It’s almost time for another vacation! Even though I didn’t blog about my recent adventures to Italy and France, you probably still know that I travel A LOT. When I turned 27, I realized I had barely traveled outside of the USA/Caribbean, and I starting budgeting and credit card churning to make sure it happened more often. I’ve been making up for lost time, and for this upcoming trip to Greece, I paid for my flights completely on credit card points!
When you travel as often as I do, you get it down to a science. I want to share a few tips with you that I use to make my packing and traveling seamless. Last year, I took 10 round-trip flights, and if you include train travel, I made even MORE trips. I’m a pro.
Tip #1: Have a Good Suitcase.
For more than a year, I had a suitcase that only had two wheels
and one of them was jacked up. I basically had to drag it through airports
using sheer strength. Don’t be like me. I ordered a new suitcase
from Amazon that was $60 and had a year-long warranty. It has 4 working
wheels and it is a breath of fresh air. Especially when you live in New York
and your pre-travel travel includes blocks of walking, subway turnstiles and
many stairs, a good suitcase is essential. I won’t say “invest” in one because
they’re NOT EVEN EXPENSIVE!
Tip #2: Use Packing Cubes.
Nowadays, you basically always need to use a carry-on bag because
airlines charge you for everything from a seat to air. Suitcase space is limited
and very important. The best way to cram as much stuff as your can into your
suitcase, while still remaining organized, is packing cubes. First, I accidentally
purchased a set of varying sizes and only the smallest two sizes worked for my
purposes, so I found smaller
ones that work much better. They were $21 and life-changing. You can
basically view them as zip-able drawers for your suitcase. I usually separate underwear,
swimsuits, socks, and sports bras in one, workout clothes in another, dresses
in another, and jeans (rolled) in the 4th.
Tip #3: Keep Your Travel Toiletries Ready and Together.
This is probably my biggest time-saver. I keep a Ziploc bag pre-packed
with travel body wash, travel/disposable loofah, shampoo, conditioner, razor, lotion,
zit cream (I’m so refined), toothpaste etc. It’s all in one place so I can just
throw it in my bag when I go on my next trip! The key here is that you need to
refill everything when you come home and replace the loofah. This way
everything is set to go next time!
Tip #4: Use & Keep a Pre-Made Packing List
THIS IS CLUTCH. Personally, I use an app called Wunderlist
on my phone. I put EVERYTHING on this list. Every. Thing. My current list has
84 items. I even put toothbrush and toothpaste as separate items. This insures
that I do not forget anything! I only check the item off when it is physically
in my bag. If I am wearing my sneakers to travel in (more on that next), I do
not check it off until they are on my feet that day. Also, if I forget anything,
I add it to the list ASAP. This happened fatefully on a girls’ trip to Spain
with LOTS of drinking when I had forgotten Advil. Never again.
Here’s a tip: you can have multiple lists for different
kinds of trips (international, business, leisure beach, leisure in the winter),
OR, you can just have one big list and include anything you’d want for any type
of trip. I choose to do the latter and I check off the items first that I know I
don’t need. For example, there’s no need to bring my Global Entry card or electricity
converters for a domestic trip, but I just check those off first when I’m going
within the country. Another tip: don’t check the item off if you want to triple
check for it before you leave the house (I do this with “Passport”).
Tip #5: Plan to Travel in Your Largest/Heaviest Outfit.
This goes without saying, but clothes take up space,
especially if you are 5’11” like me. Shoes also take up space. I try to wear my
largest items like my jacket and my sneakers (or boots, depending on season). Like
I said before, having a small/light suitcase is more important than ever, so
try to remember that strategically!
Tip #6: Bring an Empty Reusable Water Bottle.
Once again, airlines have started to suck more and more. Some
airlines refuse to offer water now. Even on international flights. This just
happened to me on my way to France. Be aware of the airline you are traveling
on because dehydration
on planes is a huge thing! You are allowed to bring a water bottle through
security as long as it is empty. Every airport I have been in recently has
water fountains by the gates, so fill up your bottle before you board. You’ll thank
me. You can also use it when you get to your destination. DRINK MORE WATER,
PEOPLE!
