{"id":7067381,"date":"2026-09-26T11:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T11:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/goodbye-chicago-ll-world-tour\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T11:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T11:36:09","slug":"goodbye-chicago-ll-world-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7067381","title":{"rendered":"Goodbye Chicago \u2022 LL World Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"


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In my last post I announced that I was saying goodbye to Chicago<\/a>. But there was NO way I could leave without reminiscing a little and waxing poetic about my favorite city in the whole wide world.<\/p>\n

I realize that living in Chicago for 23 years, is still nothing compared to those who\u2019ve lived there all their lives, but I spent nearly my entire adult life in my favorite city. It\u2019s home.<\/p>\n

And my love for Chicago runs deep<\/a>. Not as deep as loving deep-dish pizza<\/a> (I\u2019m still a Jersey girl after all), but casserole-like pizza aside, I love so much about the city. And I always say that my love means a little bit more because I wasn\u2019t a local. Chicago was my adopted home<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It took me forever to finally publish this post! I\u2019m not sure if it was because I was afraid that it would make my leaving feel more real or if I was just putting off the actual writing.<\/p>\n

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Either way\u2026here it is! My final goodbye to Chicago\u2014why I love it so much and what I will miss.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What\u2019s so great about Chicago anyway?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Chicago
Springtime in Millennium Park in the city of Chicago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Never have I lived anywhere where the residents have so much pride\u2014a place that locals poke fun of, but are also so proud to be from and truly like it.<\/p>\n

Part of my love, I\u2019m sure, is just the familiarity I have with Chicago. I know the city really well. Not only because part of my job was telling the city\u2019s stories, but because of my own never-ending curiosity.<\/p>\n

I am biased, but I\u2019m not alone. Ask any one of my Chicago friends (or any Chicagoan for that matter) what is great about our city and you will hear:<\/p>\n

The friendly people.
The diverse neighborhoods.
The food<\/a> from all corners of the globe<\/a> and all price points.
The Lakefront<\/a>\u2014every time I went to the Lake it was like my first time as I was always in awe of the beauty of Chicago\u2019s front yard.<\/p>\n

\"Cycling<\/p>\n

The bicycle culture (and flat land!) and being able to truly bike all over the city<\/a>. I\u2019ve biked up to the northern suburbs of Glencoe and Highland Park and down around the Lake crossing the border into Indiana. And through most neighborhoods from the far northwest edge of the city in Forest Glen to Halsted and 65th<\/sup> in Englewood and down around Hyde Park and South Shore and beyond. No matter how many times I\u2019d head out on my bike to explore I was always excited to discover more and more delightful pockets of charm, unique architecture<\/a>, and history.<\/p>\n

Some of my favorite Chicago neighborhoods (that you may have never head of):<\/p>\n

I could go on and on\u2026<\/p>\n

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How Far I\u2019ve Come<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I grew up in a suburb in New Jersey<\/a>. After high school, I moved down south to study broadcast journalism University of South Carolina. After I graduated, I stayed in Columbia<\/a> for a few years working at my first few jobs in local television as a director and technical director of live newscasts at WIS-TV, an NBC affiliate, and then as a promotions producer and editor at a Fox affiliate, WACH-TV.<\/p>\n

I never quite felt at home in the south and was itching to move to a bigger city. Mostly, I had been looking to move to New York City or Los Angeles. Three years after university, I accepted a new job as a producer at ABC7 in Chicago. On January 1, New Year\u2019s Day, 1998, I packed everything into my little red Honda Prelude<\/a> and drove to Chicago with Sneakers, my first cat. I fell in love with the city from day one. I was 25 years-old and was having the time of my life.<\/p>\n

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My Love Affair with Chicago<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dear reader, please forgive me if this next part is a bit self-indulgent. It helps me to move on by looking back and remembering all that Chicago gave me and all that I did there.<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m an introvert, but at the same time, I love to be involved in my community\u2014meeting new people and learning new things. Chicago gave me so many opportunities for this.<\/p>\n

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Working in TV in Chicago<\/strong><\/h3>\n

During my nearly 10 years as a specials producer at ABC7 Chicago, I got to experience SO many things especially through producing a weekly lifestyle magazine show. I also proudly won three Emmy awards and received more than 10 nominations.<\/p>\n

