Blog Posts

Movie Night in May

This month, we’re featuring a few of our favorite classic movies and a few tips to help you hold the perfect movie night in your Chicago, IL apartment. We have the movies, snacks, and decoration recommendations you need to make your movie night special. Learn how to throw a classic movie night in your Arrive South Loop apartment today! Movie Recommendations It Happened One Night (1934) “In Frank Capra's acclaimed romantic comedy, spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert) impetuously marries the scheming King Westley, leading her tycoon father (Walter Connolly) to spirit her away on his yacht. After jumping ship, Ellie falls in with cynical newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable), who offers to help her reunite with her new husband in exchange for an exclusive story. But during their travels, the reporter finds himself falling for the feisty young heiress.” Casablanca (1942) “If we identify strongly with the characters in some movies, then it is no mystery that ‘Casablanca’ is one of the most popular films ever made. It is about a man and a woman who are in love, and who sacrifice love for a higher purpose. This is immensely appealing; the viewer is not only able to imagine winning the love of Humphrey Bogart or Ingrid Bergman, but unselfishly renouncing it, as a contribution to the great cause of defeating the Nazis.” Movie Snacks No movie night is complete without a good movie snack. Bring out the popcorn, soda, ice cream, and drinks! Include a sweets bar for your guests to snack on during the movie. We recommend laying out cupcakes, caramel corn, brownies, and a sundae bar for your guests. We really love these salted caramel brownies from Something Swanky. Use butter, semi-sweet chocolate, sugar, eggs, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and semi-sweet chocolate chips to make the brownies. Top it all off with your favorite caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought) and a sprinkle of sea salt. Serve these brownies up with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Movie Decorations Decorate your Chicago, IL apartment with a red carpet, twinkling lights, and your favorite classic movie posters for your movie night. Have your friends dress up as their favorite classic movie characters and furnish your apartment with a “Now Playing” sign displaying the name of the movie you’ll be watching. What’s your favorite classic movie? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!

Books to Read this Month

It’s time to take a look inside a book! Solve a mystery, make new friends, or go on an adventure with the book recommendations we’ve included below. There’s nothing quite as relaxing as kicking back in your Arrive South Loop apartment while diving into a world far away from our community in Chicago, Illinois. Here are a few books we’ve heard great things about: Exit West: A Novel “In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair, and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through. . . .” Little Fires Everywhere “Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.” Forest Dark : A Novel “Bursting with life and humor, Forest Dark is a profound, mesmerizing novel of metamorphosis and self-realization—of looking beyond all that is visible towards the infinite.” The Golden House: A Novel “Set against the strange and exuberant backdrop of current American culture and politics, The Golden House [marks] Salman Rushdie’s triumphant and exciting return to realism. The result is a modern epic of love and terrorism, loss and reinvention—a powerful, timely story told with the daring and panache that make Salman Rushdie a force of light in our dark new age.” New People “Heartbreaking and darkly comic, New People is a bold and unfettered page-turner that challenges our every assumption about how we define one another, and ourselves.” Are you currently reading a book? Share the title in a comment below. Thanks for reading!

Declutter Your Apartment With Our Scavenger Hunt

Time tends to pass by so quickly that we get used to certain things that are just lying around the apartment. At Arrive South Loop, we want to help you declutter your living space and get rid of some of those items. We’ve put together a sort of scavenger hunt so that you know what items you might be able to get rid of. Maybe you can even donate them. Keep reading and see if you can find the most items on the list in your Chicago, IL apartment! Bathroom bottles. Do you own a product in your bathroom that you no longer use? Perhaps it didn’t quite work for your hair, yet it still sits on the shelf or in the bath. Books. Do you own a book that you could never finish? Maybe you have a book that you absolutely love. Whatever the case is, you can donate the first and pass on the second. If it’s a book that you fell in love with, then letting a friend read it so you can discuss it is a great way to get rid of the item while not completely losing it. Clothes. Do you own any clothes that no longer fit, that are old and worn, or that you haven’t worn for years? Maybe that shirt never really “worked” for you like it did in the store, yet you’ve held onto it for all this time. Phone chargers. Do you own a bunch of phone chargers from previous phones that you’ve owned? Have you ever thought of getting rid of them? The same goes for old mobile devices. Multiple items. Is there anything that you own more than one of? If you do, think to yourself if you really need that many. Past hobby remains. Do you have a bunch of things from hobbies of past years? Things in this category can take up a lot of space! Damaged items. Do you own dishes that are cracked or something that is damaged while not completely broken? You might want to think of getting rid of those items. Loved but once. Is there something in your apartment that you bought years ago, used once, and then never looked at it again? Expired food. Check your pantry, food storage, and emergency kits for any expired foods. Movies. Do you own any movies that you know you’ll never watch ever again? Kitchen supplies. How many potato mashers does one really need? Menus. Many take-out menus can be found online, so there’s really no need to keep all that paper! Expired medication. See these guidelines for the disposing of unused medicines . How much did you declutter from your apartment here in Chicago, IL with our scavenger hunt? Let us know what you finally got rid of in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

