[[Tenebrous Dragon|Home]] / [[Trips|Travel]] / [[2026-09 Chicago|2026 Chicago, IL]] # 2026 Chicago, IL > [!trip] > ![[2026-09 Chicago cover.jpg]] > - **When** Wednesday 23 to Friday 25 September 2026 > - **Where** [[Σικάγο|Chicago]], [[Ιλινόις|Illinois]] > - **Why** Handing in my [[Greece DNV application|Digital Nomad Visa]] application at the [[Γενικό Προξενείο της Ελλάδος στο Σικάγο|Greek consulate]] > - **How** [[Amtrak]] from [[Άγιος Παύλος|St. Paul]], both ways > - **Stayed** [[Chicago parthenon hostel|Chicago Parthenon Hostel]], [[Greektown, Chicago|Greektown]] > - **Carried** [[Beach tote|Neso tote]] %% Specific and sensitive trip details available in [[Trip reference numbers#Chicago 2026]] %% I went to Chicago for one reason: my visa appointment at the Greek consulate. It covers [[Μινεσότα|Minnesota]],[^chi-consulate] so there was no way around it. :( I didn't want to drive, because I have an EV and I've done that route before, and it's stressful. I couldn't fly either, since the consulate keeps my passport and I don't have a [[REAL ID]] or an enhanced ID. I do have a passport card, and that's enough for a train, so Amtrak it was. > [!day] Wednesday 23 September > **St. Paul to Chicago** > > The morning started with an appointment in St. Paul to get the last few documents apostilled, and then I had a little while before the train. I went to [[Lost fox lowertown|Lost Fox]] for a cappuccino and to get a few things done. > > The train left just before noon. The car was cold and the wifi did not work, so I spent the ride offline and made a note to buy a real hotspot when I get back. > > I did not get in until about 7:45 PM. Greektown was busy with people coming and going and checking in, but the restaurants near the hostel were quite bare. I was honestly just tired, so I checked into the hostel, did some work in the lounge, and went to bed without eating. I had planned to walk next door to [[9 muses bar and grill|9 Muses]] for the evening, but I skipped it. > > [!day] Thursday 24 September > **The consulate** > > My appointment was in the afternoon at the consulate in [[Streeterville]].[^chi-streeterville] I was a lot more nervous than I expected to be, and I had over prepared, which turned out to be the smaller problem. Translations were not needed at all. A few things were missing or needed adjusting, mostly an extra month of bank statements, three months of credit card statements, and a letter from [[Sophia Christoforides|Sofia]] that had to be sent through [[gov.gr]]. I sent most of it back the same day. Proof that my health insurer is licensed to operate in Greece was still outstanding on Friday morning. > > Otherwise it went well. I do not think it is going to be denied, and if it is, I will find another way. > > --- > > The same day I went to [[Yaya mas|Yaya Mas]] on the [[Magnificent Mile]] for a freddo cappuccino and a gyro platter. It was very good for being Greek-American made. The [[Chicago water tower|Water Tower]] is on the same corner, so I checked it out as well. > > The walk back south took me over one of the canal bridges out of [[River north chicago|River North]], and I stopped for a photograph. Chicago is not a city I particularly enjoy, but it has moments, and that was one of them. > [!day] Friday 25 September > **Back on the [[Borealis (train)|Borealis]]** > > The plan for Friday morning was the [[Εθνικό Ελληνικό Μουσείο|National Hellenic Museum]], which is closed Monday to Wednesday[^chi-museum] and so had only that one window realistically. I skipped it. I was tired, and I was still coming down from the nerves of the consulate appointment, which is high stakes for me. This visa changes my life. So I stopped at [[Dark matter coffee|Dark Matter]] for a coffee, which was okay, and moved to an earlier train instead. > > The Borealis left Chicago at 11:15 AM. I hotspotted from my phone, got some work done, and caught up on my journaling. I did not get home until about 7:30 PM, and the harvest moon was up over [[Μινεάπολη|Minneapolis]], which was a welcome sight. > > --- > > The museum and 9 Muses will wait. I am coming back to pick up the visa in person instead of having it mailed, which gives me a reason to see both, and to load up on good food to bring home. <3 ## Where I stayed > [!stay] Chicago Parthenon Hostel > The hostel is in Greektown, close to [[Union Station (Chicago)|Union Station]], and I booked a bed in an eight-bunk female dorm for two nights. It was my first time in a hostel or a dorm, so I had no idea what to expect. I had not thought about needing a lock, so I bought one on the first night and used the lockers. > > The other guests were quiet. I had one short conversation, and mostly I ended up telling people how to open the sticky door. There was no elevator, which was fine. > > I would stay again, once I have put together a [[Hostel OneBag]], because I was missing some much needed things for that kind of travel. > ## What I packed > [!pack] One small bag, two nights > Two nights of walking and transit in mild fall weather, around 19°C on Thursday, so I kept it to one bag, my Neso tote, because of the documents I was carrying. It fit everything, but it was awkward to carry and I regret taking it. The originals and documents for the consulate counter were already packed. > > A hostel is a different packing list from a hotel. Some stuff was provided, but I was missing things on my end to make it work. ## Lessons > [!lessons] > 1. **Bring a real hotspot** > That is my third separate wifi problem while traveling. Stop counting on someone else's connection and bring a real hotspot, or a phone plan with enough data to tether. > 2. **Hostels need a lock** > Bring your own, so you are not buying one on the first night. > 3. **Fitting everything is not the same as carrying well** > Pick the bag for the walking, not just for the volume. > 4. **A hostel pack is not a hotel pack** > You cannot assume towels, or that everything is provided. > 5. **Sort out ID before you choose how to travel** > A lot of my stress and annoyance on this trip could have been avoided with the right ID. It won't be a major problem later, but for now it's annoying that I can't fly. > 6. **Distance does not equal a good walk** > Twenty thousand steps in [[Αθήνα|Athens]] meant people, sights, sounds, a city happening around me. The same twenty thousand in Chicago mostly means office lobbies and traffic and people speedily going from point A to point B. ## Planning notes > [!plan]- Want to go, and what I skipped > I decided to do walking ~~and transit~~ only, so below is grouped by what is reachable without a car and what I had time for. The museum is closed early in the week, which makes Friday morning the only window assuming Thursday takes a while. > > - [ ] National Hellenic Museum, a couple of blocks from the hostel > - [ ] 9 Muses, next door to the hostel, with live music and a late close > - [x] Yaya Mas, recommended by [[George Morcos]] in one of his [[Instagram]] videos > - [x] Chicago Water Tower, free, and it survived the [[Great Chicago Fire]] (which is a really, really big deal if you read about it) > > I considered seeing [[Οδύσσεια (ταινία 2026)|The Odyssey]] again in 70mm [[IMAX]] at [[Cinemark Seven Bridges]] in [[Woodridge, Illinois|Woodridge]], and skipped it. It was about five hours round trip and roughly $150 to $220 in rideshare plus a ticket, too much to trade against the rest of Thursday, especially when I started decompressing. [^chi-consulate]: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, [Consulate General in Chicago](https://www.mfa.gr/usa/en/consulate-general-in-chicago/), which lists Minnesota among the states in its jurisdiction. [^chi-streeterville]: [Streeterville, Chicago](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streeterville,_Chicago) on Wikipedia, which bounds the neighborhood by the river to the south, Michigan Avenue to the west, and Lake Michigan to the north and east. North St. Clair Street runs between Michigan Avenue and the lake. [^chi-museum]: National Hellenic Museum, [Visit](https://www.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/visit/), which lists it as closed Monday to Wednesday and open Thursday to Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM.