Tomorrow I will take the the subway

I just spent about an hour looking at Google Maps, bus schedules, and just maps in general trying to figure out the best and safest way to get to Millennium Park from my dorm. Tomorrow will be Megan's go-alone-transportation day. Why Millennium Park? I'm going to go survey people there. Yes, I will be one of those random people walking around with survey forms and asking people questions for a research project about political psychology.

Quite honestly, I think this is going to be an interesting experiment on behalf of me to myself. I have never really taken public transportation by myself (okay fine, maybe once), and I have a HORRIBLE sense of direction. The other thing is that I'm pretty short and weak-looking, which makes people a bit worried/nervous for my safety (especially when combined with the fact that I have a really bad sense of location or where I should be going). Given these...handicaps (and the fact that my friends all have stuff to do tomorrow), these are the things that I shall do to ensure my safety and mitigate my paranoia about taking public transportation alone:

1. Carry pepper spray (Christmas gift from mom--yay)

Note on this: My friend told me that possession of pepper spray is not really allowed in Chicago--I don't want to believe this so I shall just bring it and hope that I will not ever have to use it--if in the case that I will have to use it, I shall just claim self-defense or something...

2. Try to bribe someone to go with me with food (i.e. churros, popcorn or whatever)

I mean--what could be better than going to a park on a sunny day for a few hours, then going to get a nice merienda of churros, popcorn or whatever for free?

But yes, this is UChicago (where people prefer to study than frolic in the park for fun on the weekends). Haha.

3. Have a REALLY DETAILED PLAN (most likely scenario)

I'm pretty OCD. I have a list of different alternate schedules with where exactly I should be and what time I should get there, which is pretty good and the best I can really do since my phone is not equipped with internet capabilities. Good news though is that I just found out that Millennium Park has wifi capabilities. YAY.