Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Settling In


We made it to Chicago (relatively unscathed) at the beginning of the month.  Most of the boxes are unpacked.  Our new apartment is very different from our old one, so it's been a challenge to get everything just the way we want it.  Dottie, as you can see, has found her perfect spot on the couch.

Her first week was a bit rough (she stayed with my parents our first week here while we moved in and unpacked).  She's basically a country dog, and throwing her into a city with lots of new sights, smells, and sounds was hard.  The sound of the nearby train was scary for her at first.  She's never been fond of other dogs (and there are LOTS here).  She had us pretty worried for about the first week and a half; sleeping much of the time, not showing any interest in playing, not even waking me in the morning to take her outside.  She was still eating regularly, so that was a good sign.

She has slowly come around.  The train doesn't bother her anymore.  In fact, this is her favorite spot to explore:


The grassy lot by the L tracks.  We have a great little park nearby, but she prefers this place. Lots of sticks and stones and unkempt grass.  The occasional piece of trash.  I've been careful about it, and we haven't found anything dangerous there yet, so I think it's fine.  We're still working on being ok with other dogs.  I don't think she'll ever be super best friends with them.  If she can seem them without barking like mad, I'll be happy.

A few observations about our new home:

- People here LOVE Halloween.  Decorations everywhere.  

- There are a lot of weird looking strollers, each carrying multiple babies and children.

- I thought I might lose some weight from all the walking I've been doing.  Wrong.  And that's because...

- There's a ton of good food here.  We already have a couple of favorite neighborhood places, and have been exploring a few in other neighborhoods with our friends.    

- Having an iPhone has been helpful.  I'm not really a fancy phone person, but can totally understand having one in a city.  I think it has actually made me a little more brave about exploring, because I know that if I get lost I can always get directions home.

I hope to update with some photos of our new place soon!  

6 comments:

  1. I'm glad you're getting settled!!

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  2. listen to you, city girl, talking about L tracks ;) post some city and food photos!

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  3. Seconded, Halloween here is crazy! We took our daughter out in Bucktown last night (took the bus over, haha!) and all the neighbors were so cool, everyone was really into the spirit of the holiday. It was great. She came home with a pound, maybe two, of candy. Ridiculous! (in a good way). I heard Lincoln Park is similar if not worse (also in a good way).

    What 'hood are you in again? Maybe you mentioned it in a comment on my blog? Would love to hear more about your fave restaurants!

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  4. Tricia - I live in Bucktown, close to Wicker Park! Our building didn't have anything posted about trick-or-treating, so I headed over to Boystown for the Halloween parade (super fun).

    My favorite place that's close by is Birchwood Kitchen. Great sandwiches and brunch items, and delicious baked goods. Awesome service, too.

    You're in River North, right? My husband works in that area, on Chicago Ave.

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  5. Oh fabulous! Bucktown is GREAT, right?? I love all the modern houses over there. Totally drooling/wishing I could afford one. :)

    We are in River West, near the intersection of Milwaukee Halsted/Chicago, if that makes any sort of sense.

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