The long and winding road... to Europe.

I'm hungry for the world.

I was looking through my old abroad photos and suddenly felt an urge. An urge to run to the airport and board any airplane, going anywhere across the Atlantic. I spent four fantastic months in London during my junior year at college, sightseeing there and then traveling to almost a dozen other European cities. But those four months were the shortest of my life, leaving me feeling as though I didn't see nearly enough.

So this is where the urge to travel comes in. Obviously I'm not at the point in my life where I can pick up and leave my job to travel with my non-existent money. But eventually, that's exactly what I want to do. I want to travel everywhere, to as many places as I can. Even the places I have already been to I want to revisit. And as is the theme with anything as exciting as this, I feel like I don't have enough time. I'm 22. Of course I have enough time. But I want to do it now.

My expectations are realistic. I know that there are too many places that I want to see all in one trip, but I can try my best. Below are the places I want to see or revisit next:

Italy, anywhere and everywhere
St. Petersburg, Russia
Athens, Greece
Thailand
Monaco and the South of France
London
Munich
South Africa

I'm well aware that the list is long. But hey, a girl can dream.

Hungry for...

WHAT: Quartino

WHERE: Corner of State and Ontario

WHY: As one of our first real nights in the city, my friends wanted a fun place to eat that wasn't too expensive with great food and even better wine. I had been here before with my family and knew from experience that the food was delicious and very reasonably priced. The restaurant is always packed, so when we went at 8:30 for our reservation, we weren't surprised to enter a bustling, noisy dining room. The food was excellent, focusing on small, classic Italian dishes that come out as they're ready and are meant for sharing. I got an heirloom tomato salad and poached shrimp, all for just $9. And you get all the delicious, crusty bread you can eat with their imported olive oil for dipping.

FAVORITE: The sangria. We knew we wanted wine, but the fruity drink was hard to resist, especially at just $10 for an entire liter.

MUST: The pizzas. They're all delicious, especially the fresh zucchini pizza.

Does Law and Order not count as culture?

I'm hungry for activity.

When you move to a great city like Chicago, in the heart of the bustling, fun-filled mecca that is downtown, you can't help but want to explore anything and everything.

But I work full-time. And it's been raining. And I really like my couch. And Law and Order marathons. So what's a girl to do on a lazy Saturday that shouldn't be so lazy?

To start with, I went to the farmer's market on Division last weekend. In the rain, I might add. The trip was totally worth it, though, with an abundance of fruits and vegetables that can keep an apartment stocked for weeks. I came away with tomatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers and nectarines, all of which lasted me and my roommate, Eve over a week.

But this farmer's market was a mere two blocks from our apartment. It was a start, right? Sure. But I needed more.

So, last night I took my friend, Sam to the opening night of the Broadway play, Rock of Ages with my two complimentary press tickets, courtesy of Cheeky Chicago. The show was fantastic. Not only did it put me in a great mood for the rest of the night, but the outing reminded me why I wanted to move to the city in the first place. To live, to do exciting activities, to be a part of the active Chicago community.

Final step of the week? Join a gym. Although it may not be cultural, it is a great addition to my mental and physical health. And if nothing else, motivates me to leave my apartment due to the fees taken out of my bank account each month.

So, I've come to the conclusion that I need to take the city one step at a time. Next step: Quartino for dinner tomorrow night.

Money doesn't always matter (that much).

I'm hungry to freelance.

After starting work, I realized that sometime in the nearest future possible, I want to be a writer. I've always known this on some level, that where my true passion lies is in writing, but stable careers and freelancing don't really fit into the same category.

But then again, it doesn't have to be my complete career. I've somehow managed to make time to have my full-time job and still freelance for a Chicago woman's magazine, Cheeky Chicago. I love both, but I also know that the writing for Cheeky is what makes me emotionally happy. Do they pay me to write sometimes two articles per week? No. But it's the personal fulfillment I get from writing for them that is what I value. The stability that I get from working at People is just as important, but in a different way. It makes me monetarily happy, which in some ways can be even more important.

So, by putting both jobs together, somehow I have managed to fulfill both my monetary and personal needs. And the fact that the writing I do is free rarely comes to mind because I love doing it just that much.

Would money be nice in exchange for freelancing sometime in the future? Absolutely. But for now, the happiness from writing is enough.

Hungry for...

CRAVING: Salmon

WHERE: Fresh from our neighborhood Treasure Island grocery store

WHAT: To break in our gorgeous, new kitchen, my roommate Eve, our friend Alyssa and I decided to make a filling and healthy meal. The salmon is pan roasted with simple seasoning, then glazed with a balsamic reduction. We needed a side dish, so we made spinach with shallots and golden raisins, and for a carb, herb couscous. Basically, healthy, easy perfection on a plate.

TIP: To save time after a long day at work, buy instant couscous. Far East is a great brand and makes dozens of varieties that take just minutes to make.

Is this real life?

I'm hungry for structure.