Tip #7 & 8: Print Everything and Give Someone A
Copy of Your Itinerary.
I know we LOVEEE our phones. Trust me I know, I have 3 Instagram
accounts. But sometimes phones mess up, or get stolen, or there’s no wifi, etc.
Print out your arrangements before you leave, whether it’s hotel reservations, train
or museum tickets, or Groupons for Segway tours (duh). Also, write down your
itinerary, bring a copy with you, and give a copy to someone else stateside for
safety! If you are a crazy person (like me and my friends), you can just put it
in a Google Sheet, print a copy, and share the document by email with your emergency
contact. Safety First!
I have many more tips, but I should probably stop writing and start packing – I leave in 48 hours! Hopefully I will have time when I get back to tell you about my trip and share GORGEOUS photos. If you aren’t already, follow me on Instagram for daily updates!
I love surprises. I don’t understand people who don’t. Why would anyone not like the suspense and excitement behind someone planning something for you!? It’s the best! Thankfully, my mystery (emoji) boyfriend knows this. I mean, he better, it’s been a while, ya know? In honor of Valentine’s Day, here’s a blog about one of the best surprises he’s pulled off.
He has taken me on many mystery date nights before. From random restaurants he has found, to dinner at a restaurant I love but he doesn’t, and even to row 4 tickets of a Broadway show! You may remember that he even took me to a staycation once in a hotel room that overlooked the freedom tower. I know, I know, I bagged a good guy, here. Well, not to gloat, but he outdid himself. This time he planned a whole getaway!
I went to Washington DC for MLK weekend, and since I was
going to be away all weekend, he asked me what I was doing the next weekend. I
assumed he wanted to Netflix and chill, because we are old and that’s the usual
date night for us. But then he asked me what my plans were for all weekend, and I knew he had something
up his sleeve! I told him I’d reserve the weekend for him. The next Friday, I
packed an overnight bag, and we walked 4 blocks to Avis. He had told me that
Amtrak was too expensive (it generally is, if you only book a week in advance),
so he rented a car instead. I had no clue which way we were going until we got
on the west side highway toward the George Washington Bridge and realized we
were going north.
I wish I could tell you I figured it out then, but I didn’t.
Plus, with traffic, we were barely out of the Bronx an hour later. And then I
had to pee. Word to the wise: don’t drink coffee before a road trip. We had to
stop at McDonalds for a pit stop and a few Chicken Selects. Because duh. We
finally arrived at our destination at 10:15 pm, thankful for the fast food
sustenance along the way.
We were in Hudson, New York! Not Hudson Valley, Hudson Hudson. I knew we were driving
for a while, but I didn’t realize how far it was until our Uber driver later
told us he lived in Albany. I gasped and said “wow, you must have taken a long
trip to get here!” And he told me it was 40 minutes. Woops.
Unfortunately, we arrived so late that only two restaurants
in town were open, so we took an uber to one of them, and had drinks and
appetizers. The food was good, but we were exhausted. We went back to The Wick,
where we were staying, and fell asleep within minutes.
Thank goodness for these drinks after a long drive!
Hudson, New York is home to a very quaint strip of
restaurants and stores, and is supposedly a food destination. This is why my
emoji man chose it for our getaway. What he didn’t know, is that it is also
home to Etsy headquarters. I happen to have a good friend from the gym who
works for Etsy, and she spends a good amount of time in Hudson. As soon as she
saw I was there (because if you don’t Instagram it, it didn’t happen), she started
sending me recommendations. Funnily enough, when she goes to Hudson for work,
she stays in the same hotel we were in! She told us the best food and drink
spots around town, and we took one of her recommendations, Le Merche, for
brunch. She did not lead us astray! This place was fab. I had an egg sandwich
on SUPER fresh bread, and my bf had the Croque Madame, which was delicious,
fresh, and HUGE. I tried it, of course. And the side of potatoes… let’s just
say that the food was so good I barely had time to take a photo of it. And we
all know how rare that is.
