Day 0-1: Second-city experience (12/28-29)
CHICAGO -- The trip started off Sunday evening across the river from downtown, as I headed to the train station. I was able to procure a parking space, then waited for the now-35-minute-late train.
I popped in a Little Mosque on the Prairie DVD and watched several episodes before deciding to turn in. And that's when the woman in front of me and the women across the aisle from me decided to get to know each other. Lovely. Just lovely.
I decided it to call it a night once we arrived in Indianapolis around 5:30am, although I did manage another power nap before dawn. Breakfast, though intended to be a bagel, was instead a Jimmy Dean sausage sandwich. I passed the trip to Chicago with more Little Mosque episodes, and we arrived about 30 minutes early.
After collecting my luggage, I hailed a cab and rode over to the Chicago Regency Hyatt. With all my food expenses racking up double points on my Hyatt card, I had two free nights to burn off before the end of the year. In other words, I'm paying for one night and getting two free.
The concierge directed me to where I could get a three-day transit pass, and then it was off to the Hard Rock for Chad's Chicago shirt. (Across from the Hard Rock is the Rock N Roll McDonald's, in the news over the weekend for a brawl breaking out.
It was a noble effort in front of the TV watching WVU lose yet another bowl game. Such is life.
After wandering the halls of Chicago's largest hotel -- two towers with over 2,000 rooms -- I was ready for dinner, and picked out an English pub, the Elephant & Castle. After a nice stout Guinness (of which I only finished half) and a Yorkshire pudding (no pudding), it was down the block to catch the shuttle bus to the hockey game.
When I reached my section (329), some random guy in the bar area between the staircases offered to help direct me to my seat by point down. Seeing there were only three rows down, and my row was 11, I quickly turned around and aimed upward. (After a trip to the restroom, I spotted him and called him out on his mistake.)
As for the game, the Blackhawks really were sluggish out of the gate, giving up two first-period goals and an own goal in the second before coming back to tie the game at 4 with 1:17 left in regulation. After a scoreless overtime, Chicago won the game after a 1-0 shootout.
I popped in a Little Mosque on the Prairie DVD and watched several episodes before deciding to turn in. And that's when the woman in front of me and the women across the aisle from me decided to get to know each other. Lovely. Just lovely.
I decided it to call it a night once we arrived in Indianapolis around 5:30am, although I did manage another power nap before dawn. Breakfast, though intended to be a bagel, was instead a Jimmy Dean sausage sandwich. I passed the trip to Chicago with more Little Mosque episodes, and we arrived about 30 minutes early.
After collecting my luggage, I hailed a cab and rode over to the Chicago Regency Hyatt. With all my food expenses racking up double points on my Hyatt card, I had two free nights to burn off before the end of the year. In other words, I'm paying for one night and getting two free.
The concierge directed me to where I could get a three-day transit pass, and then it was off to the Hard Rock for Chad's Chicago shirt. (Across from the Hard Rock is the Rock N Roll McDonald's, in the news over the weekend for a brawl breaking out.
It was a noble effort in front of the TV watching WVU lose yet another bowl game. Such is life.
After wandering the halls of Chicago's largest hotel -- two towers with over 2,000 rooms -- I was ready for dinner, and picked out an English pub, the Elephant & Castle. After a nice stout Guinness (of which I only finished half) and a Yorkshire pudding (no pudding), it was down the block to catch the shuttle bus to the hockey game.
When I reached my section (329), some random guy in the bar area between the staircases offered to help direct me to my seat by point down. Seeing there were only three rows down, and my row was 11, I quickly turned around and aimed upward. (After a trip to the restroom, I spotted him and called him out on his mistake.)
As for the game, the Blackhawks really were sluggish out of the gate, giving up two first-period goals and an own goal in the second before coming back to tie the game at 4 with 1:17 left in regulation. After a scoreless overtime, Chicago won the game after a 1-0 shootout.