A Girl's Guide to Chicago Read online

  I’m excited to rush home to make sure Gracie is okay. I get off the train. I walk as fast as I can toward my apartment. With my keys ready, I rush up the stairs and fumble as I try to unlock the door. I swing the door open and hear a little meow. Gracie is walking over to me from the couch. I pick her up and do a quick look around the apartment to make sure she hasn’t had any accidents. I can’t see anything. I cuddle her and tell her she is such a good little girl. Maybe having a cat will be super easy after all. It seems you don’t have to train them like a dog.

  The apartment is quiet, so my brother must be out. I send him a quick text asking him where he is and what he wants to do for dinner. While waiting for his response, I walk into the kitchen to see what I can make. We don’t have much left in the way of groceries. We must make a trip to the store soon. It would be so much easier to have a car. I missed my car. I had to sell it because I couldn’t afford to also have a car payment right now. I do miss being able to run to the store for anything, whenever you need something. I should ask the girls at work what they do when they need groceries.

  My brother walks in about a half hour later. He looks a lot happier than he has in the last few weeks.

  “What have you been up to today?”

  “Well, I was downtown applying for a position at the Starbucks at the Palmer House Hilton.”

  “Oh really? Why Starbucks?”

  There was nothing wrong with working at Starbucks. But I just figured he would make more money serving.

  “Well, Starbucks is franchised by the hotel. So, if you work at the hotel’s Starbucks, you have a better chance at other opportunities to work in different departments within the hotel.”

  “What do you want to do at the hotel?”

  “Well, I went to the hotel because I’m interested in their private health club. It looks amazing, and it’s open to both hotel guests and locals. However, the club is not hiring now, but the manager said Starbucks is. If I get a job there, I have a better chance at getting into the health club.”

  I’m thrilled that he has spent the day doing something productive. I guess my little chat helped to motivate him to go and do something.

  “That’s so great! I’m sure you will get it.”

  “Yeah, I hope so. It’s something, and Starbucks pays okay, and it gets me in the door of what I want to do.”

  I feel so much better about our situation. If David gets this job soon, he will be able to pay his half of the rent. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

  It’s late on Wednesday afternoon, and an instant message pops up. Hey, Kelly, come over here. It’s from Amy. Okay, be right there. I walk over to the three girls.

  “Hey girls. What’s up?”

  “Hey! We have been chatting, and we are all free tomorrow night if you want to go out for drinks after work? We keep meaning to make plans but then the weeks fly by.”

  “Yeah, that sounds good to me, I’m free.”

  I must admit I’m excited to go out with these girls. They seem nice, and they’re a lot like me. I think we all have a lot in common.

  “Okay, great.” chimes in Kourtney. How about we go to Pops for Champagne for drinks? We can walk there. It’s only about a fifteen-minute walk from here.”

  “I haven’t been there yet, but it sounds like a fun place.” As I finish my sentence, I feel someone is behind me.

  “What’s going on girls?”

  It’s Mark. He’s making his afternoon rounds, trying to seem super important.

  “Oh, nothing much,” I say. “Okay, I’ll talk to you girls later.” I walk away and head back to my desk.

  On Thursday morning, I rush around like a lunatic trying to figure out what to wear. I have to dress for the work day, but I want to make sure I still look cute for drinks this evening. Kourtney always has the best clothes. She always looks so sophisticated, and everything she wears seems to fit her so well. She told me she gets most of her clothes from Nordstrom and at a few of her favorite boutiques in the city. I haven’t shopped at Nordstrom, but I should go soon because I would love to have a few new staples to update my closet.

  I finally decide on a blue-ish purple long tunic sweater, black leggings, and an old pair black boots. I would wear my new cognac boots, but they don’t quite go with my sweater, and I don’t have time to change. I look in the mirror at my outfit. It’s somewhat cute. My sweater is newer than some of my others. It’s okay for work and good enough for getting drinks after work. I hope work goes by quickly because I’m looking forward to this evening. I did a Google search for Pops for Champagne last night. It looks like a chic cocktail and champagne bar.