My delicious breakfast sandwich on freshly baked bread.
The rest of afternoon I spent doing nothing, while my bf worked. I asked him before we left if he was sure he wanted to go away with so much work to do, and he assured me that he did, and a change of scenery would be nice. Meanwhile, I read a book and styled my hair 5 different ways. I need to keep creating content for Braid in Manhattan to keep my followers happy! Also, my bf is becoming quite the insta-husband. He is so great at taking hair photos! I told he better be careful or I’ll make him go full-time.
So many hairstyles.
And even more hair pics.
Spot my gray hairs?
Emoji man loves to take pics when I’m not ready.
After many hours of blissfully doing nothing, we went to
dinner at W.M. Farmer & Co., which we heard was the SPOT. In fact, every
online article about food in Hudson mentioned this as the best restaurant. We
made a reservation. Unfortunately, we are underwhelmed. The food, although farm
to table, and not bad, was not
overwhelmingly good, and it was very expensive, even for people from Manhattan.
The one remarkable part was the cocktails. I would recommend this place to
anyone looking for a GREAT drink. We each had two and were very impressed.
Since the only reservation available was at 6:30 pm, we had
plenty of time after dinner to mill around. Unfortunately, it was 20 degrees
outside, so we speed walked to a bar my friend had recommended. It seemed like
a cool vibe, but the inside was very smoky (maybe because they are famous for a
mezcal slushy?) and we decided it was too much for us. We went to a bar next
door and had a beer. Then, surprisingly, after a day of doing absolutely
nothing but eating, we were tired and went back to the hotel. We watched
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in bed and went to sleep. We really are an ancient
couple. But that bed was so comfy!! I just love a king size bed. Someday when I
move out a shoebox NYC apartment, I’m going to get one of my very own!
The next morning, we packed up and got ready to leave. The
life of a man in finance means work on a Sunday, so we had to get back to the
city. However, we needed sustenance first! Thankfully, my friend offered a
final breakfast recommendation 10 minutes outside of Hudson, Gracie’s
Luncheonette in the Catskills. We went from watching
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, to pretty much being in an episode of our own. We ate
more delicious food and got a freshly-made donut for the road. We tried to
leave quickly, because it started to snow as we ate. Not just flurry, but SNOW!
I’m from Florida, and my bf is from Texas, so neither of us are too used to
driving in a white-out. Thankfully, he took the wheel and I handled the donut.
I’m pretty talented at feeding the driver, if I do say so myself.
We took toll roads back to the city, and got back within 2
hours! My bf dropped off the luggage and me, then returned the car, and I
settled back into regular life and meal prep. Overall, it was a great 42-hour
getaway with plenty of food and relaxation, and time with my better half. I
have to keep reminding him of how much fun it was, so he knows to plan more
surprises for the future! I promise to keep you guys posted. Do you have any
fun mystery date ideas? Do you know my mystery man behind the emoji? Send him a
text with an idea!
Morning Catskill Kisses in the Snow.
Evening FREEZING stroll. Doesn’t my bf look cold? 😉
PHEW what a year! People always comment about how much I travel, but I honestly didn’t realize until I saw it written out in black and white. If you weren’t one of the lucky 73 people to get a holiday card from me and my emoji bf, I recapped the travel we did this year, and spoiler alert… it’s a LOT. I would simply post a PDF of the card, but that would require a lot of emoji-placement on my sweet boyfriend’s face, so instead I’ll just recap my travel here. There is still going to be some emoji-placement.
Maybe after you see how I spent half of 2018 in airports,
you’ll forgive me for posting infrequently here. I left the state every single
month of the year with the exception of July, when my best Australian buddy was
here in the USA so I had to stay and eat Tim Tams with her.
