Grad school, quite plainly, is kicking my ass. Not only am I broke from not working and stressed from all of the research papers I'm required to read, I'm also 600 miles away from everyone and everything I've ever known. Bring on the constant mental breakdowns!

In this crazy new life I have managed to discover a little comfort. Now, I'm not a coffee drinker so going to coffee shops to sit down and do work doesn't quite have a comforting ring to it for me. Often I go, hoping that this new place will have some sort of tea that will be satisfying. Honestly, it's a 50/50 shot. So, much to my joy, I managed to find a bubble tea shop right off the train on my route to school.

LOCATION: 333 S State St Chicago, IL 60604

Vivi Bubble Tea is actually connected to DePaul University so at least I fit in with all the tired looking college kids. Not that I needed to convince anyone I'm a student because I can still easily pass for a high schooler without trying to.

Bubble Tea is my favorite thing to drink by far. It's comforting and reminds me of warm summer trips to Toronto growing up. We used to have a shop at RIT that sold these so they've stuck with me and are always a wonderful treat. The menu is pretty vast and taste as authentic as I need it to be.

The best part of Vivi is that since it's part of a college, it's connected to a great atrium space with seating that's not too quiet but also not packed full of loudly talking people. Sunday's in this space are probably the only reason I'm actually getting work done, because that's sure as hell not happening at my apartment.

As an extra treat for my birthday I also splurged and got this little stack of macaroons. White chocolate, lemon, and vanilla to make the day a little special on my own.

My new spot for sure.