Ah, Chicago. The Windy City. I’ve never quite been able to pin down just what it is about this city that puts me under its spell, but it keeps me coming back, time and time again. Granted, the majority of my visits to Chicago have been work related, as is this one, but I’ll take any opportunity to visit, especially during this time of year.

The weeks that follow Labor Day bring with them an overwhelming sense of change. It offers the opportunity to reflect on the year so far and invites a fresh start as we look forward to closing out the year in the months ahead. There’s a level of excitement that comes along for the ride as we anticipate the upcoming holidays and the chance to catch up with family and friends, but the main catalyst for this shift in outlook, at least for me, is the weather.

That cool crisp air, the leaves of the trees starting to give slight hints that change is coming, and the skies take on such a different hue that one can only associate with the changing of the seasons. That’s right, Fall is on its way and if there ever was a city that wears this season so well, Chicago would be a top candidate. I know, I know, my Texas is showing. Well, forgive me, we don’t typically see any inclination of Fall weather until Thanksgiving, if we’re lucky, and that only means we’ll have highs in the upper eighties.

Anyway, enough about that. Pack your bags, make sure the cat has plenty of food and water as it maps out all the fun and hard to reach places it will puke hairballs for you to find weeks later, and don’t forget a jacket. Let’s go.

Day one: Giddy-up.

From Austin, we hop on a direct flight and fly the friendly skies. Although flying brings its own potential inconveniences like long security lines, flight delays, and crowded, overbooked seating, I always get a chance to revisit some really great memories when I fly. My old man was a commercial airline pilot and instilled in me a great love for all things aviation. It’s quite an amazing feat when you sit back and think about it. However, don’t put too much thought into it or you could find yourself in a panicked state at ten thousand feet ;).

The flight was smooth and uneventful, which is always nice. The weather was dreary, cool and rainy but still a welcome change from the hundred degree plus weather we’d just left behind. We landed around mid morning, Uber’d it up, and headed straight to McCormick Place, the convention center that was hosting Fabtech 2023, an annual convention for all things welding, fabrication, and manufacturing. Don’t worry, I’ll spare you the details as I’m sure none of you are dying to hear about the state of the manufacturing industry. All I’ll say is, if you are concerned about robots and believe that Skynet is real, you’d do best to steer clear of this one :D.

After walking the main exhibit hall for a few hours, we headed to our hotel. This year, we stayed at Hilton Chicago on South Michigan Avenue. I’m a sucker for history and this hotel tells a great story beginning with its inception in 1927. From turning over its operations to the US military during World War II to accommodating every US President since the late 1920’s, there’s a story at every step. I enjoyed simply walking the halls, picturing the countless traveling businessmen and families that stayed here so long ago, as well as what the city must have looked like with each passing decade. The lobby’s construction is impressive, clad in marble with brass accents and very intricate ornamental iron railings. The rooms were nice and clean, the staff was friendly and helpful, and the hotel restaurant and bar had great food and drinks along with attentive servers.

After a couple of cocktails at the bar, we decided to eat at Giordano’s, one of the more prominent and well known eateries that offers the famous Chicago style, deep dish pizza. I feel like I need to give you all time to kick, scream, and argue amongst yourselves over the fact that we went to Giordano’s and not Lou’s. Yeah yeah yeah, I know the arguments as to which one is better and why, but hey, it was close to the hotel and we were hungry. We’ll go to Lou’s next time so all of the Giordano’s loyalists can have their turn telling me off. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, can I get back to telling you about the meal?

We ordered the Chicago Classic, a deep dish pizza with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions and green peppers and it was delicious. Yes, delicious. Very delicious. If you Lou’s fans don’t stop giving me grief, I’m going to call your mothers. Don’t make me do it! We sat at the bar which gave us an inside glimpse into some drama between the bartender and one of the waiters. It got so heated that we got to witness the bartender get written up by the manager on duty, right in the middle of the dinner rush. We could have done without that, but the service was okay otherwise. An after dinner drink down, we headed back to the hotel, this time opting to walk.

Walking down Michigan Avenue is one of my favorite things to do while in Chicago. That street has such a unique energy to it and on the North side of the street, you’ll find some of the most beautiful parks in the country. There’s Grant Park, which is directly across from our hotel. Millennium Park, where the famous “Bean” sculpture resides, is just a bit further down the avenue. Along this gorgeous stretch of parks is where you’ll find the Chicago Art Institute (a must visit museum), Soldier Field (home of the Chicago bears), and countless other sculptures, fountains, and art installations. As if this area couldn’t get any prettier, Lake Michigan awaits just to the North. I would argue that this area is one of the most beautiful areas in all of the United States.

Once back to the hotel, we headed to our rooms and drifted off to dreamland.

Day two: Mall-walkers ain’t got nothin’ on me.

After a morning workout, I got caught up on some work in my room and it was off to the convention center for day two of Fabtech. The previous day’s rain had given way to the most perfect weather one could ask for. Highs in the upper sixties and sunny skies. It never ceases to amaze me how the right weather alone can set the tone and energy in one’s self. As we drove through town towards the convention center, the city was bustling and the parks were filled with people, all taking advantage of the picture perfect day.

