septem

So, a couple of weeks ago, I snuck to Chicago with three of my dearest friends. We’re all teenagers, still living at home, so it was tricky, but with some incredibly smooth lying and speedy driving, it all worked out. We started out at about 2 am and drove six hours to spend three more hours wandering around a city none of us knew anything about. We finally found our way to Lake Michigan, where we swam in our clothes and sunbathed. Tragically, we all had to be back in St. Louis later that day, and, well, it was a six hour drive home. Long story short, I pretty much fell in love with the place, even though I was there for a grand total of three and a half hours, and we had to pay 15 bucks to park on the eleventh floor of a garage, which, let me tell you, is no fun when your trip budget is only about $250 and you’re buying gas for a minivan. But I think of it as a small price to pay for my first taste of freedom.

Yeah, I’ve lived here all my life, and I could see how it might be cool if you were a tourist, but living in St. Louis kind of sucks. Lots of crime, lots of dilapidated areas, not a whole lot to do. You could probably do/see all the really good stuff over a couple of weeks. And the Arch is possibly the most pointless monument in America, which might be what makes it so damn cool. If I didn’t live here, I’d probably want to visit for a while, then go home. But if you’re from out of town, it’s a pretty nifty place to be for a week or so.