Reaching Your Writing Goals in 2018

We’ve all got resolutions for 2018. Some people might want to be more healthy, drink less soda, take more pictures or try an art class. For those who are resolving to start writing more, whether in a journal or otherwise, these tips can help. Writing every day can be a helpful way to reflect on your day, things you need to accomplish, and dreams you want to achieve in Chicago, IL. Journaling doesn’t have to be a life story or autobiography at the end of every day. You can journal your travel experiences, a specific event in your life you want to remember, or a change you’ve gone through. Writing down random stories is a great way to preserve your memories for the future. For those who like to keep it short and sweet, we like the idea of a Bullet Journal. These tips on how to bullet journal from Pretty Practical by Emory can help you out if you don’t know where to start. She says this about bullet journaling: “The whole system is built on something called rapid logging. The first step is to title and number your pages. The title is a short description of what will be [on] the page. It may even just be a date. And get in the habit of numbering your pages and filling in your index as you go.” We think writing and reading go hand in hand. If you want to be good at one, do more of the other! You’ll learn new words and how to use them by observing how others do it skillfully. Single Mom’s Income gives some general tips on improving your writing . She says, “My advice would be that you should just write. Record all of your thoughts. After that go back and edit.” So whether you’re making a grocery list or recording an experience you want to remember, just write and write and write. Write as often as you can. Get your thoughts on paper. You can go back and edit afterward. Happy writing in your Arrive South Loop apartment! Let us know about your writing tips in the comments.

Getting the Most Out of Our 24 7 Fitness Center

One of the perks of living at the Arrive South Loop apartments here in Chicago, IL is access to our 24-Hour Fitness Center with Free Weights — a great resource for getting in a workout. When was the last time you used it? If you are a regular user, then good for you; we’re preaching to the choir. However, if it’s been awhile or if you’ve never used the fitness center, we’ve got some tips for having a great workout. Learn more about how you can start taking advantage of this great amenity in today’s blog post. 24-Hour Fitness Center with Free Weights Start small, but do it regularly. Assessing your fitness level can help you know where you’re at now and what goals are reasonable for you to attain at different points in the future. Usually just starting is enough of a challenge, so if you relate to that, start small. Work up to more challenging levels as your body adjusts, but that will only happen if you exercise regularly. Consistency will help your body get used to and even crave the activity each day, which will keep you on the path to success. Create a Routine. How you start, what exercises you do, and how you cool down are all important. Explore the different types of workouts available to find one that works well for you. (A Google search with the terms “workouts in a fitness center” brings up hundreds of hits.) Find a buddy. You don’t need to have an exercise buddy, but if having someone to be accountable to helps you, find someone who will encourage you in your process by working out with you. Find someone you enjoy spending time with so it can be more of a fun exercise session. If it’s someone who’s slightly more practiced at your activity than you are, ask them for tips and let them coach and encourage you. Create a workout playlist. A workout playlist can make all the difference when going to the fitness center. Music can be motivating to get you moving and can motivate you to go further. Spotify or Pandora are great places to find playlists or radio stations. You can also create your own unique playlist on Spotify and collaborate with friends to add and share your favorite songs. Track Your Progress. One of the key indicators of whether or not you will succeed in accomplishing a goal — any goal — lies in whether or not you write it down and track your progress. This holds true for fitness goals as well. Use an app like Fitbit , My Fitness Pal , or even a notebook to track your progress. It is a good idea to look back over a record of your progress from time to time. Having a 24-hour fitness center available for our residents is awesome. Instead of driving around Chicago, IL to get to a gym, you can just stop by the one in our apartment community. Please share a comment about how starting a fitness program has impacted your life! Thanks for reading today’s post.

Welcome to the Arrive South Loop Blog

Welcome to the Arrive South Loop Blog! Bringing apartment living tips, DIY projects, and information about Chicago, IL to the blog page is what we do. Read on to learn more about what to expect from our blog and from our apartment community. The blog is meant to be a resource of fun and useful information to enrich our residents’ every day lives, so you can expect us to post about local events, places to eat, and places to visit. You may also read blog posts about the area, including its quirky bits, fun facts, and unique features. We also write about our apartment community, features that make it great, tips for how to make the most of your experience here, and ideas for making apartment living a good time — no matter where you are. You can also find ideas for cooking, baking, and making DIY projects for fun decorating or celebrating the holidays. Every now and then we may even throw in book and movie reviews for you to check out. Check back often to see what’s happening on the blog. To get things started, here’s a little bit about our community. At Arrive South Loop you can find a life of luxury living that you want and deserve, whether your floor plan is a one-, two-, or three-bedroom apartment. If you’re looking for a home that keeps you connected to the greater community, we’re a prime option. Our community atmosphere and coveted location in the heart of South Loop, Chicago helps you stay on top of the times, whether you need to walk to the Metra Train and or drive just a few minutes to I-55, I-90, or Lake Shore Drive to get where you need to go. Our on-site management and maintenance are available to meet your needs at any time, and our amenities (such as our rooftop tranquility pool with a poolside BBQ) ensure you’re living stylishly and comfortably. What are your favorite things about living at Arrive South Loop? What topics do you hope to see on the blog? Share your ideas with the rest of us by leaving a comment, or contact us to learn more. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing our own ideas on the blog.