After spending six years in Singapore, we've finally arrived in Chicago. What a change! Whether it's the culture, the food, the climate, the landscapes, or the atmosphere. The hardest part, though, was the first winter: we went from 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) to a very harsh winter where the wind chill reached -50 degrees Celsius (-50 degrees Fahrenheit)!! Brrr… a rare and thankfully short polar vortex. But it was magnificent.
First winter in Chicago
Our first winter in January 2019: it's one we won't forget. The polar vortex, a massive mass of cold air coming from the North Pole, lasted 52 hours with extreme temperatures and freezing temperatures. Of course, schools were closed, and extraordinary phenomena were observed, such as instant freezing (soap bubbles freezing instantly), and fires were lit on the train tracks to prevent them from freezing... in short, quite an introduction to this new expat life.
Chicago street art
In Chicago, street art is present almost everywhere in the city; artists tell their stories, express their struggles and their successes. But it is mainly concentrated in 3 neighborhoods: The Loop, Pilsen, and Logan Square/Wicker Park.
St. Patrick's Day
Chicago is the fourth Irish city in America and every year in March, an environmentally friendly green dye is poured into the river.
Halloween
Halloween is not to be missed: the houses are beautifully decorated, the adults are all in costume and are waiting for the children on their doorsteps with thousands of treats.
A city to discover
You'll never be bored in Chicago. Between the magnificent architecture of this city destroyed and then rebuilt after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, visits to the different neighborhoods, the Lincoln Park Zoo (magnificent and free), blues concerts, open-air concerts and festivals, the "Chicago polar plunge" (an iconic winter charity tradition: plunges in winter into water of 0 to 8 degrees to raise funds), and the numerous museums, there's plenty to keep you busy on weekends.
