Today, on my way to a big convention in Chicago, I found out that when my friend said, "I live in Chicago," they really meant, "I live an hour and a half outside of Chicago." Hello traffic and hours of daily driving. FML
Collection
Fall
Dead leaves, the first cold of the season and an umbrella flipped inside out: fall, the season of grace.
Today, after a 14-hour day at work 180 km away, the freeway was closed 30 km from home. I had to detour, adding another hour and a half to the already three-hour trip home. I was basically at work for almost 28 hours. FML
Today, I drove the six hours to LA to attend my Uncle's birthday party. When I tried to get off at the exit, it took me two hours just to get onto the street where the club was. By the time I showed up, the party was already over, so I ended up going to a Denny's. I drove eight hours for a Denny's. FML
Today, I had the most Chicago experience ever. While I was eating my delicious, deep dish pizza, someone was ripping the rims off my car 15 feet away. FML
Today, my friend and I drove three hours to attend a U2 concert. We had been psyched about the tickets for weeks because they were awesome seats (my early Christmas present). After a long drive, we get to the venue and I realize in horror that I left tickets at home, on my desk, three hours away. FML
Today, I drove three and a half hours to surprise my long distance boyfriend for our anniversary. He was out of town. Where was he? Three and a half hours away trying to surprise me. FML
Today, I drove my friends two hours to see a tourist attraction I had been talking up for months. It burnt to the ground last week. FML
Today, I was meeting up with a friend in a town. He said he was at the restaurant we were going to meet at; I was too. Turns out I was in the wrong town. FML
Today, I spent more time driving to my vacation spot than actually vacationing. FML
Today, my family informed me that we were going on a 10 hour road trip to my cousin's wedding. They only decided to tell me 45 minutes before we left for said road trip. FML
Today, I missed my University entrance exam because of heavy traffic. I was stuck at one intersection for over an hour. The real kicker? It took me less than 10 minutes to drive home. FML
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Top comments
enxhi96 21
That's your fault for not asking for details ahead of time... You could have asked for the address to see how far he lived from the convention if you cared so much.
sprouting 13
Today, when I woke up to angry texts from my friend, I found out that when they said "I'd love to come visit," they really meant, "I'd love to be a free-loader." Hello loneliness and betrayal.
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Comments (56)
sprouting 13
Today, when I woke up to angry texts from my friend, I found out that when they said "I'd love to come visit," they really meant, "I'd love to be a free-loader." Hello loneliness and betrayal.
saidoh_fml 26
Sorry that happened. Hopefully you can find a more central hotel at a reasonable rate, although I guess if there's a big convention in town that could be tricky.
SecondBee 12
In any big city you can get a hotel room regardless of there being a convention on. A city is not like a town in that regard
icefishbaby 14
Hotel prices can increase dramatically if the nearby event is large enough, even in a big city. And the fact that they'd be booking right at the last minute will make their options more limited. I'm sure something will be available, but as #2 said, finding a decent hotel at a reasonable rate will probably be difficult at this point.
mariri9206 32
The group hosting the convention likely has a block of rooms at a set price for convention goers. If they weren't all taken already, OP could have done that. Also, you really should have asked them where in Chicago because most people will not actually live in Chicago and still consider it Chicago.
enxhi96 21
That's your fault for not asking for details ahead of time... You could have asked for the address to see how far he lived from the convention if you cared so much.
RabbitOfAurora 28
This was my thought exactly. One of the very first things I would have asked probably. "Hey, you said you lived in Chicago right? Where abouts? Mind if I freeload for a few days while (convention name) is on? I'll buy you a case of beer as compensation!"
devinaww 15
At least you get to drive and don't have to take public transit?
AudioBoss 12
I'm assuming anime convention? I work those all the time. if you can find long term parking, I've seen people just stay in the sponsored hotel for free. They find a chair in a room that has activities and they just fall asleep
icefishbaby 14
That might be acceptable for an anime convention (although it really doesn't sound pleasant, and there's a chance you could get kicked out, depending on the venue). But there's a good chance that this is something work or professional related, in which case sleeping in public really isn't an option.
RichardPencil 32
Free room and board ain't free!
Tripartita 45
Oh my god! As a Vermonter, I just realized I live in Canada! This is so exciting, eh? Hahaha, because Canada!
stoneybadger78 6
People who live in the burbs say that because when people think illinois they either think Chicago or champaign-Urbana, and an hour drive is roughly 8 miles from downtown because of traffic.
kirkaygri 18
Who the heck thinks of Champaign - Urbana when they think of Illinois? Most people think Chicago and The Rest Of Illinois. Because there is a whole state down south of those two/three cities...
PhoenixChick 26
I think it's people who went to CU for school and then moved away. They're the only ones who think of Illinois at all outside of Chicago.
gigiskye 20
I live in Chicago and I hate when people say they live in Chicago when they don't. I don't care if you are 5 min outside of Chicago, that's not ******* chicago.
yerawizardlizzy 27
I don't think you understand how big Chicago (and other metros) are. You can live in an area that isn't *technically* Chicago and still say you live in Chicago because of how the greater area falls.
mariri9206 32
32, if you live the suburbs (or anywhere that's an hour or over away from Chicago or, um, not Chicago), then you don't live in Chicago and should not be saying you do. Sincerely, Someone Who Actually Lived in Actual Chicago
gigiskye 20
I think I understand that the suburbs are not Chicago. I actually moved out of Chicago for a year to highland park, and then moved back into the city, and almost everyone in highland park said they live in Chicago. And they didn't
Kitten_love 22
As someone who lives in the Chicago area, I tell people I live in Chicago all the time. Why? Because I go to school in Iowa, and no one knows where my actual town is. If you live within an hour or two of Chicago, that's all considered Chicago suburbs in respect to the rest of the US. That way, you can give people a general reverence of where you live.
Lalala579121 28
I think most people who live in the suburbs would say they live in the city they are by. It's not because they want to seem cool or some crap, it's because of convenience. If we said what suburb we lived in the only people who would have any clue where it is are people from the area.
mariri9206 32
51, there are some well-known suburbs that they could be closer to and should say they live in or live by, instead of Chicago. When I moved out of Chicago several years ago to a suburb an hour away, I didn't say I lived in Chicago - I said I lived in Gurnee. A Chicagoan knows that if you live in the suburbs, but say you live in Chicago, it's not really for the convenience factor.
gigiskye 20
Living two hours away from Chicago and saying you live in Chicago is not a general referenc.
MyGFisaturd 23
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