Saying goodbye to a friend who's moving away.  Parting with a guy you know you still love.  Leaving a job, and wondering if you'll find coworkers to have Lady Gaga dance parties with again…

If we got caught up in that sort of worrying, we never would've found ourselves in this place to begin with.  Which place?  The place that became ChicagoPicks.com.  The place that spawned from the uber-successful PortlandPicks.com and spun its web of baby sisters and brothers across the country.  

Chicago Picks didn't turn into a freelance gig.  It turned into a friend.  It became a "she." As in, she brought us to restaurant openings.  Boutique sales and fabulous giveaways. Fashion shows and even some show judging.  She brought us press passes and access to Pitchfork Music Fest.  She created a happy haven for amazing freelance contributors.  She initiated invites with industry pros, back when all we did was try to hide our um, amateurity.  She introduced us to some ah-mazing, inspiring, and talented people.  

Yet we watched as she felt the pain the recession caused so many beloved boutiques and independently owned shops. (Oh, how it makes our hearts break to see them go under.  Ugh.  Omfg.  We're ready and waiting for that to change.  It will.)

That being said, we're sending ChicagoPicks.com on her own sabbatical.  It's her "Eat, Pray, Love" tour and she'll be back—sexier, stronger, and more lovely than ever.  

Thanks for reading—and please don't forget us.  'Cause that'll just be awkward when we run into each other again.

With love,

Abby Yemm, Managing Editor, and the cast and crew of Chicago Picks