September 7th. Scavenger Hunt.

Today after our orientation, one of our "assignments" get become more familiar with Chicago's public transportation system, was to go on group scavenger hunts throughout the city. We were split up into 6 groups and the only stipulation for the scavenger hunt was that we could not use any modern technology (gps on phones, iphones, google) to figure our way around. We started this scavenger hunt at around 2:00 pm, and we were supposed to get done around 5 (if all goes well). The last location of every group's scavenger hunt was a restaurant where each group would bring back the food ordered by the ACM program. Our group was sent on out to the Hyde Park area and it was a pretty big difference from the area of town I live at (in Logan Square). We were failing at figuring out our first location and upon finding it, we had no idea that we were right across the street from the one, the only, President Barack Obama's house. We were standing right next to a church that had a barricades and a sign that said, ATTENION: By entering this area, you are consenting to a search of your person and belongings. We must have just not been thinking AT ALL to not think more of this, and it was like a light-bulb when we asked one of the locals about who lived there.... Duh.

We continued to the other locations (often on a very bad route) and we were directed towards many of the buildings on the University of Chicago's campus. Wow. some of those buildings we were at were ridiculously mind-blowing. The Rockefeller Cathedral was one of the most magnificent buildings I have ever seen. We took some pictures from inside of it, and it makes a single person seem incredibly small. The pipe organ was probably 2-3 stories tall, from what I could see. After we went there, we went to a few smaller landmarks, then ended up at a restaurant called Ribs and Bibs, where we picked up our order and headed back downtown. Each group had a different "genre" of food, for instance, one group had Chinese, one had Mexican, one had pita's and health food. You get the idea. There are basically every type of food if you look hard enough in this city and have a relatively good price.

Loving the city thus far, but I am not so convinced that the city has the self proclaimed "grid" figured out logically. We had an orientation over the city and how they were claiming it is set up very logically and is easy to get around....I disagree with that statement so far. Once I see the city more and experience the roads and transportation system more, then...maybe. Until then, I am staying on the routes I am familiar with.