Just a Click Away: Retracing My Life Via Google Maps

The grounds of my grammar school.

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I was born here, or so I've been told.

I grew up here. (with a bit of intentional ambiguity in deference to current residents)

I went to grade school here.

This was my local park. 

My best friend lived here.

This was my Junior High School.

At 12, I attended my first rock concert here (and many more since): Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. It was then called the Rosemont Horizon.

My high school (it's changed quite a bit).

My first job was at a law firm in this building (I was a messenger)

From age 16 to 20 I worked here during the summer (and at it's now demolished counterpart)

Chick Evans Fieldhouse at my college. I saw R.E.M. here in October 1986.

College

My freshman dorm

My other college residence

During college, I ate here often.

My first post-college job was here, under a different name (theirs, not mine)

I lived here briefly with my grandma, before...

At 20, I moved to Los Angeles and lived here for 3 years

My first job in L.A. was at a bank in this building

I worked part-time at a SUBWAY restaurant that was located here, until I robbed at gunpoint, twice in 2 weeks

My second full-time job was at Nationwide Advertising, in this building

I also worked part-time at a Kinko's located here

In 1992, with a pal out from Chicago, I went to Las Vegas for the first time and stayed at a now long-defunct hotel casino called the Continental, which was located here.

At the end of 1992, I decided to move back to Chicagoland. Another friend flew out and drove with me back from L.A. A few miles outside Abilene, Kansas, we spun out on an icy highway and wound up in a ditch. Luckily the car didn't flip. Without real precision, it was around here.

Back living with my folks, I initially got a job at a Kinko's in Glenview; it's now called FedEx Office

In May 1993, I went to Europe for the first time. In London, I stayed at a hostel here.

I greatly enjoyed perusing Tower Records at several of their locations,
including the one in London that was here.

In Liverpool, I went on a Magical History Tour that took me past John Lennon's boyhood home.

I also visited Paris, and went to Claude Monet's former home in Giverny.

Later in 1993, I got a job as a copywriter at Shaker Advertising in Oak Park. 

In 1995, I joined BB&A/Ad-Dimensions in this Oak Brook building.

So I moved from my home in Skokie to this apartment complex in Glen Ellyn.

In 1998, I became Director of Creative Services in this Deerfield, IL building, where I spent 7-1/2 years.

In 2000, my best pal got married in Ireland, and I stayed in a cottage near here in a town called Carlow.

We ate here on our first day in town.

I rang in 2002 right about here.

In Prague in 2004, I loved finding this jazz club behind the main square.

When I visited Venice in 2002, I stayed here.

I slept here in Bilbao in 2005.

I worked here from 2007-2009.

In 2007, I moved here (approximately)

This was my hotel in St. Petersburg in 2008.

My hotel in Cairo in 2009

I worked in this building for parts of 5 years.

I worked here for part of 2011 and 2016.

In Rio de Janeiro in 2014, I stood here.

In early 2015, I visited Mexico City. The Diego Rivera murals adorning three floors of this courtyard made it one of the coolest places I've ever been.

I entered Games 1 & 2 of the 2016 World Series here

The view from my hotel in Mexico City, 2015.

This is about where I stood for the Cubs parade. It was more crowded then.

On a trip to India in 2017, I made a special excursion to photograph the Taj Mahal from right about here.

On that trip, I went to Bangalore and stayed with friends who lived in this building.

In June 2018, I traveled to Peru. In the city of Cusco, I stayed right here. (which is even cooler if you rotate the map.)

This was the view from the rooftop lounge of my hotel in Ollantaytambo.

This is where I stayed in Aguas Calientes.

Via a bus, I wound up here. Twice.

In Lima, I ate at two of the best restaurants in the world: Maido and Astrid y Gaston.
The location of La Rosa Nautica made it pretty special as well.

I haven't mentioned New York City, but have been there 18 times. This is my favorite spot in the city.

I presently work in this Chicago building.