One of my close friends stays in Chicago. While I was pursuing PhD in New York, he had paid a visit to me. With all my friends we had a great time. This time was different, as back then we were all students. When I visited him, he was staying in Chicago with his family and I was planning to return to India after the completion of my tenure at Nebraska Medical Centre.
So with heavy luggage, I met him at the O’hare International Airport. We were meeting after a gap of maybe 3 years as I had last met him during his marriage in India in 2016. Luckily, I had planned my trip back home during the Thanksgiving week. He was working from home the first day during my stay there and the remaining days were off.
We had all the time for ourselves since his wife was away during that time and would return only on the Sunday that weekend. My flight was on the coming Monday. Being December, it was chilling for me in Chicago that week.
We visited downtown where I saw the Chicago skyline. I even got a chance to travel in the Chicago Metro when we had to go somewhere far, I don’t remember the place as it’s been 4 years now and I didn’t keep track of places I visited in Chicago. Overall, I was mesmerized by the beauty of Chicago City. I saw the Trump building and the famous bean.
Then I called up my friend from Buffalo, who was living in Chicago with his family. We met at a restaurant near a big mall. I purchased jewelry for my wife from the Pandora store at the mall.
Later, we went to an indoor garden that had different weather in its different rooms to adapt to the plants that grow around the world in varied conditions.
The day before my departure, we went to Langar in a gurudwara where the street had mostly South Asian stores and restaurants. It was a different experience altogether. The only other place where I had seen a Korean Town, Chinese Town, Japanese Town, and Taiwanese Town was in Los Angeles.
With a memorable time from the trip, I bid goodbye to my friend when he left me in a direct Chicago Metro to the Airport. It’s been almost 4 years since then and I have been relatively occupied with my family and work here.