So, when a wide-eyed and somewhat-naive me first moved to Chicago roughly four years ago, I made a little list of my “city living essentials.”
Now that I’m almost half a decade in to my city living tenure (wheeerreee did the time go?!), I figured I’d give a quick update. Some of this list has changed, some of it hasn’t.
Here’s the junk you can find on my person a good 90 percent of the time I’m out and about in Chicago.
Just a note: This list excludes the obvious. I always have my iPhone, ChapStick, keys, etc. on my person. And, of course, the contents of my bag are always changing. If I know I’m heading to, say, my yoga studio, I’ll probably pack much differently.
These are more the things I find to be tied specifically to living in an urban area, day-to-day, without a car.
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My backpack. When I first moved to Chicago, I was still rotating through my collection of giant totes and handbags. It took me three years to crack (literally) when my doctor took one look at my handbag and said “PUT THAT THING DOWN YOU ARE DESTROYING YOUR BODY.” About a year ago, I switched to a grown-up(ish) leather backpack and I refuse to go back. My neck and shoulders are no longer in constant pain. It is glorious.
Headphones. Yup, these are still pretty much mandatory to ignore skeezy catcallers and unwanted solicitors on the L. However, I’ve upgraded from earbuds to massive noise-canceling headphones that figuratively scream “do not fcking talk to me.”
Snacks. I STILL LOVE SNACKS. I always carry granola bars (lately it’s been RXBars), trail mix (Trader Joe’s for the win) and the occasional banana and/or apple in my bag.
A slim wallet with an easy-access pocket. When I first moved here I continued to carry a massive Kate Spade zippered portfolio style wallet, but now my $11 Amazon find is my best friend. It fits in my back pocket/ jacket pocket and has an easy-access slide sleeve, which is convenient since I need to access my Ventra card so frequently.
Reusable grocery bags. I still try to carry one of these in my backpack at all times, because I both like the environment and refuse to pay Chicago’s bag tax (it’s a matter of PRINCIPLE, people). However, my reusable grocery bag is usually a stray Lululemon bag these days because I’m lazy (oh, the irony).
Comfy shoes. One thing I love about being a millennial working in Chicago is the prevalent casual dress code. I’m so grateful I can wear jeans and flats/ boots to work every day and nobody bats an eye because city commuting via public transit is so different from rural commuting via car. I have a variety of comfy shoes obviously, but I own a ton of Sam Edelman “Felicia” flats because they’re simple, comfortable, easy to stash/ pack and go with almost everything I wear.
A portable battery pack. I use this thing three to five times a week when I’ve got a full day booked with no time/ place to charge my iPhone in my schedule. You can pick these up anywhere for super cheap, but I love this version because it has a built-in lightning cord for charging my iPhone, and a built-in micro USB cord for charging my Kindle and my bluetooth headphones.
Sunglasses. I still enjoy avoiding eye contact with strangers on the bus/L.
My Kindle. I’m often caught with a lot of unexpected downtime between appointments/ meetings/ calendar obligations, and over the past year I’ve really been trying to cut down on my iPhone/ social media habit. It’s nice to have my Kindle in my bag because it’s a good way to entertain myself if I’m on the L/ in a waiting room/ eating lunch alone/ etc.
Hand sanitizer. I still carry this around with me everywhere because I’m still touching turnstiles/ revolving doors/ bus pull cords/ sweaty yoga students almost every day.
Kleenex packs. These have come in handy so many times, combatting mid-winter runny noses on the bus, public bathrooms that are out of toilet paper, and the occasional wet (ew) hand strap on the L.
Mini umbrella. If there’s heavy rain in the forecast, I wear my rain jacket and rain boots — and usually ditch the umbrella; they tend to be pretty useless in Chicago winds — but during spring, early summer, fall and early winter, there’s a pretty good chance I have a tiny foldable cheap umbrella somewhere in the bottom of my bag. There’s nothing worse than being caught without a hooded jacket in a surprise rainstorm and realizing you have a several-block walk ahead of you.
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So, that’s what I keep on my person about 90 percent of the time as I’m wandering through Chicago’s grid streets.
Like I said, this is definitely not everything I always carry. Odds are, I’m toting a day planner, pens, makeup, sports bra, water bottle, lesson plans — God knows what else. But, these are just the little day-to-day things I rely on here in Chicago.
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