Seventeen has been a good age – a year of highs and lows. I failed my road test for driving too slowly, got my acceptance letter to the Medill cherub program, learned how to do laundry and got spitlisted under the supervision of Kit Fox. I also stepped through the doors of a subway train for the first time.

During the fourth week of the program, the 84 cherubs split into groups to go on a field trip to a Chicago-based publication of their choosing. Under the guidance of guest instructor Bret Begun and community associate Lindsey Kratochwill, I chose Chicago Magazine. Bret and Lindsey told us we would be taking the ‘L,’ whatever that was. I naturally assumed it to be the name of some school bus company or private bus.

Wrong. The ‘L’ is Chicago’s public train system, a web of elevated trains that crisscross the entire city.

Before we made our way to the Evanston station, we met at 1835 Hinman to pick up our bagged lunches. While there, we received instructions.

“Who has never taken public transportation in a big city before?” Bret asked.

I nonchalantly raised my hand, expecting a few more cherubs to do the same. Wrong, again.

I became Bret’s “buddy” for the day. He looked out for me and made sure I went on the correct train.

I have to admit, the ‘L’ was intimidating. There were people rushing off in every direction, weaving through the crowd as if they were performing a choreographed routine. Updates blared on the speakers, warning commuters about delays in the schedule. The shrill screech of the ‘L’ slowing down echoed through the bones in my body.

The ‘L’ stopped in front of us. Bret made sure I got in.

We raced from Evanston to Chicago as I watched in amazement, marveling as the city flew by.

Chicago is absolutely beautiful – the people, architecture, monuments and waterways. Everything is stunning. But perhaps the most defining appeal of the city is its pulse, its heartbeat.

That pulse is the ‘L’ system. These trains keep the city intact, connecting strangers and friends, young and elderly.

I want to be in the middle of this someday. I want to be one of the women running around on lunch breaks, barking orders into her cellphone, hailing taxis or managing to juggle their coffee in one hand while applying lip gloss with the other hand.

I learned to love the niches and crevices of the ‘L’ because it took me to Chicago and brought me that much closer to my city dreams.