\"WLS-Ryan
ABC7 Fall Preview Party with the cast of \u201cTwo Guys (including one Ryan Reynolds), a Girl, and a Pizza Place.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I produced segments with celebs like Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Jeremy Piven, Pete Townshend, Richard Marx, Jason Alexander, Michael Jordan, Kevin Bacon (yes, I\u2019m just one degree from Kevin which makes you just two degrees!) Jim McMahon, and Wesley Snipes.<\/p>\n

\"WLS-Wheel
Behind the Scenes at Wheel of Fortune<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I got amazing behind-the-scenes access to events on which I produced segments\u2014big city parades, the Air and Water show, the Chicago Auto Show, Broadway in Chicago musicals, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune in Chicago\u2014and concerts\u2014Bon Jovi, Phil Collins, Barenaked Ladies, Melissa Etheridge to name a few. I remember being backstage at a Smashing Pumpkins concert walking alongside Billy Corgan and filming him when the curtain opened and he first walked out on stage. To see the thousands of cheering fans from his perspective on stage was pretty incredible and electrifying.<\/p>\n

I interviewed celeb chefs and learned so much more about the restaurant industry and the food we consume. And, of course I was lucky to eat some pretty amazing food alongside them and my crew. My palette and knowledge of the food we ate grew enormously just as the foodie scene was growing all over the city and country.<\/p>\n

For more, check out my post on the best restaurants in Chicago<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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I was so lucky to combine my journalism skills with my love of travel by producing several travel specials while at ABC\u2014Aspen\/Snowmass, Winter Park, Cabo San Lucas, Sonoma, Manchester, England, Quebec City, Montreal, San Antonio, and the Cayman Islands. Oh, and of course several trips down to film at Disney World (ABC and my former station are owned by the Walt Disney Company).<\/p>\n

\"on
On the field at Wrigley producing a story on Sammy Sosa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was able to interview many players and see nearly all Chicago sports teams play: the Cubs<\/a>, the White Sox, the 1998 Chicago Bulls (with Pippen, Rodman, and Jordan), the Blackhawks, the Chicago Fire, and even the former AFL team, the Chicago Rush. If you\u2019re keeping score\u2026I never saw the Bears play!<\/p>\n

I wrote and produced countless stories on new entrepreneurs and start-ups which helped them kickstart their business. I\u2019ll never forget interviewing Tee, the owner of Cozy Noodles, a cute local Thai place in Wrigleyville with toys and art all over the walls. Every time I went in to eat after the story aired, he continued to tell me how my segment was the reason for his success. I told him I got the word out, but of course it was his quality of food and customer service that continued to deliver. I had to stop going there because they refused to stop giving me free food!<\/p>\n

I loved doing unique stories\u2014things that I\u2019d watch and want to read about myself\u2014unique fitness classes, cool towns and Chicago neighborhoods, best hotel suites, the art of body painting, nightclub openings,\u00a0 burlesque shows, improv, auto racing, behind-the-scenes at a Playboy magazine photo shoot, going 100 mph in a brand new Maybach, and even, the best bathrooms all over town.<\/p>\n

Check out my ultimate guide to Chicago<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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So Much to See & Do in Chicago<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Tribune
The view from the Tribune Tower<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Through work and on my own, I got out and rollerbladed, went sailing on Lake Michigan<\/a>, went standup paddle-boarding in the Lake<\/a>, bicycled hundreds of miles on bike lanes<\/a>, paths, and trails all over the city and beyond.<\/p>\n

I tried trapeze. I rode in a helicopter two to three times over the skyline and in a four-seater prop plane across the lake. On the river, I\u2019ve kayaked, taken countless Chicago Architecture Foundation boat tours, dinner cruises, and even slept overnight in one of the river\u2019s bridge houses<\/a>. I\u2019ve taken one-off classes in glass blowing, mosaics, rock climbing, sushi-rolling, knife skills, and other random cooking classes.<\/p>\n

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Kayak the Chicago River with Urban Kayaks<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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For more, check out my post on all the outdoor activities in Chicago<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Classes in Chicago<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I did longer programs of classes of weekly improv, acting, ballroom dancing, tennis through the Chicago Park District (several years of playing after work at the courts where Maggie Daley Park now sits always gave me a thrill\u2014it was cheap\u2014like $55 for 6 weeks and yet we had this prime location with the lake on one side and the city skyline on the other), and a year of guitar classes at Old Town School of Folk music (I never got that good, but loved jamming to the old classic rock and folk songs the school gravitated towards). And most recently I went through the University of Illinois extension program to become a volunteer Master Gardener and a Treekeeper with Openlands Chicago<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I sat on three of my condo boards and was condo board president of my last condo association.<\/p>\n

