Celebrating Halloween in Chicago as a College Student
To my core, I am a Halloween fanatic. I love the costumes, festivities, decorations, movies, and basically everything about the holiday—it is for sure my favorite. There is just something about Halloween that brightens up the soul, even as temperatures start to lower. I have been counting down the days since October began, and Halloween is finally here! At least, Halloweekend is: the weekend right before Halloween where you can celebrate without worrying about homework or classes and just embrace the holiday spirit. I spent last Halloweekend enjoying my stepsister’s wedding, so this is my second official time being in Chicago for it. And trust me, I made the most of it!
I started off the weekend with a quick day trip with my coworkers to Konow’s Corn Maze in Homer Glen, IL. We woke up, grabbed some cider, and headed over by car! I absolutely loved the experience. There was face painting, hayrides in cow-shaped carts, live entertainment, and of course the infamous corn maze. I will admit, we got stuck in the corn for a bit longer than anticipated, but it was such a fun time to enjoy the journey with my friends.
The next day, I headed out to enjoy a scenic walk through Lincoln Park to take in all the spooky decorations on local houses. I look forward to seeing what everyone can think up, so this is a highlight for me. I remember seeing a house with skeletons set up as different Barbies—I absolutely LOVE it! After that, my boyfriend and I got ready to head to my coworker’s apartment for a small get-together. We set up our costumes and made some dinner before taking the train over. My boyfriend’s original costume did not show up (Amazon one-day shipping is apparently not always accurate), but we got creative and swung by the store real quick to make a new one! Dressing up in a costume was one of my favorite things growing up, so it is so exciting to keep the tradition alive while spending time with the people near and dear to me.
After a jam-packed weekend of Halloween festivities, I was ready to bundle up in bed—and the rainy weather certainly did not help! To stay cozy, I lit a fall candle, made some tea and popcorn, and prepped a marathon of Halloween movies. The cherry on top were my cute festive pillows, which made a perfect setup for the evening. I was once skeptical that I could find the Halloween activities which I loved in a city setting, but I was definitely wrong. Chicago has haunted houses and Halloween pop ups left and right, so it is impossible not to find your fit. I honestly have been loving my experiences with every holiday since I came to DePaul—the city has something to do on every street at this point! I am just about done with my marathon and am feeling very festive, but I have one left: Halloweentown.
