis are just as yummy and perfect for deluding yourself into thinking that 5 minis aren’t as bad as 1 big one. (Heehee…)
more is located downtown, by LUC’s Water Tower Campus. more’s cupcakes are not only delicious (like all cupcakes in the history of the world), but they have this awesome deal on Tuesdays, when more posts a picture of one of their cupcakes on Facebook. If one of your friends tags you in time, you get a COMPLETELY FREE NO STRINGS ATTACHED CUPCAKE. Considering the fact that the “poor college student” myth is actually not a myth, but a sad reality, getting tagged in a more cupcake is literally the highlight of many of my friends’ weeks.
The smallness of this picture is made up in deliciousness content.
Sorry this picture is so small! I actually took it on my cellphone last year when my APO Big and I had an exciting evening filled with sushi and cupcakes. A Taste of Heaven is within walking distance of the Lake Shore Campus, and their fancy cupcakes add class and sass to any event.
My friend's mom, Rusty, and the infamous Cupcake ATM!
Sprinkles, located close to the downtown campus, is a close second to my favorite cupcake place ever. During the aforementioned cupcake crawl, I may or may not have bought four cupcakes from Sprinkles, which may or may not have all been consumed within the next four hours. Sprinkles also has a fantastic cupcake ATM; no explanation is needed, since it’s exactly what it sounds like. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.
