Hello there! I hope everyone is doing decent! This year has been throwing a million curve balls at us, and it doesn’t seem like it’ll stop anytime soon. Six more months to go, I guess!
Through the past two months, I purposely reduced the amount of content I put out, for two reasons: the first one was amplifying Black voices, and leaving room for these Black voices. The second one was that, given the circumstances, my content seemed rather trivial compared to our present reality.
The Anti-Racist movement and the pandemic are far from over, but now that I took some time to stay back and listen, I feel like I can share some content again, with a new mindset and perspective. So today, I have put together a tiny list of four things that have made the past two incredibly difficult months a little brighter for me!
Phase Four
Although, as I said, the pandemic is far from over, I rejoice in the fact that Chicago has handled it very well so far. Therefore, as of last Friday, the city is officially in Phase Four of reopening! That means that indoor spaces can reopen – shops, restaurants, gyms… (can’t wait to be back at AIR!) – and that we can gather with up to 50 people outdoors. Masks are highly recommended of course, and actually mandatory indoors at all times. Phase Four truly feels as close to normal as we’ve ever been since the beginning of March. I can’t explain the joys of going shopping again (here’s the Basquiat jean jacket I recently thrifted at Elliot Consignment!), or being able to walk around our newly reopened Lakefront Path – more on that later!
A Trip to Tennessee
Another reason why I feel way closer to normality: Livia, Lorenzo and I took a trip to Tennessee! Yes, we flew, on an airplane! For someone who was averaging one flight per week right before the pandemic, this is a huge milestone. Being able to travel again fills me with joy and purpose.
Traveling during Covid-19
If you’re curious about what it’s like to travel during a pandemic, I’ll tell you that it’s really not that bad. Of course, you have to wear a mask the entire time you’re in the airport and on the plane. It can feel a bit inconvenient at times but it’s really nothing when it gives us the ability to travel again without infecting or being infected. Truly a small price to pay! Besides that, we flew Southwest and they really took care of everything for us, from ensuring social distancing inside the plane, to boarding people in groups of ten at a time. Lastly, traveling right now is really cheap, so if you do want or have to travel, you’ll benefit from cheaper fares! Just make sure to book ahead of time since there’s less flights out there and companies can’t fill all seats, so sell out pretty quickly.
Sewanee, Tennessee
We flew to Tennessee to help Livia pack up her entire dorm room: she graduated and is moving back to Italy! We stayed with our friend Meg and spent a day moving Livia out of University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. There’s a blog post I wrote about Sewanee a couple of years ago, you can find it here. We also took graduation pictures, since Livia didn’t have an actual ceremony!
Old Hickory Lake
After Sewanee, we were able to spend a day exploring Old Hickory Lake on a boat ride. We even saw what’s left of Johnny Cash’s lake house, which sadly burned down some time ago. Later in the day, we watched the sun go down and ate delicious oysters, seafood and sushi at Moby Dicky’s, a restaurant in Hendersonville that I’d highly recommend if you’re in the area!
Kentucky
Before I say anything… yes, we are a bunch of weirdos. We drove 45 minutes to the Kentucky border just so that we could add Kentucky to the list of States we visited. We did it. We stayed in Kentucky for about five minutes before driving back. It was glorious.
Nashville, Tennessee
Finally, on our last day, we explored a bit of Nashville. My personal highlights? The “I believe in Nashville” mural of course, Draper James (Reese Witherspoon’s store, though we were only able to see the outside!) and this delicious grilled cheese from Frothy Monkey. We all got it. Yes, all four of us. That’s how good it is.
Penpalling
I used to send letters to my friends all the time as a kid. Growing up, it turned more into sending cards for important events such as birthdays, graduations, Christmas and so on. I love snail mail, but I never thought I’d go back to writing letters to penpals again… until quarantine started.
I love pretty paper, I love writing, I love stationery and I love making new friends: getting into penpalling was the obvious next step! I found some friends around the world to send letters to (I currently have five!), and started the exchange. If you want to do so, too, the hashtag #penpals on Instagram is a good place to start. Otherwise, you can send letters to me! Message me or DM me to make that happen.
Picnics and Walks on the Lakefront Path
Last but not least, here’s to my favorite Summer 2020 activity: spending time by Lake Michigan. Now that the Lakefront Path is open, people can go there for walks and to spend time in the “park area” of the lakefront – while social distancing, of course. The beaches are still off limits, but over the weekend, David and I took a really long walk on Saturday and had a lakefront picnic on Sunday. It was amazing! I had wanted to have a picnic for a really long time and I can’t wait to have one again. Also, walking and getting your steps in feels amazing after all these months spent inside. I plan on hitting up the lakefront a lot this summer, so you know where to find me!
And that is all for the May and June favorites! What have been some things and experiences that have made the past couple of months a little more bearable for you? Let me know below!