I traveled to Chicago for the first time since 2000, for the Strategic Enrollment Management conference held at the Hilton on South Michigan Avenue. While the conference was mediocre, here are my random comments about other aspects of the trip . . .
I flew into Chicago on Alaska Airlines from Seattle. Alaska once again proved that it does just that “little bit more” that sets it apart from most of the other domestic airlines. It’s sad how low our expectations for air travel have fallen . . . so much so that we’re now pleased when the flight attendants deign to give you a free sandwich and a cookie. Nonetheless, I have to confess to being thrilled to get the choice of a hot turkey or roast beef sandwich. I had the turkey which was actually pretty good.
Alaska’s DigiPlayers, which I think are only offered on flights of three hours or longer, are also a nice innovation. Though the cost is substantial (in my book) at $10 per flight, the chance to watch a variety of movies and other programming is welcome. I took a pass on the DigiPlayer this time, having brought a DVD of my own, but have really enjoyed this feature whenever I’ve been fortunate to get a first class upgrade on a long flight. (First class passengers get the players for free, of course.)
Let me add that, at least on domestic flights, I don’t think anyone does first class better than Alaska Air.
Upon arrival in Chicago, I was budget conscious and headed for the Airport Express hotel shuttle. For $25, it will take you to the downtown hotels. A taxi from O’Hare is about $40. Well, this adventure began with a ten minute wait curbside, since I arrived just as a shuttle was leaving with a full load. When the next one came, I jumped on board . . . and sat there for another 20 minutes while they waited for more passengers. When we finally did depart, the driver stopped at every other hotel possible, circling through downtown before finally arriving at the Hilton. My wife thinks I’m a fool for trying to save a few bucks this way and I’m starting to agree.
I am not a fan of big downtown hotels. I struggle with the concept of paying $160 or more for what is usually a very ordinary room . . . and then being nickeled-and-dimed for everything once you get there. In this case, they charge more than $30 for parking, local phone calls are $1.50 (and, in a detail that I failed to note, ten cents a minute for calls longer than one hour . . . since I did some of my Internet access via dial-up, this tripped me up, though the front desk reversed most of the charges when I asked them to), $9.95 for wireless access per day and $5 a day for using the carpet. Okay, I’m kidding about that last part. I’d much rather stay at a Marriott Residence Inn or (especially) an Embassy Suites where the rooms generally are nicer, breakfast is provided and there aren’t all the add-on costs. Heck, I’d prefer a Best Western usually. They’re a better value.
The Hilton is a huge facility, the largest hotel in the world when it was built in the 1930s. In many ways, it is a very beautiful hotel.
This Hilton did have fairly nice and quiet rooms. (A lot of these old hotels have such thin walls that it’s impossible to get a good night’s sleep.) One very neat feature was—I was sharing a room with my boss—that our room had two queen (not double) beds and we each had our own, full bathroom! This was a first for me and made getting ready in the morning a much simpler matter and was much appreciated!
My schedule made it hard to get out and sample Chicago, though others in our group managed to do some site-seeing and dining out. Fortunately, the restaurants in the Hilton itself are pretty good. I ate three times at the Pavilion. Twice it was “okay” but I was very pleased with the shrimp pasta dish I had my first night there. The alfredo sauce was outstanding and made the broccoli in the dish taste great. I imagine that all of the health benefits of eating the broccoli were contradicted by the sauce, though.
The Hilton is also host to Buckingham’s, which apparently is one of the better places for steak in Chicago. I had a ten ounce filet mignon one night and it was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had, along with some delicious scalloped potatoes, though I’m cheap enough that the $30 price tag makes me feel guilty. My second time there, I had the surf-and-turf special, which includes salad or soup, a four ounce filet mignon and five ounce lobster tail, vegetable and potatoes, followed by cheese cake for $30. It was good, though I made the mistake of letting my steak get cold while I finished the lobster. The service is good but not fast and you have to allow two hours from start to finish for dinner.
The one time I ventured out, I went to visit Moody Bible Institute and on the way back I stopped at Oysy, a Japanese restaurant recommended by a friend who lives in downtown Chicago, just one block from the Hilton, at 888 South Michigan. At Oysy, pronounced Oh-Ee-She, about half the menu is sushi. While I like Japanese food, my main exposure has been Benihana-type restaurants and fast food. The menu was a bit intimidating, therefore, but I ventured out and ordered a dish called Oregon maki (I think . . . I’m sure about the Oregon part) that was wonderful, a grilled dumpling dish that also was very good (but with a dipping sauce that was way too spicy for me, which isn’t saying much) and finally a steak dish that was pretty good. The whole thing was only $20. The atmosphere was modern and very different from most restaurants and I’d highly recommend it.
I did go out for a quick lunch on my last day at the conference and was accosted by a man I assumed to be homeless asking for money for coffee. I bought him lunch instead and he recommended Harold’s Chicken, on the street right behind the Hilton. At Harold’s, you can buy a half or quarter fried chicken for $4.50 to $6.50. Each comes with a dipping sauce, fries, a (very) small container of coleslaw, and, for some reason, two plain pieces of white bread, no butter. The place was busy, with most people doing Take Out, and plain. For seven bucks in downtown Chicago, it wasn’t a bad lunch. The chicken was quite tasty.
That day was an amazing Chicago experience . . . I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced a cold, biting wind quite like it, and it’s still early in the season! Today as we departed, Chicago was predicted to have a high of 28 degrees. I couldn’t live like that. I was reminded of a joke I heard once . . .
Why did people move to Chicago from New York? They said that they really liked the crime and corruption but it just wasn't cold enough in New York.
The flight home was on American. American’s one distinguishing feature, in my mind, is that they carry both Coke and Pepsi products. Again, it doesn’t take much to make us happy anymore. I passed on the $3 snack box, having brought a bag of peanuts with me. The scenery was spectacular as we flew over Montana, as usual. Mt. Hood, with bright sunshine glistening off the snow, was breathtaking as we descended into Portland.