On occasion I find myself in a place somewhere between cloud nine and a thrill. Chicago was just that for me. Four days in the windy city and I am close to convincing myself that winters there are not as bad as people make them out to be. Walking in a metropolis with amazing architecture and having the sense of being somewhere with so much more to it than simply a gathering of different faces made me feel as if though I could be myself without being lost or ostracized.

I have lived most of my life in places people refer to as cultural melting pots. As one local in Chicago put it "Remember; Chi Town is not a melting pot." Everything has its place, cultures here and there are sown into one giant quilt - but it makes sense. It makes sense like the relationship this beautiful city has with its notorious corruption. All of these striking contrasts shine brightly together, like thousands of pixels bursting with their own individual colors, creating one giant familiar smiling face overlooking Millennium Park.

I was all smiles in Chicago. Brunch in Wicker Park at the Bongo Room followed by a walk and people watching while Heretics by Andrew Bird played in my head. Mini cupcakes in the Lakeview neighborhood after hunting down the closest cup of Intelligentsia coffee (not limited to Chicago I know, but it is such great coffee its worth mentioning). Bright eyes while walking into The Drake, goosebumps with my martini and live Jazz in the Back Room- I couldn't help but smile.