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Darrell
March 23, 2009

Can’t believe Spring Break is already over with! This semester is moving by pretty fast, but the closer to summer, the better, right? I had a really great time hanging with my mom and her fiancé in Chicago. Chicago, for anyone who doesn’t know, is my original hometown! It’s always fun heading back up to Chi-Town, especially to see family, visit my old hangouts, and most importantly, relax and reminisce about the past.

Chicago is, of course, named “The Windy City,” and you can always tell why when you head up there. Highs of 20’s and 30’s, NOT including the wind chill factor, and lows of…well, you don’t want to know.  But never mind all that. I stayed in the Hyatt hotel in downtown Chicago. I had never been there but it was very nice and beautiful! One of the big highlights of the trip was being able to eat at Gino’s East! For anyone from Chi-Town, Gino’s is a pretty famous pizza restaurant (known mainly for its deep-dish pizza) that even celebrities and people from all over go to eat. Never had deep-dish pizza? You’re missing out! Just imagine Pizza Hut’s biggest, thickest, juiciest, pizza…now multiply that by five. Believe me, words don’t do it justice!

Another highlight was my visit to Gary, Indiana, which is SPECIFICALLY where I used to live. I still consider Chicago my home, too, since we lived in both places. And they’re in very close proximity to each other. It’s a slightly somber feeling visiting Gary sometimes. It’s not just because the neighborhood has changed and is so different now, but sometimes the places we once lived in, whether we leave them or not, leave behind permanent memories. Some are harder to hold on to when you want to remember them, and others are hard to let go of when you want to forget them. But enough gloominess for now.

I was able to head to Bob’s Shrimp Hut, a local food joint that cooks the BIGGEST shrimp you’ve ever seen in your life. Don’t believe me? On their menu, they have the option of Jumbo or COLLOSAL shrimp. Can’t help but love it! My mom, her fiancé, and I also went on a shopping spree in Downtown Chicago. I’m not a big shopping person, but the mall we went to was pretty unique, and had shops and restaurants I had never seen before. And don’t get me started on the food court! Every type of food you could ever imagine from all over the world! I almost passed out from the shock! To be perfectly honest, I think the FOOD was the main highlight of the trip! But honestly, I just appreciated being able to hang with my mom back at our original home, and being able to take a well-needed break from V-Town. Did I miss it? A little, but I’m back here now, and ready to knock these classes out of the way! Be back soon!