Goodbye Chicago, Hello Ithaca

Goodbye Chicago :(

Today was our last day in Chicago. After spending two nights in the magnificent Drake Hotel, it was time for us to go. Katelyn and I slept in a bit and woke up at 8:00 today since we didn't have to meet up until 9:00. During that time, we finished packing since we had to check out before doing some last-minute shopping. I had a bit of a panic attack since I couldn't find one of my running shoes, but it ended up being under the bed.

As soon as we met up in the lobby, we all wandered around Downtown Chicago to buy some souvenirs and visit stores that aren't available to us in California. Sue was my buddy and our first stop was at Walgreens, to buy some souvenirs for family. We then went to the mall down the street to buy some more stuff. 

First, we wandered around the makeup counters at Macy's, marveling at the amount of makeup. We especially enjoyed Lush, a company that makes handmade cosmetic products. The things they sell are very unique. For example, they have soap that resembles quartz rocks and huge colorful bath bombs that make your bath smell good. Our final stop was the Aldo accessories store. I bought a pair of very fashionable (in my opinion) tan-colored sunglasses.

For lunch, we all met at a pizzeria called Gino's and ordered two deep-dish pizzas. I loved the 4-cheese one we got. I'm not exactly sure what cheeses it had in it, but one of the more prominent cheeses was the ricotta and it could not be more delicious. The pizza crust was also flaky and buttery, which I recognized was unhealthy, but heavenly.

Walking through Chicago for the last time

Following lunch, we all rushed back to the hotel to retrieve our luggage then go to the airport. We got back in time before the shuttle arrived. We loaded up our luggage and left the hotel at a little after 1:30 but instead of arriving at the airport at 2:00, we ended up getting there at almost 3:00 because of traffic. There appeared to be some sort of accident that was holding up the traffic but nevertheless we arrived at a good time.

Our flight was delayed so instead of leaving at 4:00, we left at around 4:10. We arrived in Philadelphia at about 7:30 (with a time change) and had a 2 hour layover. After getting off the airplane, I happened to see one of the WWE Bella Twins which was very cool but I didn't want to ask for a picture since she was on the phone and I didn't wanna intrude.

We then ate food from a place called Currito but I wasn't really in the mood for a burrito so I opted for a caesar salad instead which was very refreshing and light, something I needed. At 9:00 we boarded our flight to Ithaca. I had expected us to get a small plane but not as small as it actually was. The plane only had 9 rows and was definitely the smallest plane I've ever been on. It was very comfortable and intimate though, which I really appreciated.

Our luxury aircraft

At 10:30 we arrived in Ithaca. It seemed like everyone on our flight knew the airport workers, which gave me the impression that we would be staying in a VERY small town.The airport itself was also very small but adorable. We went directly to our dorms and now I am here blogging. I have already met some of the other people here. There is a girl named Sydney from Tucson, Arizona, Kaitlyn from Los Angeles and Mandy from China. 

For now I will be heading to bed but I'm super excited and looking forward to meeting new people tomorrow! I'm loving Cornell so far :-)