For the past 11 years I have gone with Todd to the annual AWWA conference (with the exception of Anaheim in 2003.....who wants to go there anyway?). This year took us back to Chicago (we were also there in 1999). I was unsure at first as to whether or not I would go. I had been to Chicago before and wasn't all that wild about it the first time. I also had a work conflict.....White Coat Ceremony. Once I found out that two of my favorite gals (Rach and Mich) were going to be making the trip I was on board as well! This really is a fun trip for us. It gives us the opportunity to hang out with friends that we don't see very often. Although, this year we missed some folks.....Jeff, Mike, Vinnie. We did manage to make some new friends this year! Todd and I also really enjoy the time together just the two of us.
Todd and I left on Sunday, July 20th. We flew out early so we arrived at our hotel (The Swissotel) around 9:30. We immediately ran into some folks that we know so we all headed out to breakfast before going to Wrigley Field to catch the ballgame. That evening we were off to a party at the planetarium. Monday was a tapping day for the guys so after breakfast we went to the convention center and then out for pizza once they were finished. Okay, let me say......not a fan of deep dish pizza. Give me the thin and crispy stuff any day. Mich, I'm waiting for that CT pizza that you rave about! Monday night we were off to the River East Art Center for a client appreciation party. Then we were out and about in Chicago for a while. This turned out to be a later night than expected. Tuesday we slept in a little and then Todd and I went to lunch together at Timothy O'Tooles. This place is a jewel in Chicago! I had a burger but Todd got the wings and they were delicious! Actually, I will go as far as to say.....the best wings I've ever eaten. So good in fact that I said we needed to eat there again on Wednesday so I could get the wings. I spent the remainder of the day hanging out with Rachel and Mich while Todd went down to the convention center to watch the rest of the tapping competition. That evening we headed out with the Storey's and the Steeves' for dinner. We had a pretty early night since the final competition was going to start early on Wednesday morning. As I stated in my last blog....they WON!!!!! I was so excited for them! Also, Birmingham's Top Ops team won as well! Go Bama! So both teams will head to Washington D. C. next year to defend their championship. We did end up going back to Timothy O'Tooles on Wednesday afternoon. What initially started out as a short stop for lunch ended up lasting for several hours. The storms moved into Chicago and since we had walked from the hotel (several blocks) we were forced to just hang out until everything passed. We finally left around 7:00 going to the hotel to freshen up before heading out again. Everyone was scheduled to leave on Thursday. I made our reservations for late that evening so that we could sleep in, enjoy a nice afternoon together and spend some time with the Steeves' since they also were not leaving until later in the day. So as everyone else was up and getting to the airport we were sound asleep! We met Mark and Mich and headed to Navy Pier to hang out and eat some lunch. Afterwards we took a boat tour of the city. Once we returned to the hotel it was time to say good-bye to our friends and take off for the airport! Another fun trip!
I must admit that my expectations of this trip were somewhat low but Chicago far exceeded them. I enjoyed the city so much more this time. The weather was pleasant and the city really is beautiful! I found it to be very fun and friendly......I'm now thinking about when I will be able to visit again.
Hugs,
Keely
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