  Through the glass doors, I see Amy is already at her desk. I walk over to say good morning.

  “Hey. You are here early, how is everything going?”

  “Fine. Just trying to hire a few more models for our big event coming up. Mark is starting to put the pressure on me to have all the models booked and placed. It’s our biggest event yet, and I want everything to go well. We have all been working so hard on this.”

  “Yeah, I see that.”

  “So, Kelly, do you want to be a model for the night?” Amy looks up me and smiles as she plays with her long hair.

  “Umm, thanks, but no thanks. No offense to the models but I’m not passing out shots and wearing tiny shorts. It’s not my thing.”

  It’s early afternoon. I’m at my desk when out of the corner of my eye I see a short girl with short dark hair storming through the glass doors with a bunch of flowers in her hands.

  “Is Vin here?” Her eyes are darting around as she is looking to see if she can spot him first.

  I know exactly who this is. It’s Vin’s current girlfriend, and she looks just like he described her. I’m usually not one to not like someone, but this girl seems terrible. Vin must have seen her come in because he’s quickly at my desk. He whisks her back down to his office, and I hear the door close shut.

  I quickly get up from my desk and walk over to the girls.

  “Is that who I think it is? The three girls nod their heads at me.

  “Geez! She seems super friendly! There’s something about her that doesn’t seem right. She seems so angry, and Vin is so not like that.”

  Natalie looks up from her computer. “I completely agree with you. She has come in here a few times over the past few months, and she is unfriendly like that every time.”

  “Well, she sure did startle me when she barged in like that. She seems like an angry person.”

  I head back to my desk. A few minutes later, I hear Vin’s office door open. His girlfriend storms right past my desk. I glance at her, and she shoots me a dirty look. She grabs the handles on the glass doors, looks to her left, and gives the girls the same look. She walks out, lets the glass door slam behind her, and just like that, she’s gone. I type in my instant messenger to all three girls.

  Thank goodness!

  I feel someone coming up behind me, and I quickly close my instant messenger. I spin around, and it’s Vin with the flowers.

  “Can you find vases for these in the kitchen?”

  “Sure!” He doesn’t look happy. “So, why the flowers?”

  “Oh, she thought they would be nice to brighten up the office. She just wanted to stop by for a second to see me.”

  “Oh, that’s so nice.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  Vin hands me the flowers and walks off. I get up from my desk and walk past the girls toward the kitchen.

  “He doesn’t look happy,” I mumble to them.

  I find two vases and fill both with water. I unwrap the flowers and lay them all out on the counter. As I cut the flowers, I think about Vin and can’t help but feel bad for him. He’s such a nice guy, but his mood instantly changed when she came in. He is not happy with her. However, this is not any of my business. I finish cutting the flowers and arrange them in the vases. I walk around the office trying to figure out where the flowers should go. I decide to put one vase in the confe
rence room and the other one on the front edge of my desk.

  At five o’clock the girls yell over that they will be ready in a few minutes, so I wrap up my work. I check my hair and touch up my makeup at my desk. Fifteen minutes later all four of us are walking out onto Michigan Avenue.

  The street is overflowing with business people who are heading home for the day. There is also the usual tourist traffic, and there is always someone who is trying to figure out where they are going to next. I follow the girls as we weave in and out of the crowd. I’m learning that in the city, you have to keep moving and try not get in anyone’s way. We pass the Wrigley Building, The Shops at Northbridge, and once we get to Ohio Street, we all turn left and walked a few short blocks to Pops for Champagne.

  The inside of Pops looks just like the online photos I saw last night. Tables line the perimeter of the restaurant next to the windows, and a large bar is in the middle. There’s plenty of seating around the bar. At some of the tables, there’s a few girls chatting and sipping their drinks. They obviously came here straight from work. We are seated at a table right by the window overlooking State Street.

