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Published: August 6th 2007
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Nothing like flying to Chicago just for lunch, I must say. It is a great city though, so I always enjoy going there. I just normally like to spend a little bit more time, especially when I ended up being in the airport longer than I was in the city itself!
I woke up Monday morning around 4:45am, mostly because I hadn't slept well, being convinced that I would oversleep and be running late. I did underestimate how much time I would have, so I wasn't able to get any work done before the car arrived at 6am. Oh well, what can ya do?
We had already checked in, and let me tell you, traveling with absolutely no baggage is the way to go. I had only my purse, and it was the easiest security check and baggage storage travel I've ever done. The flight was actually on time (which happens more with the first domestic flights of the day), so we boarded and I anticipated a rough flight because I was in a middle seat. I was right. Man, do I hate domestic flights in coach - you may be only flying for a few hours, but you're
packed in so tightly it can feel like days. And although we weren't delayed in getting on the plane, we were of course delayed departing. I must add though, that the flight crew provided us with muffins for breakfast, which were quite good. I wish they would serve more basic stuff on all their flights - I don't need anything fancy. Give me a chocolate chip cookie and a sandwich, and I'm happy! No more mystery meat!
We eventually made it to Chicago, more specifically, O'Hare Airport which I don't like nearly as much as Midway. I handled a couple of hiccups with the lunch plans (as the woman we had been working with at the restaurant just up and left, and apparently shouldn't have finalized the arrangements with me that she did - Super). While we had a lot of time (the flight got in just before eleven and the lunch wasn't until one), we still decided to head over to the Chicago Firehouse Restaurant, where we were hosting our lunch.
Now, I was very excited to have lunch here - I'd hunted down restaurant suggestions for this luncheon and came upon this one right away as being both close to the conference we were hosting it for and being high quality. The building that it's housed in was built in 1905 by Charles Harmann, a famous architect. It was originally a firehouse, as you would expect, and was constructed to serve the Prairie Avenue community. Because there were a number of high profile families in this community (many considered to be among the "first" families of Chicago), the building was actually modeled to look like the houses of its residents so that it would fit in. With all the construction we saw when we were there that was vastly different to the firehouse, I'm sure those "first families" would be shocked if they were still alive today!
The restaurant, while trying to keep the same spirit of the original firehouse, has made some changes. Our group was located in the "wine cellar" and it would be my guess that that was not an integral part of the original firehouse!
The wine cellar was a cool room (both in temperature and in decor), and there were three tables set up for our group. With low lighting and a cave-like feel, it was certainly an intimate setting for a group of lawyers! Our Thai members arrived for lunch forty minutes early, so it turned out to be a good thing we went straight to the restaurant! The service and meal were all downhill from there. Luckily, the main purpose was networking, and from that perspective, it was a successful lunch. But we had to ask the waiters to put the food out, well after it should have been there, it was not all the agreed-upon menu for the event, and they didn't have any notation that we were having the house wines. Good times. Luckily, I don't think too many people noticed the problems, so I think it was successful. But I was disappointed because up until now, I had always had good meals in Chicago.
Following lunch, it was right back to the airport. We managed to get on an earlier flight (wahoo), which physically left not too much earlier than our original flight because of delays (of course). The great benefit was that we were bumped up to first class, which made up for the earlier flight AND the delays. Of course, they did serve us the worst airplane food I have ever had, in either coach or first class. It was a Philly cheesesteak, of which no part was edible - I mean, nothing. I won't even describe it because it was so disgusting. Luckily, the ginger ale was good, because that was it. We landed around nine and arrived home by ten pm. So it was a long day, but not bad. Hopefully the next time I'm in Chicago, it will be for a bit longer!
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