I wrote a blog post about this trip, which you can back-reference
here, but the main highlights were a lot of amazing food, gorgeous views of
Granville Market and Deception Pass, having an all-night dance party, finding
$100 on the floor of a pub, Segway-ing up the crazy hills of Seattle, and of
course spending QT with my bestie! Lowlight (is that the opposite of
highlight?) was leaving my phone, which was on airplane mode, in a cab. Somehow
it was miraculously recovered! Not a lowlight after all.
February
– Los Angeles, California
I didn’t blog about this trip per se, but I did go to a
lot of ice cream places and blogged
about that! I had to continue my #30Years30IceCreams with a travel edition.
Also, I’m 31 now, but ice cream is still just as good. This trip was mostly for
work, but every time I am in LA I try to tack on a few extra days to hang out
with my college roommate! I also got to see another friend from college and
watch the Olympics with him. Side note: LA is SO FAR! I always hate that long
transcontinental flight, only to land in the SAME COUNTRY! I’d rather go to
Europe.
March/April
– Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
I went to the first Passover Seder at my sister’s house in
NYC, then the 2nd at my parents in Philly! I dragged my emoji bf
with me as well. He is a Seder pro now. It also happened to be my mom’s
birthday that weekend. My family surprised my mom by chipping in for a YMCA
membership for her birthday, the one thing she wanted. She was so happy, she
cried, and the video warms my heart! Thankfully, Philly does not require an
airplane ride, and for this trip, I took my sister’s car. Much more convenient!
I wrote a post about this trip!
(Maybe I wasn’t as bad at blogging this year as I thought!?) My work’s annual
conference changes place every year, and this year I was super excited to go to
Chicago because I’d never been! Technically the conference was in Skokie, but I
extended my trip with my work bestie to explore the city! Highlights included: A
Segway Ride, gorgeous weather, deep dish pizza, a GORGEOUS view from out
penthouse Air Bnb, which had the electricity turned off for non-payment while
we were staying there. Oops.
Vancouver Exploring
Gorgeous Walk to Granville Market
FOUND: $100!!
Road trip with purple bear back through the Canadian border to Seattle.
Quick stop at the GORGEOUS Deception Pass.
Deception Pass Pics
Hike in the mountains outside Seattle with her adorable pup, Charlie.
Segway with the Space Needle!
California Nitrogen Ice Cream
Quick Stop to pose with famous art at the Getty
Why so prickly? (#cactusgarden)
My happy place.
Road trip up to Malibu to a secret beach.
Can you tell she’d been crying?
CHICAGO!! Beautiful view from our penthouse AirBNB before the electricity was turned off.
Always gotta pose with Long Legs where I find them.
CHI-TOWN & SEGWAYS!
How gorgeous is this??
Also gorgeous: deep dish pizza.
Chicago Bronze Cow.
THE BEAN.
May –
Cordoba, Seville, Granada, Madrid, Spain
Yeahhhh… this must have been when my blogging fell off
because HOW DID I NOT TELL YOU GUYS ABOUT THIS TRIP!? It’s also when my Braid in ManhattanInstagram began, and
I’m pretty sure there’s a correlation/causation there. Anyway, SPAIN. GO THERE.
I fell in love with all the places we went, but my favorite was Granada. They
have free food! Literally! Buy a drink, get amazing
food for free. How can any place like that be bad? Also, we planned this
trip during the famous Patio Festival in Cordoba, which was breathtaking.
Cordoba now has the most
UNESCO heritage sites as of this year! Jump on it before everyone else
does. Trust me.
I loved traveling abroad with a group of girls. We all
packed in backpacks and took trains around the country. I can’t wait for the next
excursion.
June –
Charleston, South Carolina
My best friend and I went to visit another friend in
Charleston, SC and it was my first time there. It was fun to travel with a
friend, especially since I usually fly solo (plus purple bear). We had lots of
girly time, and I discovered the amazingness of Truly, a sparking water that
is alcoholic. What? Amazing. We hung out at the pool, and the beach, and we
rode around her neighborhood in her new golf cart. The next time we see each
other will be at her wedding in ITALY! I’ll definitely have to tell you guys
about that.