  As we take off our coats and sit down, a busboy is at our table filling our water glasses. I open the drink menu and see about a hundred different types of champagne ranging from roughly one hundred dollars a bottle to seven hundred dollars a bottle. Whoa! Hopefully, the girls don’t want to split one of those. I had no idea this place is so expensive. I turn to the cocktail and wine list page and see that they have some wines and champagnes by the glass as well as some signature cocktails. Okay, this sounds more like it. I spot a Bellini that sounds delicious, and I close the menu.

  A waiter comes over to introduce himself and asks to take our order. The girls choose a glass of wine, and I order my fancy little Bellini cocktail. He takes the menus and walks off.

  “So, you guys.” Natalie flips hair her back and leans into the table. “Wasn’t that so crazy in the office today. I can’t believe Vin’s girlfriend comes in and acts like that to all of us. Doesn’t she know how rude she is? Do you think Vin knows how rude she is?”

  “Probably. When he came to my desk with the flowers, he seemed pretty annoyed.”

  Natalie looks directly at me. “Do you think? He never says anything about her to me. I also don’t ask him either. I wonder what she said to him in the office? She sure stormed out looking mad today.”

  “I have no idea. It’s really not our business, right?”

  “No. But it’s a little uncomfortable for everyone when she comes in.”

  “Yep. It is, and probably for Vin as well.”

  A few minutes later we get our drinks, and I have to say my Bellini looks delicious!

  “Kelly, ugh, I should have gotten your drink. It looks so good.” Amy looks down at her wine glass. “I always order white wine because it’s easy.”

  “Well, just order a Bellini next.” Amy picks up her wine to take a sip, and I quickly put out my hand to stop her. “Wait! Should we all say ‘cheers’? Thanks for arranging this, guys.”

  We all lift our glasses for cheers and take a sip of our drinks. I’m curious to get to know these girls other than our small talk in the office, so I start asking questions.

  “So, Kourtney, where are you from? Have you been in Chicago for long?”

  “Well, I’m from New York City. I just moved here in October to be with my fiancé. He has a great job in finance. I actually got lucky and found my job with the agency working on the model side a few weeks after we moved here.”

  “Oh, really. That is lucky. So where do you guys live?”

  “We live in River North at Kingsbury Plaza. It’s a high-rise, and it’s a really nice building.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yep. I love the building. It has a ton of great amenities too. Our rent is kind of high, but it doesn’t even compare to what we paid in New York.”

  “So, you like Chicago then?”

  “I like Chicago, it’s way cheaper. We would never live in a luxury building in New York. But I love New York.”

  “So, do you think you will go back to New York.”

  “Maybe, someday. It all depends on my fiancé’s job.”

  “Gotcha. Okay, so Amy what about you? I’m just curious about you guys. So sorry about all the questions.”

  “No, it’s okay. I want to hear about you too Kelly. I’m originally from Michigan. I’ve been in Chicago for just over a year. I only live a few blocks over from here, on the other side of Michigan Avenue, explains Amy. “Have you heard of the Streeterville neighborhood?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “Well, it’s the neighborhood just east of Michigan Avenue. I live over on McClurg and Ohio Street. I love the neighborhood because it's so close to everything. Especially all the shopping on Michigan Avenue. I can also take the train or the bus and get anywhere I want in the city.”

  “Yeah, that is so nice! I know the area. I just never knew what it was called. It’s my dream to live over there. Do you live alone?”

  “No, I live with my boyfriend who is also from Michigan.”

  “Do you think you guys will stay in Chicago?”

  “I’m not sure. I love Chicago, but I miss my family in Michigan.”

  “Yeah, being away from family is really hard. Natalie, do you live around here too?”

  “No, I live in Lincoln Park.”

  “Oh cool. I live in Lakeview. Do you have a boyfriend too?”

  “Yeah, I moved here after college with him. We don’t get along that well anymore. He’s boring. He never wants to go out or do anything with me. He just hangs out at home.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad. I’m so sorry.”

