Movin along-Chicago!

For conference #2, I flew halfway cross the country to Chicago. My flight didn't get in till 11pm, so once I reached my hotel, I was ready to crash.

I was pretty bummed to miss out on a Saturday night in Chicago, but enjoyed a goodnight's rest. I woke refreshed, hit the gym, and met a coworker for Sunday brunch at a place near her hotel. I had a veggie omelet with feta cheese, whole grain toast, and home fries:

It was tasty, but nothing too special. I think the white egg and feta wrap I had at Starbucks a few days prior was actually a bit better.

Originally, I had a list of restaurants I wanted to try while in the city including the Chicago Diner and Bongo (known for their pancakes), but my time in the city flew by and was mostly engulfed with my conference. I need to return and spend a weekend that is for pure leisure.

I returned to my hotel room, and picked up a few things I needed for the conference. This included a teappuccino:

Basically, a cappuccino but made of tea. I had one of these last time I was in Chicago for an interview at Northwestern. I love this place! They brew fresh loose leaf tea in a variety of flavors. The place was right across from my hotel so I had 3-4 different cups throughout my stay. I think the Vanilla Creme Early Gray was my favorite. I also bought a bag of chocolate green tea mint, loose leaf tea to bring home!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, they said they will be expanding to New York in the coming season...this could be dangerous ;-)

Following an afternoon attending meetings and looking at posters, I did a bit of sight seeing with my coworker Sarah. Sarah-"This looks like a double helix!"...oh scientist.

Lake Michigan:

The Navy Pier and the entertainment:

View of the city from the John Hancock building:
FYI-If you didn't already know, the best views from this building can be seen from the ladies bathroom!

After a long day we were ready to relax, have a drink, and catch up on Sunday football. When searching the menu for a pumpkin ale or Chicago speciality, I failed to come up with anything and settled on a magic hat. Promptly after ordering I saw the table placement advertising both pumpkin ale and the Goose Island Harvest Ale. I ended up having the Goose Ale a few days later and wasn't impressed, but still, I was annoyed at myself for missing such an obvious promotion.

For dinner we walked over to the Rainforest, which was...interesting. The atmosphere was fun and elaborately decorate with animals of the rainforest (actually since when do Rhinos live in the rainforest?). There was also entertainment in the way of thunderstorms. No, I didn't get wet, but the trees moved around, and the lights stimulated lightning.

The food, however, was not so great. I had a simple salad with pecans, cranberries, and cheese crumbles. It was okay and satisfied my hunger mostly because I wasn't extremely hungry.

Conclusion of my trip coming up.

Nicole