I've lived in the Chicagoland area most of my life. Growing up, my parents were not big fans of going into the city to do things, which surprised me because they both grew up there. They--my father more than my mother--instilled this kind of "fear of the city" in us, making it seem worse than it really is. I mean, there are some bad areas, but for the most part, Chicago is one of the best cities in our country.
We went to the Air and Water Show today. Well, we really just went to the Air Show because we didn't get down there until 1pm. It was only the second time I've been. The first time was with Cyndi, pre-kids, when we lived three blocks west of Wrigleyfield. Today, we went with out friends from Japan. They've gone for the past three years.
I think Shinya was a bit confused as to why we didn't go to the show regularly. It's one of the many festivals the city offers throughout the summer, and arguably, one of the best. I think he assumed everyone who lives within a short drive of Lake Michigan would go, without considering other options. I don't think Shinya knew we actually lived in Chicago for part of our lives. He and I talked about this as we walked with the kids to get snow cones.
I've lived in many places in my lifetime. I was born in Chicago, but lived in Carpentersville for the first four years of my life. We lived on the east side of Elk Grove until I was seven and then moved to the west side until I was 18. From there, things get a little complicated.
I moved to Roselle with my mom when my parents got divorced, but then I went to Loyola University at the same time. Loyola is in a section of Chicago known as Rogers Park. During college, I lived in Roselle, Elk Grove, Palatine, and Hanover Park, either with my mom, my dad, or my brothers, Ira and Darrell. After college, I moved to Mesa, Arizona. I lived in two different houses in Mesa. From there, things get a little complicated.
I moved from Mesa to Gilbert, AZ, and then I moved to Tucson for a day and a half. I moved back to Gilbert, bought a house--in my name--with the woman I was dating. She had three kids and was in the process of divorcing her second husband who was not the father of the kids. I moved out of the house in Chandler and into an apartment in Tempe with my oldest friend, Shay. We got evicted from that apartment because of my dog, Leinie. From there we moved to an apartment in Scottsdale. Within a year, I moved back to Illinois. From there, things get a little complicated.
I moved in with my mother to her apartment in Rolling Meadows and then a few weeks later into a garden apartment in a section of Chicago called Lakeview (AKA "Boystown") with my friends Kevin and Javier. They were still in college. I lived in Lakeview for a year and met Cyndi, who moved in with us two weeks after we started dating. From there we moved to Palatine with my dad, and then we moved to Elk Grove with my mom. At the same time, Cyndi took a lease on an apartment in Palatine with her sister, Jeanette, but we never actually moved in. I think we lived there for a week in total. My mom kicked us out of her place one day, so we found a house we rented in Grayslake. While there, we almost moved to Seattle, WA, but the day I called the movers, my job fell through. We bought a house in Round Lake Beach, lived there for a year, until my dad bought the place from us (my brother had bought a house in the same neighborhood a few months after we did, and my dad had said if we ever wanted to sell, he'd buy ours from us. The quickest sale we've ever had). Cyndi and I moved into a one bedroom condo on Waveland Avenue in the Wrigleyville section of Chicago, and lived there for two years. Frederic was born while we lived there. We moved to Blue Bell, PA for seven months (long story), until we moved into the house we currently live in in Elk Grove and have since 2001. I didn't see the house until the day we moved into it. I figured, if Cyndi was happy, I'd be happy. And, for the most part, I am. Lily was born in this house, we've done a ton of renovation projects, and made this house our home.
I'd love to be back in Chicago. I'd love to be back in Wrigleyville, or maybe Lincoln Park, or Lincoln Square, or Andersonville, or Ravenswood, Roscoe Village, Old Town. There are so many great neighborhoods in the city, and with each neighborhood comes character.
I told the kids today, as we were leaving the Air Show, "if we lived in the city, we'd already be home." They've heard my schpiel about wanting to live in the city for years. Some days they agree, others they don't. This house is all they know. It's their comfort zone. It's their comfort food.
Cyndi and I have an agreement: When the kids are out of the house, whatever "out of the house means," we will sell and move to Chicago.
Considering the trade off, I'm in no hurry.
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