Chicago

Posted by Campbell at Tuesday, July 08, 2008

As I sit here downing a massive coffee on Wabash and 8th in Chicago, I'm almost baffled by how nice folks are in this town. Cat Power's playing in the room and everyone in here seems happy, talkative and inquisitive. The folks behind the counter are an absolute pleasure to be around and the place is clean, organized and has some character. No one appears to be in a rush to get somewhere instantly; no one's on their cell phone and there's neither a hipster nor a frat boy to be found.

This is very refreshing. As much as I like San Francisco, what I've seen over the past thirty minutes represents everything that I miss: just normal folks, enjoying the day and being kind to one another. There's no rat race here. There are no bafoons in Kayne shades, hoodies and tight Wrangler's. These are just folks making it through the day and seemingly enjoying the simple events.

I miss places like this. I wish San Francisco had more of this. It would be a better city for it.