A Trip to REI

April 10, 2023

Liz and I are planning on doing some hiking, in the near future. More than just walking around, it’s going to be some serious, multi-hour treks.

I’m not planning on us camping or doing anything super crazy. But it’s definitely more movement than either of us have had, in a good long while.

Today, after work, we decided to actually go out to a physical store and go shopping (neither of us could really remember the last time we did this). We visited REI on the North side of Chicago, looking to get some hiking shoes, and some layers.

Weird to be inside an actual store. On our drive over, Liz and I realized just how much we’re online and just how much shopping we do online. I’d say it’s almost exclusive, at this point.

We ended up staying/shopping for a solid two hours. So as painful as it was to slog through traffic to get here, it worked out really well.

One thing that really stood out: the REI location in Chicago has an adjoining parking garage. It’s actually much smaller than I thought it would be, given the space. But what was remarkable was just how quiet it was.

I noticed it when we walked from the car to the store, but I definitely noticed it when we left. They must have soundproofed the walls or something, because it was just incredibly peaceful. Standing there in the garage, I wanted to just stay here because of how quiet and peaceful it was.

I would bet money that the staff come out here for their lunches.