Author: 1stexistentialist

By John Trestrail

“The most important thing about Ewoks is that they look like bears.”  There was a mischievous glint in my sister’s eyes as her gaze bounced from that small piece of lined paper to my stunned face and back again.  Oh, how much joy she took in finding that embarrassing elementary school composition of mine in a storage box in my parents’ garage.  She got me; she got me pretty good.

In late June, Victoria, the kids, and I left our home in Atlanta on a bit of a summer adventure.  Our first stop was in Nashville for a family reunion.  Next stop was outside of Little Rock to celebrate Victoria’s father’s 70^thbirthday.  Our final destination was downtown Chicago where we had rented a furnished apartment for the month of July.  It was to be a working vacation for me and a change of venue for summer vacation for Victoria and the kids.

Chicago has always been the road not traveled for me.  In late 1995 I graduated from college and saved enough to move away from Michigan and start my adult life.  I had struck out trying to find a job in Washington, DC or overseas and had narrowed my choices (sans job offer) to trying my luck in either Chicago or Atlanta.  Having grown up in Western Michigan, I had been a frequent visitor to Chicago and had a sense for what the city had to offer.  On the other hand, I had been so impressed with “the South” on college spring break trips to