Here I sit, in my brand new, gorgeous living room in my new apartment. I'm watching TV. I have dinner reservations with friends. Then later, we'll proceed to do the young city thing and go out. Everything seems to be perfect, all in order.

Then why can't I shake this totally weird feeling?

Don't get me wrong, this is exactly what I wanted and I couldn't be more excited that I'm finally here and settled in. But as is the case with every new situation, I find myself not knowing what to do during the days, how to fill my time. In college, if you weren't being social, you were writing papers or studying. But here, if you're not at work, you're free as a bird. This will eventually become something I'll cherish, but for right now, I keep asking myself, now what? Should I constantly be busy?

The answer to these questions is obviously fairly simple: enjoy the time. And I will. But for now, on this quiet Saturday afternoon, I'm saying something I never thought I would say: I can't wait for work on Monday.

A sweet, family-filled new year.

I'm hungry for apples and honey.

Actually, I'm not such a huge fan of the traditional Rosh Hashanah combination, but figuratively, I'm hungry for the holiday food. I love all holidays, not just for the religious factor, but mostly because of the family gathering that inevitably takes place with all of my relatives. I'm fortunate enough to have an embarrassignly large extended family, and we all live within a few miles of each other. So tonight, like all other holidays, we are gathering at one house to celebrate the Jewish near year of Rosh Hashanah.

There's something about a religious, family gathering that is so special. I'm not particularly religious. In fact, I sit here writing this from my desk at work while other good Jews are observing in services for hours today. But I'm a firm believer in observing holidays how you see fit. It's the cultural value that is very important to me. Knowing that today is an important day in my religion's history makes me want to celebrate. To me personally, it's the culture that's important. Not necessarily the services, but the great opportunity to spend time with friends and family is what Rosh Hashanah, and really all other Jewish holidays, have always meant to me.

So, to the Jewish community and the rest of the world, happy new year, shana tovah.

Hungry for...

CRAVING: Prairie Grass

WHERE: Northbrook, Illinois, just north of Chicago

WHY: My family has been going here for dinner for years. The food is beyond excellent. It's been reviewed as some of the best food in the North Shore of Chicago year after year. The service is wonderful, the menu is the perfect size and I've never ordered something I didn't like. So, when we found out that they serve brunch, we made a reservation for the first Sunday they had available.

WHAT: Smoked salmon open face omelet with chive cream cheese, breakfast potatoes and toast with homemade jam. I don't know what about that could sound bad to anyone. It was unbelievable and a perfect amount of food. And though I didn't order it for myself, my brother got banana bread french toast stuffed with sweet cream cheese that was heavenly.

TIP: The restaurant grows a lot of it's own herbs and gets it's produce and protein locally. So, anything on the menu with those ingredients is sure to be fresh and delicious.

Movin' out.

I'm hungry to move.

Finally, it's September! And with this wonderful fall month comes my move-in date for my brand new condo in the Gold Coast. Of course, I have been working the past few days while my roommate and friend of 15 years, Eve has been readying our new place for my arrival on Saturday.

To be honest, I'm not really, truly ready to move out of my parents' house. It's comfortable here. I know that there will always be food waiting for me, a comfy bed to sleep in and a roof to relax under, even when the rest of my life is beyond stressful. With my own apartment might come freedom, but with it a plethora of brand new responsibilities and inevitably, stress.

But that's not even the main reason I'm sad to move out. Stress I can cope with and will eventually phase itself out, then replaced by new stress from life in general. I'm mostly sad to leave my family. I think it's really interesting that college kids talk such big game about moving out as quickly as they can find an apartment after graduation, but I don't think they really know what they're getting into. Why would you want to move out of a perfectly good, furnished house with a well-stocked refrigerator? I did. Now I'm not so sure why I was in such a rush.

Wasn't I saying I was excited about this?

Yes, I am. The fact of the matter is, I am beyond excited. For freedom, for a new life, and yes, even for the extra responsibility. There's something so magical about being completely in charge of every aspect of your own life, and this will be my first time I will be in complete control. I cannot wait to get moved in, even if sadness might eclipse my excitement for a while.

Does this mean that I'll never come home? Absolutely not. Especially for dinners and vacations. Anything that's with my family and free, count me in.

Hungry for...

CRAVING: Heaven on Seven

LOCATION: Two in Chicago, but I was at the one at Rush and Ohio, Chicago

WHY: We live in the Midwest, so when good, old-fashioned southern food shows up in Chicago, it's hard to resist. Everything is good here, from the classic gumbo to their jalapeno corn hush puppies, you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. And their coconut cream cake, a classic in the south, is to die for. To make it even better, the experience of sitting in the restaurant is one of the best in the area: the walls are lined with thousands of different types of hot sauces, and the ceilings are dripping with Mardi Gras beads. Head here and you're guaranteed a good time.

FAVORITE: Every time I go I get the same thing: Cajun fried chicken salad with a cup of gumbo. The gumbo comes with the salad, and the honey jalapeno dressing makes the entire dish explode in your mouth.