Chicago, Illinois is one of the most populated cities in the country — known for its architecture, food, and tourist attractions. 

Sophomores Zaida Awan and Ranger Kesarapalli visited Chicago last year. Kesarapalli traveled there in May and wanted to explore the city and the prestigious art colleges in the area. As an artist herself, Kesarapalli enjoyed visiting the Art Institute of Chicago. 

“The art institute was very minimalist and honestly kind of plain for an art-centered place,” Kesarapalli said,

 In her spare time, Kesarapalli visited Willis Tower, one of the largest skyscrapers in the world. This monument can also be seen in the movie, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” when Bueller and his friends reminisced over their senior year and what they will do in the future.

“Willis Tower is a large building and there’s basically a shopping mall under it and a pretty large food court,” Kesarapalli said.

As there are a lot of tourist attractions in Chicago, the city also hosts a multitude of concerts for popular musicians and aspiring artists. 

Known for his famous song “Stick Season,” musician Noah Kahan held a concert in Chicago during early November. When Awan found out about his concert, it didn’t take much persuading before her mom agreed to travel to see her favorite artist live.

   “My mom was convinced,” Awan said. “We were like, ‘OK, [in] three days we’re going to Chicago.’”

Although Awan was unable to witness or experience many of the iconic monuments the city has to offer, she was able to see one of her favorite musicians while visiting. Even though the line to get into the venue was long, it was worth it when Awan got to see Noah Kahan.

“When we were waiting and got near his tour bus, he literally came out, got something from his bus, went back in and I just looked at him in shock,” Awan said. “I was so excited. It was probably one of the best experiences of my life.”