July –
Beacon, New York
I said I didn’t travel in July but that is sort of a lie, I
went upstate to Beacon, NY for my friend’s bachelorette! There was no airport
involved (thank goodness) but it was still fun to get out of town for a bit. If
you missed my blog about it, you can find it here!
Backpacking for the first time ever!
First train of MANY.
Our adorable Air bnb in Cordoba, actually one of the famous patios!
1st day Cordoba exploring.
First of a LOT of ham and sangria.
Free walking tour! We did one of these in every city.
The famous Calleja de las Flores (Street of Flowers)
GORGEOUS patios.
Inside the Mezquita ( The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, aka the Great Mosque of Córdoba)
City #2: Sevilla!
Spanish Square (Plaza de Espana)
Alcazar
Blogger Photo at the Alcazar
Secret Flamenco show in Seville
More Trains Busses and Automobiles!
On the way to Granada
ALHAMBRA!
SO. MUCH. HAM.
posing on a hike up into the gypsy cave territory.
Mojitos on the top floor od a department store with an amazing outdoor patio
Charleston with my ladies!
Golf Cart Chillin.
Truly Sparkling and a FAB pool.
Bachelorette Party to Beacon!
Wine Tour commence!
How many vineyards can we hit in one day?
Hiking off the wine from the previous day!
More Vineyards
Out of Order Charleston Cycling
Any Airport with an insta-frame in a friend of mine.
August
– WEDDING SZN! New Jersey, Philadelphia, Brooklyn
Within 5 weeks’ time, my emoji bf and I went to 3 weddings
in 3 states. Gratefully, they were all accessible by train, and we even hitched
a ride home from the New Jersey one in my cousin’s car.
September
– Dublin, Ireland
What. A. Whirlwind. Thanks to my job and the many many
Jewish holidays in the Fall, I was able to take a trip with my mom without
taking any vacation days. We based ourselves in Dublin and took a few day trips
out of the city to Cliffs of Moher, Cork, Galway, Blarney Castle, Rock of
Cashel, and many other sites. We went to the Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol
(a historic jail), The Whiskey Museum, and a National
Camogie Championship game. Then, as if sightseeing all day wasn’t enough,
it happened that my friend from Florida was in Dublin at the same time with
friends, so I went out and partied with them every night! I think I slept a
maximum of 4 hours/night. It was SO fun, and I can’t wait to travel again with
my mom.
October
– Cancun, Mexico
This trip was for one sole purpose: relaxation. I definitely
needed it after Ireland. Also, this trip came at the perfect time because it
was in the middle of The Great
Bed Bug Scare of 2018! It was Emoji-bf’s birthday, and all we wanted to do
was sleep in and lay by the pool and read. Sure enough, that’s what we did! We
also drank a lot, went to a glow party, and made new friends. But mostly, we
relaxed.
November
– Los Angeles, California
I went to LA again for work and hit up my favorite spots: Santa Monica beach path for a few runs, Philz for coffee, and Sidecar Doughnuts because DUH. Also, I got to have dinner with my college friend, and extended my visit to stay with my college roommate! We saw the BEST burlesque show EVER, Cherry Boom Boom, and now I follow them on Instagram and fall in love with every post. Also, we took a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park which was AWESOME. When we got back to Santa Monica, the smoke in the air from the wildfires was very intense. It’s been a rough year for the LA region.
Wedding #1! I was a bridesmaid in this one.
Wedding #2. How snazzy is my date?
Wedding #3! Same emoji, different dress.
Sister-Sister!
IRELAND! Whiskey barrels.
And lots of kegs.
Visiting one of the oldest jails.
GUINNESS!
Inside the Four Courts.
Up early… out late!
Cahir Castle and a few cannons
Inside the Cahir Castle.
Blarney Stone!
Climbing in and around the Blarney castle (my mom skipped this one).
Rock of Cashel!
Croke Park and CAMOGIE.
Outside the stadium
Cliffs of Moher
Selfie at the Cliffs
More Cliffs of Moher.
