Recent Essays
Scents & Side Streets
The soul of the blog—herb-garden and scent parallels, film-photo Chicago vignettes, thrift-store finds, smell-memory essays, and the recurring Boyfriend Test with Nate’s untrained nose.
01
A Roll of Film Through a Chicago Fragrance WeekendA visual, personal weekend in Chicago where Claire's film photography and fragrance testin...
Scents & Side Streets
Aug 18, 2026
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02
The Smell of My Grandmother's Kitchen: What Thrift-Store Bottles Taught Me About MemoryA thrift-store bottle brought back Claire's grandmother's kitchen in a flash and set her t...
Scents & Side Streets
Aug 16, 2026
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03
The Boyfriend Test: What My Partner Actually Says When I Make Him Smell ThingsClaire's partner Nate is her "real-person control group" — the honest, untrained nose who ...
Scents & Side Streets
Aug 15, 2026
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