City sights...smells...sounds...

Nothing like a vacation to magnify the idiosyncrasies of home. Ever since we returned from Seattle my eyes are wide open to all that makes this city, well, this city. It is hilarious and depressing all at once.

As Chris and I left the baggage claim at O'Hare and made our way to the Blue Line we were greeted by the CTA's signature scent: decades of urine and filth. We exchanged knowing glances. Vacation was over. We had been greeted by pine-scented, ocean air when we arrived at Seatac the week prior. Sigh. Welcome home.

Just days later we were out for a walk when we encountered an eccentric, homeless man on a bike. He had a trailer loaded with junk and his greasy gray hair was flying in the wind as he yelled "Out of the way. I don't have insurance. I can't afford to hit nobody." After he flew past he continued in sing-song fashion, "I'm homeless; don't got insurance. Homeless..."

And finally, I left my summer school class at 9 pm and stood in the subway, eyes glazed over, waiting to head home. Some dude was performing hip hop. The platform was full of students and late-working suits. I stared down at the filthy tracks, wondering-as I always do-what exactly the liquid is that is always pooled there. I then noticed a rat. Not a minute later, another one. I've seen rats in the subway, but never two at the same time. And to think, I didn't gasp in horror.

The incessant honking, CTA passengers with poor hygiene or too much cheap cologne, catcalls,phantom sewer odors and kamikaze pigeons... These fleeting daily experiences are why I both love this city and can't wait to be somewhere a bit less urban.