  “Yeah, it sucks. I’m going to move out, I think, when our lease is up. I love Chicago, and I just wish I had someone who wanted to go out and do more.”

  “I’m really sorry to hear that. I hope things do get better for you.”

  I give Natalie a smile. I totally understand now why she wants to hang out with Vin. He’s a nice guy and seems to be a lot of fun. I don’t bring up the topic of Vin, and I switch the conversation over to fashion. I need some advice from the girls on how to dress for the city.

  First things first, what shoes should I be wearing? I am starting to get a little insecure about the silliest things, and I have no idea why the shoe thing is such a big deal to me. However, if anyone can help me feel better, it will be Kourtney. She has the best style and seems to know these things. Surely, she would know what I should shop for each season. Plus, she’s from New York City. You have to walk around everywhere in New York.

  “So, guys. You might think this is strange, but I need your help with some fashion advice. I love wearing my heels to work, but I can’t walk around in them all day. When I lived in the suburbs, I would wear cute shoes all the time, and it was never an issue. Since I’ve moved here, my feet are killing me, and I’m ruining all my shoes. I don’t know what shoes to buy that won’t hurt my feet while I’m out and about. I’m doing much more walking now.”

  I stop and look at them. The girls are staring right at me as though I said something weird. Okay, maybe it did sound weird.

  “I know. You all think I’m strange.”

  Kourtney smiles at me. “That’s so funny. You’re not strange. It’s just funny to hear you seem so upset about shoes. I think we’ve all been there. You don’t get to hear all our random conversations in the office. I feel like there needs to be a city manual.”

  She stops and looks around as though she is about to tell me something top secret. She puts her long hair behind her ears and then she continues.

  “Okay, first, get some cute flats or tennis shoes. They are popular now and everyone is wearing them. They look good with pretty much anything. I think flats are more in style than heels if you ask me. If you want to wear heels, just bring a pair or leave a pair at work to change into.”

  “Really. Hmm, I can’t believe I don’t own a pair of flats. I
’ve seen women wear them, and I can’t believe I’ve never thought to wear them myself. That seems like such a simple solution.”

  “Well, in the summer it’s what everyone wears. I promise. People will actually look at you weird if you are walking around in heels.”

  I blush a little thinking about all the times I’ve struggled in my heels.

  “Also, you must invest in a pair of really nice flat leather boots for the fall and winter. You can get them fixed every year at a shoe repair if they are good quality. For snowy weather, get a pair of snow boots. There is no way around it. It’s a must in the city. I like Sorel. They last forever, and they are super stylish. You must invest in a few nice pairs of shoes that you can wear over and over each season. Remember when shopping for anything, classic pieces never go out of style.”

  I look at the girls, and they’re nodding their heads in agreement. How did I not know all of this! I feel so dumb!

  “Wow, thank you. You guys are the best. I guess it’s time to invest in some good pieces to help me survive the city.” I cringe when I think about my credit card and adding more money to my growing balance.

  It might sound silly, but I think advice like this would be helpful to other girls who are new to Chicago. I hope to help others one day because the city is overwhelming. It is like starting over. You not only need to learn how to navigate the city, but you also need to learn how to adjust to city life. It’s hard to meet new people, and let’s be honest, everyone wants to fit in. I can’t believe I didn’t know any of this. I love fashion and styling outfits. Her advice seems so simple. I knew I had so much to learn and not just about what to wear.

  I look at my phone, and it’s just after eight. We finish up our second drink and the small bites we’ve shared. We split the bill, and after tip, it was just over $60 each. Yikes! I put down my credit card again. I’m starting to feel as though I can barely survive on my salary. I can’t afford to go out like this all the time. It sure is expensive to have fun in Chicago. I need to figure out a better way to budget my life. This evening, however, was fun with the girls. I’m glad I got to know them all a little better, and I’m kind of bummed the evening is already over.