I wanted to go to the Garfield Park Conservatory last weekend, so I went directly. When I arrived, I realized that I had to make an appointment in advance to enter, so I went back home. I made an appointment in advance this Wednesday. The plants and flowers in the greenhouse are very beautiful. I really like the desert vegetation with a lot of cacti. It reminds me of Mexico...

Went to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, which is free to Illinois citizens every Tuesday. It looks big from the outside, but there are not many exhibitions inside, and it didn't take long to finish the visit.

Recently, I really want to eat Middle Eastern food. Since I made hummus, I have always wanted to try falafel, and finally I had the opportunity to make falafel for the first time. Falafel is actually chickpea vegetable balls, usually fried, but I think frying is too troublesome and unhealthy, so I baked falafel in the oven...

On Monday, I went with some friends to watch a talk show in a small bar they often go to. When I arrived, I saw a list on a small table, and those who were going to go on stage to talk about the talk show could write their names on it. Most of them seem to be regular customers, and they also go to different venues to talk about talk shows. Everyone has their own style, and most jokes involve…

I moved back to this familiar yet unfamiliar city. At that time, I moved here after graduating from graduate school. I was busy with work and got married a few years later. My social circle was also small. Most of my friends around me were Chinese teachers. When I came back this time, I found that I have never been to many places in Chicago and I don’t know much about them. I haven’t even been to some small restaurants, shops, and supermarkets near where I live. Once in Chi…

Driving from Kansas City to St. Louis, the road detoured through a small German town called Hermann, located on the Missouri River. Most of the residents here are of German descent, and the German architecture is beautiful. When I arrived in St. Louis, I passed an outdoor Laumerier architectural park, which is similar to the architectural park in Hakone, Japan, but compared to…

We drove 10 hours on Wednesday from Denver to Kansas City. Originally, I planned to drive the shortest road through the states of Nebraska and Iowa. But I heard that these two states are really boring, very flat, with nothing. Two Denver brothers advised me to drive for two or three hours longer, passing through Kansas...

Departed from Salt Lake City at 6 o'clock on Friday morning, and drove ten hours to Denver. My friend recommended me to drive a slightly longer road, but the scenery along the way will be much better. On Friday, I went to housesit in the suburbs of Denver to show the house to the owner. This house is much bigger than the first one I saw before. The couple are taking a ski vacation to the nearby mountains this long weekend for four…

I booked an Airbnb for two nights in Salt Lake City. This Airbnb is located in a gated community, and the owner happened to have a spare parking space for me to park. This is one of the rare Airbnbs where the owner himself lives here. Before I entered the house and said a few words to the owner, he told me that his English was not good, and asked me if I could speak Spanish. he…