I volunteered as a Chicago Greeter (giving visitors free tours of the city), as a mentor at 1871, Chicago\u2019s technology hub<\/a> and digital startup incubator, and as a cat foster at Paws Chicago and later at Feline Friends Chicago (which is how I got my best friend, Bug). I sat on a scholarship committee for Hostelling International Chicago. I tutored English as a second language at Literacy Chicago (long before I knew I\u2019d be teaching English in Turkey).<\/p>\n

And not only did I take classes, I also taught a weekly journalism class for about five years at Columbia College Chicago. I\u2019ve been proud to see many of my students go on to have successful careers.<\/p>\n\n

Freelance Life in Chicago<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When I returned from traveling, I became a freelance producer at WGN, producing food and restaurant segments for the show, \u201cChicago\u2019s Best.\u201d<\/p>\n

I started my company, LLmedia<\/a>, and have been doing video production and consulting since 2010.<\/p>\n

Through 1871, I met an amazing guy named Kyle who was starting up a food museum. I ended up becoming the executive producer of all the videos for Foodseum<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also continued my other media jobs like travel writer and photographer, blogger, speaker, event coordinator, and Bloghouse Conference director\u2026and of course, cat sitter.<\/p>\n

\"Pittsburgh
Press trip for travel writers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve done photography shoots for a local university, AmEx, Qantas Airlines, JP Morgan Chase, restaurants, and even some real estate photography.<\/p>\n

In 2017, I started volunteering for Crate Free USA<\/a>. Now, I\u2019m the executive director and work part time for the farm animal welfare non-profit.<\/p>\n

Oh, and in the middle of all of that, I ventured to 60 countries and traveled around the world. While I loved seeing the world, I was always waxing poetic about my city and prided myself as an unofficial ambassador to Chicago.<\/p>\n

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Two Decades of Life in Chicago<\/strong><\/h3>\n


What I Will Miss About Chicago<\/strong><\/p>\n

All of the above. Some of my favorite things: the gorgeous lakefront and strand of green parks that run along the entire lake and city. I will miss the FOOD. All the cool, trendy spots I used to love and all the smaller, neighborhood gems that I prefer today.<\/p>\n

\"Cabana
The view from the Cabana Club on top of the Robey Hotel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All the neighborhoods\u2026<\/p>\n

The bike trails all over\u2014from the new 312 River Run to the amazing Lakefront trail to the forested North Branch trail.<\/p>\n

I will miss all the little independent specialty shops and simply knowing they exist. Need a random lamp part of lamp fixed? Head into the dusty labyrinth of My Lamp Parts off of Addison. Need a custom frame or previously cut mat boards for under $1? Go to Lakeview Art Supply (now on Foster in North Park). Got an old computer lying around? Donate it to FreeGeek Chicago<\/a>. Or an old bike? Give it to Working Bikes<\/a> Co-op where they\u2019ll fix it up and ship it to Africa for people who really need it. Since 1999, Working Bikes has donated over 70,000 bicycles to international partners. Want some locally-made tofu? Try Jenny\u2019s Tofu<\/a> (formerly Phoenix Bean) where Jenny has been making delicious smoked tofu for 15 years now. And I\u2019ll miss all the specialty food stores at which I know I can buy Romanian zacusca (roasted red pepper spread) or samoom, a pillowy Iraqi bread on Kedzie in Albany Park or Kosher cakes up on Devon or the best NY bagels in Chicago up on Touhy. The list goes on and on.<\/p>\n

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The Collective Knowledge of Chicagoans<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Not only will I miss all of that about Chicago, but I\u2019ll also miss the collective knowledge that all Chicagoans share. I mean I\u2019ve always prided myself on how much I knew about the city to share with visitors, but then there\u2019s the \u2018other\u2019 stuff.<\/p>\n

Like when someone talks about \u201cBlago\u201d\u2026not only do I know that\u2019s our ex-governor, and not only did he live just a few blocks from me, I know how funny he looks when he goes jogging. And I even interviewed him as governor in his office in the State of Illinois building long before he went to prison.<\/p>\n