Wilmette

My School chum Bart invited me to stay with him and his wonderfully hospitable parents in Wilmette for three weeks. During these three weeks Bart and I intended to seek out jobs and housing, then move out. We didn't realize how stiff the market would be, however, so we pretty much got nowhere. Bart's parents couldn't have been more encouraging and assured us that we could stay as long as we needed to.
Wilmette is a nice place and home of several unique things. First is the Baha'i Temple. A one hundred thirty foot tall dome that took 41 years to construct. It is the only one of its kind in North America and in a hundred years it will open up and a spaceship will come out to take the North American Baha'i's to Mars. That isn't true, actually, but it is a strange sight to see the temple rising out of the trees when viewed from the harbor. More on the harbor: Bart's friend's dad owned a boat at a yacht club and at night we'd go there to drink. The swaying the the boat made us feel extra drunk.
Another thing Wilmette is home to, New Trier High School, is the best in the nation. With a graduation rate of 99%, with almost all of those people going on to college, New Trier is the best high school in the nation. There's a book written about it called 'Another Planet' that will tell you all about it.
Wilmette also has the mansion from Ferris Beuler's day off. You know, the one his buddy lived in that pushed the Ferrari through the window.
The down side of an affluent and adorable little suburb like Wilmette is that the conservative mentallity makes late night fun a rare comodity. There is only one bar. The gas stations don't sell booze and the liqour store closes at 10, sometimes 9. There are miles of beaches but it is illegal to swim at any beach other than the one with life guards (and a $2 fee), punishible by a $50 fine. If your caught on a beach or park after sunset you can also get fined.
Another downside is that the train stops running at 12pm, and if a cab goes to Wilmette they double their rate. This eliminates most opportunites for late night fun unless you're willing to spend $40 or more for even the most meager night on the town, a difficult amount to part with when you're broke and jobless.
My next post will get into some of my adventures in the City. Though Wilmette is nice, it's boring and finding a job is difficult when you live an hour away from the city.