Kate Hamilton

There’s a moment, isn’t there, when you know something special is about to happen. A beat of pure anticipation before you tip over the edge into delight.

It’s lying in wait at the top of a rollercoaster or in a spring garden about to burst into bloom. It’s in the conductor’s silent upbeat at the start of the symphony or in the moment you first make eye contact with a beautiful stranger.

I’m addicted to those moments— a delicious ménage à trois of desire, excitement, and wonder— so I’ve shaped a life as a companion in the windy city pursuing them. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this pursuit led me swiftly away from Main Street, and down a decidedly unconventional path. But then, I’ve always been something of a non-conformist: an earl grey in a sea of skinny lattes; silk French lingerie in the world of polyester thongs.

As I quickly discovered, being a companion suited me: I’m a Romantic in every sense. My bookshelves are stuffed with Byron, Browning, and Shelley and I’m at my happiest year when getting lost in the past— whether that’s in history books, record stores, thrift shops, or antique markets. I’m drawn to things with a good story to tell (and if you ask me very nicely I might tell you some of my own too). Otherwise, you’ll find me at the Art Institute of Chicago being dazzled by the Dutch Masters, front and center at Florence and the Machine, or back row at the movies (although I’m more likely to be found at the Gene Siskel Film Center spontaneously seeing a random indie flick than sit for Captain America at the AMC). Mine is the world of creativity and passion, the sublime and sensual— with a healthy dollop of debauchery for… (read more on my website).