...In which our heroine feels the Illinoise.

It has been a whirlwind couple of days. I left for Chicago early on Tuesday with Mom for Orientation and right now is the first time I've been able to take a deep breath.

Tuesday- Got in tothe city around 3, checked in at the Congress Plaza Hotel, which is where we'll be staying for Lollapalooza in a month. It's a really cool old hotel with lots of Chicago history (Al Capone lived on the third floor.) The decor--red leather couches in the lobby, ornate banquet rooms, chandeliers, a brass-countered bar--makes the whole place feel like Capone and his girl could walk around the corner at any time. Mom and I toured the neighborhood around my dorm, which is incredibly cute. People were out with dogs and strollers, and there are a lot of family-owned eateries and bookstores. We ate amazing dinner at Trattoria Caterina, and I had the best gelato of my life.

2 East 8th, the new dwelling of our heroine. I'm third floor from the top. I can walk out the door to hop on the CTA line, eat Jimmy John's or go to Ace Hardware.










Wednesday- Orientation started early and the film building on Wabash wasn't a very long walk from the Congress. The day started with photo IDs being taken and breakfast. We met a nice mother and son from Colorado over breakfast and Mom was glad to have another kindred spirit to talk to. We then met up with Paul and his dad who ended up spending most of the day with us. The day's first lecture talked about Columbia's mission as an arts school, showed student work, and warned against Chicago winters. Class registry was next and a complete disaster for most. A couple film professors talked to us beforehand and essentially told us that the world doesn't need anymore filmmakers and that to succeed, we need to be our best advocate and create the best work possible. Our advisors took a quick survey over majors and were thrilled to learn that there were four female cinematography majors in the room. Luckily, I got to register for film classes first semester since I tested out of the prerequisite courses. My first semester schedule looks like this:
Monday: History of Cinema, 1-420
Tuesday: New Millenium Studies: The First Year Seminar, 1030-1150
Development and Preproduction, 330-620
Wednesday: Introduction to Creative Non-Fiction, 330-620
Thursday: New Millenium Studies, 1030-1150
Aesthetics of Cinema, 1-420
I am really happy with my 15-credit hour, no Friday class schedule and I will have at least 21 credit hours from AP/IB tests. I got a 4 on Bio, 6 on History, and 7 on English. After lunch I ran into one of my roommates, Kathleen, who is beyond cool. We are going to have a blast together. Despite Paul's goofy comments (more on that later) during small-group and the seminars that made me crack up, I met some cool people (and oh-so-cute boys) with good taste in film and culture. I really feel that I've picked the right school for me and everyone there has made me feel at home. I cannot wait for August 22.

I love seeing college buildings throughout the South Loop. Columbia owns 14 of them. I love how everything is so colorful and non-pretentious.










Thursday- We had no agenda for Thursday, except for breakfast at Lou Mitchell's. The sign outside said the best breakfast on the planet, and I have to say I agree. It is no more than a neighborhood place with pretty basic breakfast fare--coffee, french toast, omelets. HOWEVER, it makes basic perfect. I had the best banana pancakes and coffee I've ever tasted, and it seems the restaurant has won "Best Cup of Coffee" several times. They serve lunch too, and I think that Lou's will become a tradition for us. After, we walked to Grant Park and the lake before heading home...to pipes leaking in the bathroom, kitchen, and basement!

Seriously. So freaking good.

I love Chicago. I cannot wait to live there and attend Columbia. The countdown is on.