The phenomenal Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Riccardo Muti. The CTA (really, there’s a bus every few blocks!) and the Red Line conductor who would announce “All aboard the love train,” riding CTA cars with windows that opened. Open House Chicago and exploring neighborhoods. The architecture and seeing the skyline returning from trips. The owls on the Harold Washington Library. Developing a fascination for the 1893 World’s Fair. Chicago Public Library. July 3 fireworks in Grant Park and the displays in my neighborhood. My kids sledding in Humboldt Park. The community of committed nonprofit professionals serving under-resourced neighborhoods (if you haven’t already, pick one and donate your time and money). Chicago accents and Chicagoisms like “The Jewels” and “out please.” Empire Carpet commercials. The spectacle of St. Mary of the Underpass at Fullerton and the Kennedy. Eating an authentic taco for the first time and discovering so many tasty ethnic restaurants. The arroz con gandules and tamales from Tony’s Fresh Market. Margie’s Candies ice cream. Watching movies and riding the elevators with human operators at the Fine Arts building. Two-dollar movies at the Logan Theatre when it had one screen. Spending all day in the one movie theater we could find that had electricity during the 1995 heat wave. WXRT and WBEZ. The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Reader.