Taking a spin around the U.S. on another Where In The World Wednesday, today we’ve venturing over to Chicago, Illinois — and back to August 2006!

I’d just finished my second internship with a daily newspaper and was preparing to start my senior year of college. In seven years, the two weeks between when my internship ended and my part-time job at Borders began remain the only time I’ve ever been unemployed. Ah — the good ol’ days! And the days before digital cameras, too . . . hard to believe, but those tell-tale date stamps in the corners are hard to miss. These were actually scanned by yours truly! Oh, I can barely remember back that far.

My parents, sister and I flew to Chicago for a long weekend to take in the sights, enjoy the beautiful weather and see “Wicked,” Kate’s favorite musical. The best part of the story was that she had no idea my dad had scored tickets to the show until we got there! Who says we can’t keep a secret?

Growing up outside Washington, D.C., major cities haven’t ever really impressed me . . . but Chicago? Wonderful. It’s the first metropolitan area I could actually see myself living and working in, and I was shocked by how clean it was. We could have wandered around far longer than we did, but we hopped one of the double-decker touring buses and saw some of the highlights. The John Hancock Building was definitely impressive . . . and freaked me out.

I’d love to go back and hang out by Buckingham Fountain again someday. A perfect spot to read and sip a latte, I’d imagine! And Navy Pier was so fun and an awesome place to wind down after a long day. Watching the sunset there remains one of my really happy memories.