Chicago - The Big Cheese

January 8th: Our first adventure away from our home since we moved in last September!

It all started, one day, when Jeremy said one of the best marketing gurus we know was holding a conference in Chicago. Yeah! We’re going to Chicago – I LOVE Chicago! After signing up, we were really busy and did not really think about it again until three days before. We had not heard about the hotel info or anything – so Jeremy checked into it and I looked for air tickets. Flying was a NO GO at $115 each way per person. Blah. Waited too long. Next time I need to put a reminder in my schedule to get tickets earlier.

It is a short 5 hour drive from Detroit. Not major – about the same as going Pullman to Seattle but without all the hills and mountains. Now to just get the prep done so we could drive legally. We had to change to Michigan Driver’s licenses in order to register the car in Michigan. We had to register the car in order to get current tabs. We had to get current tabs (and change a tail light) in order to get Jeremy’s WA license back from the cops to get a MI license. DO you see a problem here? No one else did. It was an all day run around. Did you know that if you have a post office box where you get all your mail (since the mail is either left in the rain or stolen at your house), you can not get a license because you can not prove you live there? (But if I had not said anything – they would have put the PO Box address on the license). Bad example to use when trying to teach children to always tell the truth.

Anyway – after 5 hours of running around to police stations, Secretary of State locations, our house, car part stores, etc. We finally came out of the SOS with tabs, plates, and licenses! Yeah! GO home, pack and be on our way – 14 hours to get there. We start her up, get to the road and she dies. Does this all the time when it is cold. No problem – shift to park, start, gas, shift to drive and away we go. OR NOT! She won’t start but is still rolling. So we push her back into the parking lot. Take apart everything…including the steering column. It is the shift collar – made out of POP steel – it is the original and it is all done. We are stuck in park so the car will not start. 2 hours later have decided there is no way to fix this with our standard zip ties, paperclips and duct tape. We call for a tow truck.

It is just after dark. We are in a WELL lit, brand new strip mall, people everywhere, 24 hour Rite Aid and NO COMPANY WILL PICK UP AFTER DARK IN DETROIT. They are Detroit businesses. Blah! We finally found one that was doing a drop just down the street. My goodness.

Home…now how do we get to Chicago in 10 hours. Train! Train left at 6pm. But we can take the train back for only $22 each! Yeah! Back to the flying idea. We have one round trip ticket through SW for free. Ok – we are being creative here. Fly one way for each of us = one round trip ticket. I call, I book. Plane leaves at 6am. How do we get to the airport? We have 8.5 hours until the conference starts. Jared – he is the best. We call him up and he was there 4 hours later to pick us up! Plane ride great! Now – shuttle to the hotel. It is NOT in Chicago but in a suburb. The shuttle only goes to O’Hare and SW only flies into Midway. Taxi - $85 – NO! On the CTA train we went – all the way into the city and out to O’Hare for the shuttle. We walk in right as the presenter is getting started.

I forgot to mention. The presenter knows Jeremy – interviewed him for a CD she sends out to her member’s club and has already told people we are coming. She is video taping. The conference is a small group setting – 8 people. We made it – just in time.

The conference was wonderful! We learned a lot! Too much to put here. We spent the night at the hotel, great dinner at a Thai place, little pool/spa, great breakfast on the hotel (for a room mess up – the room we were checked into was dirty) and then we are off to the city to have some fun. So shuttle to O’Hare and CTA to the city. Lucky for us the train station is a few blocks away from a CTA station. We hopped on the train and home we went! [Yes – there is ore of a story here – but not to be posted – ask in person].

The train ride was GREAT! We could look out the window, work on computers, there was a snack car, it was clean! This is how I will come to Chicago next time. Jared picked us up in Detroit, we had a bite to eat and home we went. The kitties were happy to see us and all was well.