I grew up in the Chicago area and from a young age loved Chicago with a passion. As a teenager, my home was in Hammond, but I took the South Shore Line train to the city every chance I could get. I eventually went to college downtown and lived in the city, off and on, for another three years. Although for the last several years I've lived in the inland Northwest and Texas, I've still come back several times a year to visit family and have always taken trips into the city, often daily, when I do.