Windy City Love

I got in last night just after midnight. I was in an audition for a national commercial less than 12hrs later. So here's my weird universe story. Scotty was over yesterday morning and while he was getting ready to go to breakfast at Lucile's Denver, I looked up my agent in Chicago to send an email letting them know I would be in town for a few weeks. I could not find an email, so I decided I would call later in the day. Less than 2 minutes later, my phone rings from said agent with an audition today. I never told them I was coming. Weird

After my audition downtown I ran a couple errands, refamiliarizing myself some with Chicago sights and sounds. It felt so good to be walking around town. I missed it here a lot. Over the last couple weeks or so I have had to clarify my perspective on Chicago often. It seems those that know me well are fond of reminding me with knowing smiles that I truly did not like the Windy City very much for a long time when I first got here. That is true, I called it the town "I loved to hate."

However, after a few years of doing my best to get out of town on children's theatre tours, I started to warm up to it here. That last 2 years were friggin' fun. After all, I got to work on 6 consecutive shows with only 2 weeks down time in 15 months during one stretch. I have a great agent here that continues to help me even in LA. Plus the people are fantastic too.

Now what makes LA any different from Chicago, based on my timeline? For starters, I enjoy stage work more than film. What LA can offer is exciting and interesting, for sure. I love the constant energy there. Everyone is just one call away from fame and secure rent. That's cool. Artists should be able to earn their pay doing what they love and have sacrificed for. I, however, prefer the connection with people too much to want to leave theatre for long. Now true there is a lot of theatre in LA, some of which you don't even have to pay to play in. It is tougher there to carve away that sort of time there. If you can, you find the higher caliber of people out there for sure. LA is like all huge cities in that it is full of transplants. Hell, a good chunk of my favorite company in Chicago now live there. Guess "nothing is safe" now in LA.

The other, rather inflexible point against LA for me and me alone is that I don't like heat and sun for long. I don't. I prefer storms to get my creative wheels turning. I caught a little flack for coming to Chicago for Nov. and Dec. for this. Last year in LA, we had a couple days in the 100's at the end of Nov. Nothing like getting a Christmas tree in shorts and a tank top, wondering if an off season AC unit would fit in the car too. That's just not for me.

While I can admit, LA and Chicago have very similar starts for me, I don't believe LA will grow on me the same way. This town is closer to a NY vibe and that tempo is the one I enjoy. LA is fun and blessedly unapologetic. I am fascinated by a city so proud of itself and detested by everyone else. I continue to try and bite my tongue and just learn.
For now though, I love being in Chicago again. It's chilly and threatening snow and I could not be happier. I am learning what to like about LA. I miss Chicago and appreciate everything it did for me. Colorado is now and will always be home.