I am a firm believer in associating specific songs to certain places or moments in life. Whether it be the cliche “Fifteen” by Taylor Swift to remind me of my first day of high school, or my family’s yearly tradition of blasting “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues on Christmas Eve, songs are able to describe moments in time in an indescribable way. Whenever I hear these songs, I am instantly taken back to that point in time and reminded of the enjoyable memories and feelings I experienced.
Now that I am almost 21 years old, there are hundreds of songs that remind me of different instances in my life. While some songs may be associated to more dismal memories, there are so many that remind me of pure happiness. When I left for college for the first time, I was feeling a mix of emotions. I was excited to be on my own for once, but nervous to leave all my family and friends. During this very summer, I was binge watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix, and came across the song “Simple Song” by The Shins.
It was the first song I heard through my headphones as I pulled out of the driveway and began the 6 hour drive to Columbia. It is the song that will forever remind me of my life long home: Naperville, Illinois.
(Listen to this song while you read the this blog post in it’s entirety!)
Simply stated, Naperville is one of my favorite places.
It is located about 45 minutes south west of Chicago. With a population of over 144,000 people, the city is huge. There are five public high schools, each with a graduating class close to 1,000. I attended Neuqua Valley High School. The school is known for its high achieving grades and impressive athletics. I enjoyed getting the know the student body by photographing several different events while I was a senior, including the photo below from the first football game of the season in 2014.
The entire fan section of Neuqua Valley High School, known as the Gold Rush, rushes into the school to take shelter right before kickoff. What ended up being one of the worst thunderstorm of the year, led to the cancellation of the first football game of the season.
Obviously there is so much more to Naperville than just the high school I attended.
Downtown Naperville is packed with a huge assortment of shops and restaurants. Whatever you may need, you can find here. There is also a beautiful riverwalk to goes throughout the entirety of the downtown area. People of all ages are able to walk and feed the ducks.
No matter the season, the Naperville Riverwalk is considered the “crown jewel” of Naperville.
At one end of the riverwalk lies the Riverwalk Cafe. The menu includes quick treats such as soft serve ice cream, but also higher quality products like beer, wine, and steak.
The cafe just opened this past summer, and I had to opportunity to work there with one of my best friends. The atmosphere of the entire establishment is extremely pleasant as most of the dining is outside with soft rock playing. In addition to being next to the riverwalk, the Riverwalk Cafe is also adjacent to the bell tower and a field where many kids play.
Overall, I couldn’t be more proud to say I’m from Naperville, Illinois. Although some people may think that Chicago outshines its suburbs, Naperville definitely comes close. It’s a shame that not all people have the opportunity to visit Naperville in their lifetimes, but I hope this blog post gives you a glimpse of how truly wonderful this town is.
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I am ecstatic to take on London and all the memories I will make this upcoming semester. I can’t wait to associate so many more songs with all these new experiences. These upcoming few weeks prior to my departure will be filled with a mix of several emotions, but mostly excitement.
These next few weeks will also be filled with listening to The Beatles nonstop, in true British fashion.
Sounds of My Life 