My Chicago Trip
HEY GUYS.On December 16-21, I went to Chicago with my friends. Our chamber orchestra at school won the Midwest 67th Annual Clinic, and we were presented with the opportunity to go and perform there.
This seriously was one of the most exciting thing to really happen to us. I mean, we had gone to exciting places for our spring trips before, but for something like this to be based on our skills, and to be able to go all the way up to Chicago so hundreds of people could listen to us, was just...so exciting. I even remember the day our conductor told us the news. I was a lowly sophomore, and it was around April. She passed around party poppers and confetti, and when she told us the news, there was like this silence and then everyone just went crazy. I had this app which would like count down the days, and it was like 200 days away.
AND NOW ITS OVER.
But whatever, I'm still going to talk about it.
We left on Monday, December 16 at 6 PM. We all went to school that day, which was a terrible day because we had to make up so many goddamn tests that we would be missing while we would be gone. I got home around 5 after finishing my last test, and I was literally running around stuffing shit into my suitcase and taking a quick shower.
Getting on the bus was the MOST TERRIBLE THING EVER. Did I mention we were going on charter buses? Freaking 18 hour trip. But I'll get to that later. Everyone was squeezing in and out, our parents were outside holding banners and waving the bus off...oh god.
Anyways, finally on the bus!
Please excuse me. I literally had no makeup on. I don't think I was even wearing a bra.
ANYWAYS, I sat with my best friend Natalie for the trip.
So, there we were, on the bus. I honestly don't even remember what we did on the way there. For the first hour, Nat and I just listened to music. Then I found this thing called the Longest Joke in The World, and we all just took turns reading from it, which took forever. We all tried to sleep, but I think I got 3 hours at most. When I stood up, I think my spine snapped and then remolded itself.
On Tuesday, we stopped for breakfast at Denny's. My stomach literally felt like shit for not eating anything.
We arrived around 12 in the afternoon on the Magnificent Mile. We got like an hour to eat lunch AND shop, which wasn't enough time to barely do both. I had a hamburger, in case anyone cared. Actually, I either had a hamburger, eggs and bacon and donuts, or pizza for like 90% of this trip.
Then we went to the Sears tower!
Thennnn, we checked into the hotel, which was whatever. 4 people to a room, one king bed, one sofa bed. After that, we had dinner at Tufano's restaurant, which I don't even remember what it was like.
After dinner, we went to McCormick place, which is where we would be performing the day after. We had an hour rehearsal, then went back to the hotel and SLEPT. Like actually slept on an actual bed, finally.
Day 2!
Wednesday, Dec 18.
Wake up call at like 8, and we all went downstairs to the main lobby to have breakfast, which was alright. Their donuts were fucking fantastic.
When we were getting ready, I was frantically trying to find my contacts, which I realized I LOST. Of all things, of course I would lose my fucking contacts. I LOST MY FUCKING CONTACTS. God, that made me so mad.
We boarded up the bus with our instruments and off we went to McCormick place!
McCormick place was fucking huge. I mean, I know its a convention center and shit but DAMN it was really nice too. We warmed up, took photos, then had our performance, which we were all just glad to be done with so we could enjoy the rest of our trip.
We got served a boxed lunch, then we had around 2 hours to explore the place.
This was seriously one of my favorite parts of the trip. I'd never been to a convention before, so my friends and I would just go around the booths and make false small talk so we could get all the freebies LOL. I got a bunch of pencils and pens, hand sanitizer, chapstick, a little tote bag, headphones...free stuff is always better.
After that, we returned to the hotel and changed for dinner, which was at Gino's East Pizza.
...tbh it wasn't that good hahahaha. JUST BEING HONEST.
THEEEN we went to the Astor Place Theater and watched the Blue Man Group! It was my second time ever going, and it was just as fun.
WE GOT TO TAKE PICTURES!!!
They literally look like statues.
After the show, we went back to the hotel and slept.
DAY 3!
Thursday, Dec 19
Wake up call at 8, breakfast, got ready.
At 9, we went to the Museum of Science and Industry, which sounds as boring as hell. Right?!
It was actually so much fun omg. There was a Disney exhibit which we had to pay to get into, but who gives a damn.
There was also this..farm exhibit?? haha and it had real live chicks inside!!
SO CUTE
They're hatching!!
Then we had lunch. I think I had chicken fingers or something.
The museum was seriously so much fun. It was giant, so we weren't able to see everything, and I really hope that one day I'll have the chance to go again.
After that, we went to ANOTHER museum: the Art Institute of Chicago.
This wasn't as fun. Actually, we kind of made it fun because we would make up shitty life stories for each statue we saw.
This is how I imagine art critics think: "hmm, nice shapely buttocks, nice hair, and she's naked. 10/10."
I got most of my family's christmas presents here, which was nice.
After the museum, we went to Millennium Park, which is famous for its huge ass bean:
eh?
eh?
EH?
After that, we had dinner at the Hard Rock cafe.
At 7, we went to the Yule Concert Chicago Symphony Hall.
They actually played the Egmont Overture, which we had played the year before, so that part was quite fun. It was also so goddamn funny because our friend kept falling asleep and we had to hold ourselves to not burst our laughing every time she would doze off.
After the symphony, we went back to the hotel and slept.
LAST DAY
Friday, Dec 20
Wake up call at 8, breakfast, got ready.
At 10, we went to the John G She'd Aquarium, which smelled like ass. But then again, all aquariums do AMIRITE. The show was also really boring because it was aimed towards younger kids, but HEY DOLPHINS AND WHALES I AINT COMPLAININ.
And then....we left.
I had such a fantastic sleep on the way back. I think I got about 8 hours, and my back actually didn't snap in half when I stoop up, so that was nice.
HOME SWEET HOME
Now it's time to study for finals, fantastic.
1 comments:
Write commentsWow, this looked like it was an awesome trip! Congrats! :) 18 hours is really long though. WOW.
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