How to Survive Chicago: A Wellesley Summer Intern Series

A Suburban Girl’s Guide to Chicago

I am not your typical city girl; I was born and raised in suburban New Jersey, the land of green lawns and in-ground pools. So naturally, when I decided to spend the summer in Chicago to participate in my internship at the Field Museum, I was a bit…unprepared. Now, after living here for a few months, I have gathered some helpful tips to ensure that any Wellesley lady can enjoy a stress-free summer in the Windy City. (Which, by the way, does not mean that the city is actually windy. Look it up. It’s true.)

Where oh where to live?

Since I had never been to Chicago before, I was at a loss as to where I should live. After consulting many people with many different opinions, I decided it was best to invest my money in a sure bet: University Center on State Street. University Center is a dorm building that is not affiliated with any specific university; rather, it houses students from DePaul, Roosevelt, and Columbia, but in the summer, it takes on student interns. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I found that the setup was actually perfect; I was in a building with several hundred other college students who were not at all familiar with Chicago. It allowed me to easily make friends who wanted to explore the city. It was also only a ten minute bus ride to the Field Museum, which worked out for me.

However, if you have the ability to check out apartments in the city before moving there, there are some fun neighborhoods. I know Wellesley students living in Lincoln Park and the West Loop.

Food, food, and more food!

Oh my, the food. I could write a book on this. First, I must say that if you can go to Taste of Chicago, GO. It is one of the largest events of the summer; a massive food festival in Grant Park, where you can sample food from restaurants all over the city. But if you’re not in Chicago for Taste, there are two things you must try: the Chicago hot dog and Chicago deep dish pizza.

If you want a Chicago hot dog, go to Portillo’s. You’ll get your hot dog with all the fixin’s: yellow mustard, hot peppers, tomato, onions, relish, celery salt, and to top it off, a pickle spear. Do NOT leave Chicago without trying one of these beauties.

As for your deep dish pizza, it’s a tough choice among the three greats: Lou Malnati’s, Gino’s East, and Giordano’s. So my best advice is to go to all three of them. You can never have too much pizza, right? The pizza below is some stuffed crust, deep dish pizza from Giordano’s. This picture was taken shortly before I wolfed down this slice in true animalistic fashion.

Chicago for the Cheap College Student

One of my favorite things about Chicago is that an unpaid intern can still have a good time. To illustrate my point, I give you…a week in Chicago complete with all entirely free activities (in the summertime that is)!

Sunday: Spend the day at the beach at Navy Pier. Enjoy some great views of the Chicago skyline and some Lake Michigan water…for free.

Monday: Check out the Chicago Cultural Center for some weird and quirky art. (Below is just one example of a sign outside a real exhibit inside the center.) Then head over to Millennium Park to listen to a free concert by an up-and-coming indie band.

Tuesday: Go to one of the many parks in Chicago and see a free movie. Bring a blanket, your honey, and snuggle the night away while watching a classic like The Wizard of Oz or Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. (Or you can be like me, and bring a blanket and a meatball sub from Potbelly’s, which is almost as good.)

Wednesday: Explore the Oriental Institute and see some art of the East.

Thursday:  Go to the Museum of Contemporary Photography. It is always free admission.

Friday: Go to the Grant Park Music Festival and sit on the lawn of Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Listen to some sweet classical music.

Saturday: Go to the Lincoln Park Zoo, the most popular tourist attraction in Chicago. See some lions, zebras, and monkeys…without paying the price.

Of course, those are just a few of the activities that are totally free. There are also many festivals almost every weekend, multiple free concerts in Millennium Park every week, and neighborhoods to walk around and explore. If you don’t mind spending a little cash, there are many more museums to discover, Cubs games to go to, and comedy clubs to go to. (I went to three comedy clubs during my months here. May I recommend the iO Theater?) Oh, and we can’t forget Lollapalooza, a festival that seems truly revel in sweat and music.

I could write for days about Chicago. It doesn’t matter how many words I write; the only way to really, truly understand Chicago is to come here and experience it for yourself. There is no other city quite like it, where the food is good, the people are kind, and the music never stops playing. 

We have some submissions heading your way but we’re looking for more to add to our "How To Survive your City: A Wellesley Summer Intern Series." If you are interested, feel free to write some tips & tricks you think are essential to surviving the city you are currently living in. Pictures & Wellesley-isms wanted! You can submit your blog posts directly on the Wire by logging in with your Wellesley email and password.