Largest glass of whiskey out there.
Galway City.
Trinity College
Selfies in Dublin.
RELAXIN in Mexico!
Beach and Bf = happy Emily
Glow par-tay.
I must be back in LA… SIDECAR!
My happy place.
First time at Joshua Tree. So gorgeous!
Explorin.
Joshua Tree Handstand.
How gorgeous is this??
KING OF THE WORLD!
November
– Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
After we spent real Thanksgiving in NYC because I was in
the Macy’s
Parade (did you guys really think I wouldn’t bring that up again??), we
went to Philly for the weekend to see my parents and celebrate a belated
Thanksgiving. This meant two feasts, which I will never say no to. My brother
came, too! We ran a 5K together as a family and I did surprisingly well,
considering how I swore off running for 6 months to heal my ankle. Most of our
time in Philly was spent relaxing, but we capped off the weekend with a
DELCIOUS third feast at a dim sum restaurant
in Chinatown called Ocean
Harbor.
December
– Delray Beach/Boca Raton, Florida
At the beginning of the year, I was determined to travel
more internationally, which meant forsaking a trip to Florida for the first year
since I moved to New York! But by September, I really missed all my friends and
I found a $207 roundtrip ticket on JetBlue and packed my bags. It’s so fun to visit
my friends and soak in the warm temperatures.
December
– Dallas, Texas
Every year we visit my emoji-bf’s non-emoji family in
Texas for Christmas. It’s fun to get together and hang out, watch movies, wrap
presents and eat way too much! I even snuck in a workout class and a run with
his sisters. Even my brother drove from San Antonio to spend a few days with
us. We went out for dinner and yummy cocktails with a college friend in Deep
Ellum one night but other than that, we stayed pretty close to home. Also, Santa
got me a new phone! Better resolution braiding pics coming soon!
Are
you guys exhausted reading this? Because I am!! I love traveling, and I hope to
do more of it in 2019. What are your plans for the new year? Any exciting
destinations?
I’m finally back from España! I already know what you’re thinking: this is not what I signed up for. This blog was entitled “Chicago.” That’s right, 3 weeks ago I was in Chicago, and then I went to Spain. My poor Long Legs are dying from sitting in these small airplane seats. My immune system doesn’t love me either. Planes are not comfortable or sanitary places. But enough about air travel, let’s talk about my new favorite American city: the Windy One.
For some reason, I’ve always had a feeling I would want to live in Chicago. Some part of my #sweatzilla self really gravitates to a place that is frigid 75% of the year. Also, it’s still a large metropolitan area with public transportation, but the cost of living is drastically lower than New York. Considering the amount of weddings I attend in a year, I always figured I would end up in Chicago for a ceremony, or a bachelorette party, or engagement party, or other extraneous wedding-related event that has left me in debt. But somehow I was 30 years old and I had never been to Chicago! I was excited when my work decided to have their annual conference in the Chicago suburbs because it meant my flight would be comped. However, Skokie, IL is not exactly Chicago, so I twisted my coworker’s arm and convinced her to stay downtown a few days after the convention to hang out with me and explore the city. Full story: she has two kids and I think she thanked me for requiring her to have a kid-less 2-day vaycay.
I won’t bore you with the specific details of my day-to-day activities, but I’ll give you the highlights. Starting with food, because duh.
FOOD
People say New York has amazing food, but Chicago is not far behind. We didn’t have much time (2 full days), but we tried to have one of everything. Obviously deep dish pizza came first. Everyone we asked had their own preference for their favorite deep dish place, but after 4 12-hour work days, we settled for the most famous place in Chicago that also happened to be across the street from our Air BNB: Giordano’s. #CheesePull photo on fleek. We all know Chicago is about hotdogs, too, so we couldn’t let our pizza be outshined by the classic Portillo’s hot dogs. And we were told by multiple people that a visit to Portillo’s would not be complete without a “cake shake.” Yes, this is what it sounds like: a chocolate shake with a legit piece of chocolate cake blended into it. It was so decadent that we weren’t able to finish it even sharing between two people. But do not fret, we walked a couple thousand more steps along Lake Michigan and the Magnificent Mile to make room in our stomachs for more food. The next stop was recommended to me by a friend from elementary school who happened to go to college in Chicago and is a huge foodie. I knew her recommendations could be trusted. She said, “go to XOCO, a Rick Bayless restaurant where they fry churros to order.” Say no more. O. M. G. these were so good. Plus, a little cup of chocolate to dip them in?! No words.
