Chicago Part 1 of ?

I have yet to upload my photos but I want to say that Chicago is an amazing city! I got home early last night and the last week has been a whirlwind. Aside from conference meetings, I was able to explore the city in the late afternoon and early evenings and it was so fabulous. My friend Aaron, who used to live in Chicago made an excellent tour guide!

Day 1: Tuesday: Arrival Day

So after arriving at the Midway Airport at like 2pm, I proceeded along with a lot of my other UNLV colleagues to take perhaps the scariest shuttle ride of my young life! The guy was a madman, I kid you not he almost ran a guy off the road who was in a wheel chair. When we got to our destination, both myself and another advisors proceeded to jump out and proclaim LAND! If you have ever seen the movie The Pacifier, it was like that exactly like that!

Then we checked in and our rooms were really nice. I had a view of part of the city and a really modern room which is so my style.

So after that, some of us were hungry and proceeded to the Billy Goat Tavern. So I did not know much of the history here other than it is a legend among Chicago and was part of an SNL skit. The place was like the classic hole in the wall, but so neat! The guy at the grill was old and I know I have some older readers..but yes OLD! He said he had been working their 70 years. At first I was like Nah...but now I am not so sure.

Then it was off to WICKED! SOOOO Amazing. I loved it so much. In fact, I can not get the song "Popular" out of my head now. I encourage anyone to go see it. It was so so good! Chicago is a nice city to walk around and before we had left the hotel I had seen an ad for the Redhead Piano Bar and being a redhead I was naturally interested in anything even remotely my namesake. So with a little, OK a lot of help from Aaron's I-phone. We found it! I was skeptical about I-phones before but now I am truly in awe of their prowess. It makes my Moto Q look like its from the stone age, OK maybe not that bad, but a bad 80's knockoff at the most...

So we proceed to hang out there, marvel at the lady who ran it and the guy who sat at the bar alone..drinking water..I don't think we went as far as pitying him..but it was definitely..shall we say..we think he has a story!

All in all a great kickoff to the trip and now I think I am forever in love with the Wizard of Oz and Broadway Musicals...it only took me 26 years to get "it"..but hey at least I got it...finally...