It’s 3:15 a.m. and you’re sound asleep in bed until your doorbell suddenly starts ringing on repeat. Like literally ding ding ding over and over and over. What do you do? If you’re me, you freak the hell out. And that’s exactly what happened during the wee hours of the morning on Sunday.
Earlier in the evening on Saturday I went to a show at Second City and then headed right home after because I was craving peppermint ice-cream and a night on the couch with a little Christmas Vacation. Chris was out with some friends watching Ariada play a concert up north at a bar called Schubas. I fell into a blissful ice-cream and space heater induced sleep around 1:30 a.m. and he still wasn’t back yet. I’m pretty sure I was in my third cycle of REM sleep when Chris finally got home around 2:45 a.m.
It was right around 3:15 a.m. when our doorbell rang. Naturally, I sat right up and thought I was dreaming. But then it rang again and again and it didn’t stop ringing. I immediately bolted out of bed and set our alarm. I usually have it set every night but I didn’t Saturday evening because I knew Chris was coming home, and after he’s had a few libations he occasionally forgets to enter the code after he opens the door and then the police show up. If you ever want to scare the shit out of someone ring their doorbell in the middle of the night. For whatever reason I was absolutely terrified. If Chris would have still been out I would have called the police in a heartbeat. But since he was home and every girl knows boys are the ones responsible for checking out things that go boom in the night, I insisted he answer the door- or at least check it out. In hindsight if this ever happens again to us I should probably call the police because it’s actually pretty scary. Especially considering Chicago is officially the murder capital of the country. In the short amount of time we’ve lived here we’ve been robbed once, have been at home while our neighbors above us were robbed, and came home one evening to a college party gone wrong at the house across the street where someone was just stabbed and killed… And we live in Lincoln Park, which is like the safest neighborhood in the city. All that being said you’re probably going to think I’m crazy in saying I still feel oddly safe here… I mean except for when my doorbell rings on repeat at 3 a.m.
Anyway, Chris was a little… out of it and it took him a while to understand what was going on why I was jumping around the room like a crazed chimpanzee telling him there was a murderer at the door. For reasons I can’t understand he insisted on putting on jeans, a shirt, A BELT, and even his shoes before he answered the door. Count on Chris to want to be properly dressed no matter the situation.
Long story short, or perhaps this is more of a short story long, when Chris opened the door he found a hammered college guy staring at him stupidly. The guy took one look at Chris and said, “Whoops, this must not be my house,” and he stumbled on his merry way. And that’s pretty much the story of the night I thought I was going to get murdered.
And now for a plethora of totally unrelated photos from that story, but instead are from Saturday when Chris and I went to Chicago’s newest gourmet experience, Eataly. Words can’t describe how amazing this place is, hopefully photos can.
Happy Monday friends, be safe and don’t let drunk college kids into your house in the middle of the night.
And PS don’t forget about the holiday link-up Helene and I will be hosting on Tuesday. What makes you a kid at Christmas time?
That's a rather bold murderer to be ringing the bell.
Seriously, I'd be wondering what the heck as well! 3 am? no thanks. move along.
What's the crazy looking fried food? And I'm glad you weren't murdered because I'd be super sad. When I was in elementary school, my father's best friend was murdered by three guys locally and his wife raped. They had gotten home from a high school reunion around 2am and someone rang their doorbell, thinking it was their neighbor, he opened the door and was pretty much tortured and then shot, after watching all three men take turns with his wife. Bad stuff. Since then, I don't answer my door for anyone.. no key, no entry– call me during normal hours. Oh and about the link up– I just wrote about my Christmases as a kid, will that work?
Ok first of all, bahahha. That story was hilarious. I've had a similar thing happen to me though except I live by myself and it happened in my old apartment where someone was repeatedly banging on my door. I didn't get the nerve to answer. Second of all, Eataly yes! I'm so excited to go try this place. I've known about it for so long and it's finally in Chi-town.
Someone at work emailed me an told me about Eataly (she said that she knew I would appreciate it because I was a "foodie." The fact that I am a foodie even in someone else's skewed sense of reality was more exciting than hearing about this place.) It looks delicious though… foodie or no.
Oh my gosh I would have peed my pants of fright. Haha!
I've totally had an experience like that. Some dude was super stoned and walked right into our house but meant to go to my neighbors house. Also, I was just in Lincoln Park 🙂 my friend was living there while doing an internship in Chicago 🙂
I totally would have been freaking out too. I don't even like when someone is randomly at my door in the middle of the day, let alone at night. And if I'm home alone, I don't even answer the door unless I know who it is/it's the mail man or UPS guy. People are sketchy! But I would have also been laughing my ass off after I found out it was just some drunk kid! Too funny!!!!
Jamie @
The Growing Up Diaries
Hey, at least we're not Flint, Michigan!
I would have been totally panicked too! That is way too late to be ringing a doorbell! Thank goodness it was just some really drunk guy who got lost.
That is a lot of pasta noodles.. and sauce. Wow!
GIrl.. I would have been freaked out too!
This happened to our apartment in college one night. I was running outside trying to catch the guy! haha
reallly? a belt!!! I would've been like keep it off incase you have to beat someone! Too funny….freekin kids 😉 hahah
Considering I don't even answer my door in the daylight I would have been super freaked out!
Now I am even more excited to go to Chicago again to check out Eataly.
