The Irish do get around, don’t they? Lucky for the rest of the world that they do, because it means we’re all allowed to get extra drunk once a year when they celebrate the day of their patron saint. This is cultural appropriation at its most useful, and the larger the Irish population is in a city, the more frivolous the day will be. Good thing … Continue reading Getting Chirish
Header photo sandwich board credit to Cup and Spoon – supplier of my commute coffee and morning wit. I’ve never been a staunch believer in wind chill. I like to think that when the thermometer says it’s -15 degrees, it’s going to feel like it’s -15 degrees. Why shouldn’t it, goddammit? Recently I changed my views. Because Chicago. I’m from Scotland. I spent 22 years of … Continue reading Weathering Chiberia
The one time I forgot to check the weather forecast was the time Chicago experienced its 5th heaviest snow-dump of all time. OF ALL TIME. It began snowing at about 8pm on Saturday. I was in a dive bar in Ukrainian Village on a date of the romantic sort, and was informed by the establishment’s owner, as he showered us with free cheese puffs, that blizzard-warning nights are always … Continue reading #Superbowl #Snowday
I remember watching Friends and other apartment-based American sitcoms as a youth and being slightly sceptical of the premise that there were all these apartment buildings in big cities filled with people that actually hung out with each other. I remember moving into my first landlord-rented apartment in 2010 and, in the two years I lived there, having a grand total of zero instances of communication with any of … Continue reading Tales from the Castle
Our handy map has told us that not far from Vienna lies another European capital city just waiting to be explored. Bratislava, Slovakia lies just 50 miles east of here, which sounds to me like perfect day-trip material. Plus we get to go on an Austrian train, which I hear are quite efficient. Yaay! Disembarking at Bratislava Hlavná Stanica, the main train station, it was a short and scenic … Continue reading Let’s Go To Bratislava
Every time my parents decide to go on holiday for Christmas, I somehow end up living abroad that year and having to double the amount of flights it takes me to reach my turkey with all the trimmings. This year, I have flights booked from Edinburgh (my hometown) to Vienna (where I’ll be spending Christmas with my family), but spontaneously relocating to Chicago has turned what was … Continue reading A Viennese Christmas
The first time I visited Chicago it was December. It was 2008, it was cold, it was windy… And it was just about as close to a Christmas paradise as I had ever seen (there’s a reason they set Home Alone there). The thought of getting to spend a WHOLE DECEMBER in this festive city was potentially one of the bonus factors that pushed me towards … Continue reading Chicago Goes Festive
I’ve been working in Chicago for almost two months, and I just had the pleasure of attending my first fancy conference. Go me. Let’s set the scene. I actually don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but I work for this super feisty non-profit called the Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic (LTFHC). Like the name would suggest, they are, in fact, building a floating hospital on … Continue reading To the Summit
Chicago is definitely a city of music. I’ve been here a couple months now, and am just getting started exploring the music scene. Here’s what I’ve been up to in the last few weeks: November 7th – Frontier Ruckus @ Subterranean A very good friend of mine (who I met in Maastricht when we did the same Masters degree and lived in the same building) has … Continue reading Chicago Live
Yesterday I regressed into tourist mode. At a party last week I befriended a Chicago native, who promised me a fun day out in Chicago, on him, because I am an impoverished intern and he has a great new job… and apparently Chicago has a lot to see. He basically took on the role of Ambassador to the City, and his first job was to … Continue reading Tourist Trapping
the lost scot 