Dinner was also fantastic, and recommended to me by a local friend of mine. We went to La Sirena Clandestina, a Brazilian/latin place in a different, up-and-coming neighborhood of Chicago, Fulton Market. Google moved into the neighborhood a few years ago and brought a very Williamsburg-y market along with it. Along with the trendy techies come trendy chefs. And the food was FABULOUS. It helped that my friend knew the manager and they brought us PLATTERS of free steak and chorizo. I’m a sucker for anything free. But free and delicious? I was sold. Of course no dinner is complete without a post-dinner drink, so we went across the street to Swift & Sons and met up with another friend of mine who actually lives in New Jersey, but for some reason I hadn’t seen him in years. Nothing like a business trip hundreds of miles away to bring friends together!
CHEESE PULL!
Friends from the Northeast, in the Midwest!
A little dark, but still a good photo of my Chicago “in” in the restaurant biz!
HISTORY & INNOVATION
The coolest part of our business trip was a visit to 1871, a startup incubator and center for technology and entrepreneurship in Chicago. As part of our work convention, we took a field trip to their headquarters for a panel discussion on innovation and technology, and then a presentation from their CEO about the future. The company is named after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and about what happened afterward, when engineers, architects and inventors came together to build a new city. It was founded in 2012 to support Chicago’s digital startup community and it has become the hub for the city’s technology and entrepreneurial ecosystem. The actual office space is a huge, open-office 150,000 square foot facility. The technology of the office, even the water machines, are unparalleled. The talk from the CEO was enthralling, interesting, and a bit scary. He talked about how everything we know now is changing, and it’s changing quickly. I don’t really think of Chicago as a place of innovation or technology start-ups, but simply being in this space changed my mind.
The entire city’s history is based around the fire of 1871, but there is also a lot more. Coming off a trip to Spain, of course I realize America’s history is incredibly brief relative to any country in Europe, but it is still interesting to see history of my own country’s cities. After the work convention, my coworker and I went on a free walking tour in Chicago, where our guide was a spunky, awesome girl in her late 20’s with a passion for Chicago. She showed us sites all around “The Loop” including theaters, old department stores, street art and sculptures created specifically by artists for Chicago. She also showed us the beginning (and end!) of Historic Route 66. We ended our tour at The Bean, aka Cloud Gate, because of course, and she taught us how it was supposed to look like a drop of mercury. Makes sense!
SEGWAYS
Segway everywhere!! There’s only one thing I love more than Segways: introducing other people to my love of Segways. I forced my coworker to take a Segway tour because I found an awesome deal on Groupon. She loved it! Who wouldn’t?! We went on a 2-hour tour of downtown Chicago, where we rode past Soldier Field and learned about its history as a National Historic landmark, we went by the Shedd Aquarium and learned about the oldest captive fish, 90-Something-Year-Old Granddad, who died last year, and we went by the Field Museum. Our tour guide was awesome, and he told us about the more than 8,000 acres of public parks (more than 8% of the city!). But the best part of a Segway tour is always the Segways. I love those things. I obviously did not follow our guide’s instructions and took plenty of selfies/selfie videos while in motion (big no-no). I also gave at least 10 high fives to pedestrians as I rolled by. I can’t wait for my next Segway opportunity! And our guide was fab at photo-taking. Check it out below, #NoFilter!
Chicago was a slamming success, but I had to go home to do laundry and prepare for Spain. #FirstWorldProblems. More about that trip later!
