Ask a DePaulian

I was sad that this new feature I created did not make it on The DePaulia's site. Good thing I have a blog.

This week, The DePaulia chats with a DePaul student or staff member as they talk about their weekend plans, weekends past, and what does their perfect weekend look like. For our inaugural feature, The DePaulia talks to senior Leah Hendrickson (whose birthday is today), a Journalism and Media Studies double major, on her weekend trip to Washington D.C., the excitement of a Chicago Fire game, and where to enjoy a good brunch.

How was your weekend?
I was in Washington D.C. visiting family.

How was that?
I left on Friday morning. It was a very smooth, easy flight. On Friday night I hung out with my cousin Brent, who’s pretty cool. We went out to some nice little spots in town.
On Saturday I went to the Chicago Fire game (she is an intern for the team). It was fun to see the whole road game atmosphere. It was a crazy game. We were tied ‘til the 89th minute (the score was 0-0) when D.C. was awarded a penalty kick and they converted on it. We were now down 1-0. We were almost eliminated from playoffs contention…but then in three minutes of stoppage time we scored two goals. We ended up winning two-to-one.
On Sunday, I got to walk around Georgetown, which is very preppy. It’s like a combo of Gold Coast and Lincoln Park, or River North actually. There are a lot of well-dressed people. There are no hipsters. I did not see one pair of skinny jeans on a man. There was also no flannel and no fun, nerd glasses on anyone.

What did you see instead?
There were lots of khakis, Polos, and pearls. It was very straight-laced.

Was this your first trip to D.C.?
The last time I went was when I was 11 years old, so it’s been awhile.

What do you do for the Chicago Fire?
I started out as a digital media intern, where I would help out with the website and create photo galleries. I hosted a video series, a practice report called “Toyota Park Today”. It was a lot of fun. Now I am their communications intern. I prepare daily clips and photo galleries, and next year I am going to be a media guide.

Describe your perfect weekend.
I’m a pretty busy girl, so if I have a Saturday or Sunday where I don’t have anything going on, I can wake up whenever my body wakes up, without an alarm clock.
I would spend an afternoon walking around a new neighborhood, checking out a new coffee shop, and spend nights with friends, checking out a bar or two. But as long as I get to do brunch, that’s a good weekend.

Any particular places you go for brunch?
I’m a brunch aficionado. I love trying new places. Toast (746 W. Webster) a great place. Everyone who goes to DePaul loves Toast. The Pesto Scramble is delicious. I went to Mystic Celt (3443 N. Southport) during the summer, where I ate outside on their patio. There’s a new place around the corner where I live called 2 Sparrows (553 W Diversey Parkway). It’s only open for breakfast and lunch (brunch!) so that’s a place I need to check out. #

Video: Chicago Fire’s Stunning Comeback, October 15

Hendrickson appears at the 3:02 mark.



And here is her hosting the web series “Toyota Park Today”