I had been warned that Chicago may not offer the same level of Taco Bell goodness that I’d been accustomed to in New York, Michigan, and Florida. Based on comments from my friends, I’d come to terms with the fact that Chicago didn’t have much to offer. I’d no longer be just 3 blocks away from the nearest Taco Bell. I might actually have to start cooking my own meals (or increasing my Chipotle consumption).

Then I moved into my apartment in Lincoln Park and realized my friends were ALL WRONG.

That, my friends, is a map of my neighborhood. The dot on the right marks where my apartment is. The dot on the left is the nearest Taco Bell.

Yes that’s right.

I live down the street from Taco Bell..

Granted, its actually a really long street, and the distance between my apartment and TB is about a mile and half. But did I mention that I have a car? And that 1.5 miles in a car is like NOTHING? After four years living in Manhattan, I’d completely forgotten about the retail genius that is drive-thru. If I catch every light, I can make a round trip to Taco Bell in less than 10 minutes.

Which leads me to my next point… one of the things I love most about Chicago is that it offers a great balance between the excitement of an urban lifestyle with the comforts of more suburban living. There is space here, and plenty of it. And with space comes free-standing Taco Bell. And with free-standing Taco Bell comes not just the genius of drive-thru, but the greatness of outdoor seating.

I think I’m gonna do just fine here.