when chicagoans say chicago

The job was a bust. But travelling across Chicago everyday allowed me to feel a part of the city. I studied the different faces, ethnicities, and fashion while riding the trains. I passed through a lot of neighborhoods: Wicker Park, Downtown, Belmont, Uptown, Lakeview, Roger's Park. I don't feel like I stick out so much anymore. I have a sense of the geography and the landscape; brick buildings, tall lamp posts, and sweeping skies that hint at the giant lake not far away. I watched the leaves turn from green to bright yellow, and now I watch them fall. I'm beginning to understand why when Chicagoans say "Chicago" I hear tenderness, defeat, familiarity, and stubborn hope stuffed in that one word like a plump grape ready to burst.