Oh drunk college guys! One time my husband was supposed to be in Peoria for a show and so obviously I chained the door and I always shut the bedroom door. Wake up at 5am to pounding on the door, I guess he was trying to wake me up (after he came home instead of staying down there) for over 10 minutes. I guess it's a good thing I at least knew my so called murderer haha. I definitely had the same reaction as you!!!
well, you did better than me. My doorbell can ring at 3 PM and I have a heart attack, so at 3 am you would need to call the coroner.
1. Dear lawd I would just die if that happened at that time of the morning, you are so freaaaking lucky Chris was home! A super scary dude rang my apartment door 5 times last week while I was home alone at night and while freaking out I grabbed gold spray paint since it's the only semi-dangerous thing I could find to protect me self? 2. I walked by Eately a few weekends ago and now am thinking I need to go in based on your pics, that looks ridiculously cool 🙂
I think I would be the murderer if someone was ringing my doorbell at three am, but that's only because I hate being woken up.
I would have pooped my pants! I don't even answer for BG&E, the mail dude, or someone who LOOKS nice (always gotta watch out for them) during the DAY. 3am? Oh, no. The fact that he had to put on an entire outfit before opening the door is still making me laugh as I write this.
-Danielle
Little Bit of WoWe
I have to admit, my favorite part of this whole song and dance is Chris dressing to impress before his fateful trip to the door. Also, Eataly rocks! 🙂
I went to Eataly on Sunday morning and headed straight to the Nutella Bar! Surprisingly it wasn't that packed-I only waited in line for 5 minutes and got a table to sit at. Wished I lived back in the city because I'd be a regular there!
Similar thing happened to me last night only this drunk guy was looking for someone named Feinstein and wasn't really buying it when I told him he had the wrong house. I promptly shut the door and was kind of freaked out. My husband was hopped on NyQuil upstairs so he really wasn't helpful at all!
Oh my that story! I won't even answer the door if someone knocks and I wasn't expecting a visitor. I would have died if someone rang my doorbell at 3 in the morning! I'm glad it was nothing but how did you go to bed after that???
Meet @ the Barre
Ah the joys of city life…
There are pretty much no good surprises at 3am. I don't even like to answer my door during then day if I'm not expecting anyone. Good thing it was just drunk college kids. And Eataly, yum. I've been to the one here in New York several times, it's so great.
hahaha i love that he pu ton a belt. and i would have freaked out the exact same way. my dad got arrested in college one time for being drunk and knocking on a pizza hut door thinking it was his house. he probablt really appreciates me telling you this.
Holy crappers… my heart started beating fast just thinking about that!
That would be so scary!! I love the part where he put on a shirt, pants, and belt:) Hilarious!
That is very scary! The same thing happened to me a few weeks ago, but there was no man to answer the door for me. I stayed in bed and had 911 dialed and ready to call. I still have no idea what was going on that night. Treasure Chris! 🙂
Eeeek , it's freaking . I could have been unconscious !! But phew , these pictures look awesome.
Noor | Noor's Place
That is so terrifying! & also, Eataly is literally one of my favorite places on Earth… my sister took me in NYC, and I swear my eyes and stomach were big as saucers. So incredible.
Hahaha I can't believe he put a belt on to open the door. I loved this story! 🙂 I would definitely have been bricking it too if I was you. Glad it wasn't a murderer!
Ghosts ring my door bell. All the time. I have one of those ones where you stick the button on your door frame outside, and plug in the part that ding-dongs inside. Except the button outside fell off a long time ago, and yet still, the ding-donging happens randomly from time to time since the inside part is still plugged in. Which I guess is probably some kind of little electrical problem, but I prefer to think it's ghosts. Glad it wasn't a murderer ringing yours 😉
to be fair it could be 1 pm and if the doorbell rings while im alone i immediately drop to the floor and hide in a corner because i think i'm going to be murdered.
I got anxiety reading this post haha, I can't imagine living it. Eataly looks AMAZING!!
holy hell. first, the comment WAY above me (I am far too much of a chicken shit to reply to it) about the girl's dad's best friend and wife etc getting murdered – holy SHIT what a story. That like, seriously ruined my day. I feel terrible about it .. but time and place man, time and place! no? ok. I'm an a-hole.
Also, in all seriousness, My boyfriend and I are planning to go to chicago and hit a whole bunch of places based almost entirely on this blog. That, and I went to chicago once about 7 years ago for only a weekend I'm DYING to return. If for nothing else, to bang my head super-loudly on the big silver bean and scream like i'm getting murdered again. Yes that happened. … and we've come full circle. God, I am SUCH an a-hole!
Bahahahahaahaaaaaaaa! This is awesome and I love that he got dressed before he went to the door.
Do murderers ring the doorbell?
I would also freak out if someone was banging on my door at 3am they wouldn't ring the doorbell because it is broken…………………..lol
I think I would have pulled a Kevin McCallister and hid under the bed. Or grab all the knives from the kitchen. Once, before my husband and I were living together, I lived in an old house that had been converted to apartments. My roommate was out for the night, and I guess the German guy below was drunk and making a lot of noise, but for whatever reason I thought there was an intruder in my apartment. It ended with me calling the cops and I ended up taking all the big looking knives from the kitchen and kept them in my nightstand drawer until I moved out.
I'm so glad you're a survivor.
That would have scared me senseless too! And if my husband reached for his belt I would have hit him with it and been like "GET THE MURDERER!!!!!" ahhaha. I am a new follower, so glad to have found your blog. Come check mine out as well. I just posted my holiday post for your link up =)
A BELT hahaha gah this is like one of my worst nightmares. So glad it wasn't worse!
I have to say I was on the edge of my seat reading this post…waiting to see who or what was behind your front door…
I've been to the Eataly in NYC…it is so good!