Packing for Adventure

After our whirlwind anniversary Pizza Crawl, I never expected to find myself back in Chicago so soon. I had the very lucky opportunity to come back to Chicago for a training at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago not seven months later. With the anniversary trip still fresh in my mind, I knew exactly what I needed to do.

It was again a very short trip- my job wasn’t about to pay for any extra nights at a hotel. Anything I wanted to do had to be done after work hours and in the same day as the training I was there for.

Solo in the City

My flight to Chicago was scheduled for the day after Election Day 2024. I was nervous to be in Chicago by myself, especially at such a politically charged time! I never felt unsafe in Chicago during our anniversary trip, but I was with my big, strong husband Chris. On my own at barely over 5 feet, I was nervous. I did find out later that there was some unrest in Chicago, but not anywhere near where I was.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

So I flew in on a Wednesday and basically just checked into my hotel and went to bed. My training was the next afternoon. I worked remotely from my hotel the next morning and then walked to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in the afternoon. It was a nice walk and I enjoyed observing the financial district and the architecture as much as I did on the last trip. I mentioned previously that a coworker talked up the bank as being super awesome, and I was only granted access to the public money museum last time, so I was super excited!

I guess I was hoping for something like the Gringotts Wizarding Bank from Harry Potter, but it was just a building. We met in a rather ordinary conference room. I asked for a tour, but from what I gathered, they don’t really do tours anymore. I guess not just anyone can peek into government vaults. So my coworker caught a lucky break I guess. Either that, or he is easily impressed!

A Night at the Museum

The one thing I missed seeing during our anniversary trip was the Art Institute of Chicago. I am a big fan of art, and I love art history. Luckily I was there on a Thursday when the museum is open later than normal. I walked to the museum directly after my training was over. I had my work briefcase on me and didn’t have time to stop at my hotel first, but they had a coat check room and were very happy to store my things for me.

I had a whole 3 HOURS to take it all in! I didn’t want to miss anything important, so I moved pretty quickly from room to room so I’d have time to come back to my favorites and spend more time.

Of course my favorite was “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat. It’s quite impressive and fills the whole wall! It’s crazy to be able to stand so close and see the individual paint dots. I made sure to see it twice.

The honorable mentions:

• “American Gothic” by Grant Wood
• “The Old Guitarist” from Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period
• “Inventions of the Monsters” by Salvador Dali
• “Under the Wave off Kanagawa” from the Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series by Katsushika Hokusai

Simple Eats and Solo Nights

Once I was quite satisfied, I stopped at the coat check and headed to my hotel. I planned to get an Uber, but my hotel was only a 15-20 minute walk away. It was pretty dark, but the street lights are pretty bright. I never felt unsafe during this walk, though I should probably play it safe when traveling alone in the future.

Since I was here on the Bank’s dime, I ate and slept for convenience, not luxury. I stayed at the Best Western Grant Park Hotel that was located in a safe area with close proximity to the training. I did make sure to eat at a Chicago staple- Portillo’s. I had it delivered to my hotel room while I worked, and I’m sure it’s better fresh.

I had a delicious ham croissant for breakfast at the Paris Baguette connected to my hotel.

For dinner I ate at my hotel again, this time at the Mei’s Chinese restaurant. It was meh all around- I had a very difficult time getting attention from the server, service was slow, and the food was not great. I had to get a cheesecake from the Paris Baguette afterwards to make up for it!

The food in Chicago was much more impressive on our Pizza Crawl! But you can’t expect too much excitement on a work trip.

I headed back home to Chris and the kids the next morning. Two trips to Chicago in one year! Here’s to next time!

Next post: I reveal the best pizza you can find in my stomping grounds – Utah!

If you like this post, you can subscribe for free using the Subscribe button on the bottom right corner of your screen!