A Brief Foray into Adulthood - Chicago in Pictures (Intro)

Some days I feel like a really lame version of Peter Pan. No secret world hidden among the stars, no crossing swords with swashbuckling pirates, no posse of runaways watching my back, and I certainly can't fly - but I've also never wanted to grow up. I would (and still) do anything to deny being older - 'it was just high school, I'm still a kid' or 'college is really more of an in-between stage' or 'I'm still just the baby at the office'. My list of potential excuses has grown shorter and shorter, and lately I've been able to see the end - I'm down to not being an adult because I 1.) don't own a house and 2.) don't have kids. Unfortunately, this week I stumbled upon a third item to add to the list - one that may, in fact, push me over the edge - my very first solo work trip. More specifically, Chicago's Thermodynamics Conference.

It hurts my pride to even say it... It's pretty hard to play it off as being just a normal 20-something year old that likes to hang out and do normal things when you're headed to something as nerdy and decidedly grown-up as a national gathering of scientists and researchers. Worse yet - dare I say?! - I'm rather excited about it! Ugh.

Self-esteem issues aside, I was still struggling with the issue of being old. So in an attempt to fend off an inevitable onslaught of my-life-is-almost-over depression, I decided I would do what I could to turn the trip into an adventure. Because while it's true that there are difficult and even disparaging things about being a grown up - bills, real responsibilities, societal expectations, etc - there's also a bit of freedom. The greatest adventurers in history have all been adults - Louis and Clark, Marco Polo, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Lightyear... They were all well into (or even past) their prime. And so, armed with nothing but 3 detailed Google map printouts, a phone with GPS/camera capabilities, a credit card, and a laptop in case of emergencies, I followed in the footsteps of the legends of old, stepping into the great unknown waiting beyond the doors of the Chicago - Midway Airport.

To be continued...

(Part 1)