Once at the convention, we unknowingly set out to break the world record for the most steps taken on a given day. By midday, it felt as if we’d walked from New York to LA and back to New York. Lunch ran a bit long as we all seemed to be playing Uncle to see who’d volunteer to get up from our seats first. After some hesitation, we ventured back out to the numerous exhibits that were sprawled across McCormick Place. The building sits on the shore of Lake Michigan so I took a moment to head out to the back terrace and take in the grand sight that Lake Michigan is. Again, there’s something so different about nature during this time of year. Even the water takes on such a different persona. I let the landscape recharge my batteries for a bit and headed back inside.

After the convention, we landed back at our hotel for a bit of catching up on emails and resting our legs before dinner. We soon found ourselves at the hotel bar, exploring our options for the evening. The day’s onslaught of sensory overload at the convention had us feeling a bit fried so we decided to take the less conventional route and have dinner at Great Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. As luck would have it, the White Sox were hosting the Kansas City Royals, my favorite baseball team. We grabbed our tickets at the box office and headed in.

The stadium was really nice, much more than I would have imagined. It’s much newer and doesn’t offer the history that Wrigley Field does, but it’s well thought out and has many options for eating and drinking. We started off with a beer and made our way to our seats before deciding on dinner. There’s nothing quite like an evening baseball game in an open air ballpark. The weather was perfect with just the right amount of chill in the air. Admittedly, the White Sox and Royals are two of the worst MLB teams this season, but there was a great crowd and they were engaged with the game, which is always a much better experience than empty seats and disengaged fans.

After a few innings, we decided to do as Chicagoans do and opted for Chicago Dogs for dinner. Sure, these aren’t the most sensible dinner choice but they are iconic and quite delicious. Plus, we’re at a baseball game. It’s not like Filet Mignon was an option. If you’ve never had one of these dogs, I suggest you add them to your list of things to do while visiting this historic city. As a tip of the hat to the working class, a legion to which I belong, here’s a great article on the history of this unique delicacy.

The game came alive in the 5th inning. A couple of beers in and some ballpark roasted peanuts in hand, we became a part of the crowd, heckling the players and enjoying the smack talk between the rivaling fans. If there was ever a choice for a great way to get some dinner, cocktails, and evening entertainment all in one place, this would be it, hands down.

After a Royals victory, albeit a close one, we exited the stadium and walked towards the ride share pool, certain that we’d spend the next hour waiting for our turn. However, a clever cabbie must have picked up our touristy scent as he saw us coming from a mile away. He offered a quick escape back to our hotel so we jumped in, thinking we just got lucky. He jetted through downtown Chicago at night, an experience I highly recommend (as simple as it sounds, it’s a blast), and had us back at the hotel in no time. What we weren’t prepared for was his fee. I call it the “You ain’t from around here, are ya?” fee. Still happy to be back so quickly, we paid the cabbie and sent him on his way as he hunted his next victim.

Now back at the hotel, even though the hotel bar was still going strong, we headed to our rooms, worn out from the day. I briefly admired my newly discovered superhero/bodybuilder legs in the full length mirror and was then soon off to dreamland as I became a baseball superstar.

Day three: Bird-brained and jelly-legged.

The weeks leading up to this trip were laden with travel, stress, tragedy, and moved at a million mile an hour pace so, needless to say, I was exhausted coming into this trip. On day three, I was introduced to a whole new level of exhaustion as I struggled through every step, every word, and every thought. I slowly made my way through countless cups of coffee and, eventually, back to the convention center. I attended a couple of industry talks, we made another round through the exhibit floors, and then it was off to Chicago’s Midway Airport.

The flight home was again uneventful and presented the opportunity for a snooze as I had dinner plans with my wonderful family back home later that evening. The airplane bottle of Jack Daniels helped kickstart this much needed power nap. We landed back in beautiful Austin, Texas and, much to my surprise, we arrived to an event that the old timers around here refer to as “rain”. It was quite the homecoming gift and it reminded me that Fall would soon make its way to us as well. We exited the plane, high five’d (exactly like Goose and Maverick in Top Gun did), and headed towards the hill country, as I always say.

This was a short trip and the work events did limit the sightseeing and other adventures that I’m accustomed to writing about but I thank you for saddling up and riding along. Also, I’d like to thank my employer, Austin Iron, for yet another opportunity to experience a different part of the world.

There’s one more thing that I feel needs mentioning. Throughout this trip, as I texted or spoke with various family members, friends, or colleagues, there was a common and somewhat overwhelming theme of worry and fear related to the fact that I was in Chicago. “Murder capital of the world” one family member said to me. “Whatever you do, don’t go outside” a friend of mine advised. A work colleague took the grand prize with his question “How many times have you been shot at so far?” and the list goes on and on. Look, I get that Chicago, just like any other major metropolis, has its fair share of crime and unsafe neighborhoods but I have always found that the picture you discover in person is often vastly different than those painted by the media and others. I’d encourage you to get out there and experience the world through your own eyes rather than through a screen. Chicago is a wonderful, beautiful city and often gets a bad rap. I say this not as promotion of this or any other city, but as a reminder to trust your desire for adventure. Fear can be irresponsibly and unnecessarily introduced in so many ways and in regard to so many things. Let it not keep you locked inside your home. Instead, get up, go somewhere and do something. There’s an adventure in every day, you just have to have the wherewithal to notice it. It’s ready and waiting for you, I promise.

Up next…

The trip we had planned for October had to be cancelled but fear not, an October adventure awaits, it’s just going to have to remain a mystery (even to me) for now. Until then, what adventures await you?