Tag: chicago

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A City that Loves to Jump Scare

If you want to visit a place with underground roads that snatch away your GPS signal before guiding you into a maze, visit Chicago.

If you want a beautiful view of a sunlit city blocked by a giant, diagonal, black beam in a window, visit Chicago.

If you want to be chased down by the musically inclined in the night, visit Chicago.

If you want somewhere with heart and passion in their art, hundreds of restaurants to enjoy, and to get together with a thousand people cheering as iced coffees and donuts race, visit Chicago.

And if you want somewhere to wake your blood every few feet while being surrounded by blaring metal boxes, visit Chicago.

A wonderland of beauty that keeps you on your toes, our dear beloved Chicago.

Disclaimer, I love Chicago, and I love these little things that make it fun and unique. Chicago wouldn’t have the personality it does without its little quirks and its love to scare and irritate its visitors with the little things. This was a fun little travel blog exercise I did recently.

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Let’s Just Write! Chicago

I had such a great few days in Chicago at Let’s Just Write! This was a very honest conference with very respectable people. The last panel was absolutely amazing because we obtained a real, hard look at the industry. During this conference, I connected closely with more people than I have at other conferences. And the best part is that most of these people are close to home for me! My favorite thing at this conference was getting kicked out of the dining room because two other people and I were talking well past hours, even after everyone had already left. That conversation was amazing. I learned so much. We discussed generational differences, culture, media, and how everything ties together.

I love this community so much that it’s hard to explain. Being able to discuss everything in life back and forth and deeply is such a win for me and something I have always craved. There was not a single person at this conference that I ran into who wasn’t respectful, caring, and empathetic. It was great to learn I can be respected for my mind and me as a person and it was great to be surrounded by people who just want to help make the world a better place and who love to write.

The organization also did amazing with the structure of this conference. You could tell they really cared and wanted to keep us all together. There were only two panels that were not master classes each other, which was great because then, during meals, we were able to discuss what someone may have missed that was important. Also, by the end of the conference, we were comfortable enough to have lunch with other people outside of the hotel after having been with them nonstop for multiple days. Not only that, but we discussed topics that I had never thought to dive into before, like personal essays, I finally took a class on back blurbs, which I have been looking for, and learned more about social media.

I am very thankful that I went to this conference and cherish the friendships and memories that came from it. It is amazing what can happen in just a few days!