Eight years ago, Texas resident Cynthia Ivie, a 43-year-old sales rep for Newsweek, struck out for Chicago with no more than a business idea and a 1989 Toyota Corolla packed with clothes, books, a vacuum cleaner, astereo and a cocker spaniel named Buckley.
"I've always kept them ready to go at a moment's notice, " she said, adding that she had just put her jewelry in a pillowcase and packed up pajamas, slippers, a small Bose stereo, a collection of gospel and jazz CDs and 20 of her favorite outfits.
Additional accessories include external flashes, filters, astereo microphone, a remote shutter, HDMI mini cables and a variety of stylish straps and bags.