Chicago.

I grew up in Los Angeles and thought I’d always move back. There’s something about the sunlight and the reflection of LA (probably due to smog) that always made it special for me. Then, after graduating, I moved to Chicago. Hated my first winter. Hated the parking tickets, especially. I was moved to London for two years for work, only to consistently, day after day, miss Chicago for some reason.

The neighborhoods, the food, the amazing fine arts, and going to the lake in the evening with someone you love. The shitty politics, the brilliant transit system (by US standards) and the never-ending vibrancy of people trying to work together. You can say this about any city, but you’ll actually feel it here. It’s like the sunlight in LA—I just can’t describe the feeling of it, but it’s a good one. It’s the best of the Midwest in a place that does not feel like the Midwest.