Tours and Towers: Checking Into Chicago

Chicago is always wonderful to visit but this was my first trip there in the Fall, and I have to say, Fall is probably my favorite time to go. The weather was perfect and the colors on the trees were amazing. Getting to Chicago mid-afternoon and feeling the breeze come off of Lake Michigan immediately reminded me why I love the city so much - even with the city hustle going on the peacefulness of nature is not far away.

Itinerary Recap

• Thursday

  • Road Trip to Chicago

  • Hotel - Millennium Knickerbocker

  • Navy Pier

  • Home Alone House

  • Tom Felton Event

Road Trip

Thursday on my Chicago trip was long because I started driving early so that I could make it to Chicago by early afternoon with the hopes of checking into my hotel and relaxing up a bit before heading to nearby Winnetka for the Tom Felton event. This road trip had a couple of stops and a few funny stories but mostly went to plan.

Some people may think that a road trip alone is boring but I quite like the quiet of this road trip. I spent the entire drive (to Chicago and back) catching up a little on a podcast I had fallen behind on. Driving on my own also allowed me to stop when I wanted or needed and to drive through if I didn't. My favorite stop of this drive was while I was driving into Illinois, when I stopped to get a picture of the Illinois state sign. As I came across the bridge over the Mississippi River, I noticed that there were construction barricades blocking the sign, but that the construction was closer to the bridge itself. I made a quick decision that I could park at the end of the barricades and walk back to the sign for the picture, so that's what I did. Once I pulled over and put my flashers on, I walked back the couple hundred feet to the sign. I got some strange looks from passersby but I didn't let them stop me from getting my picture. I snapped a few pictures and started to walk back to my car when I heard a vehicle coming up behind me. I turned around thinking it was going to the police or someone in charge of the construction; however, it was a construction worker leaving on a break and just wanted to make sure that I was ok, he had seen me pull over and start walking. I told him I was simply getting a state sign picture he laughed and went on his way.

One note I want to make about this trip is the GPS will naturally take you the quickest route from Point A to Point B and when driving near Chicago, that generally means tolls. You are able to avoid this if you set your GPS to "avoid tolls." This means your drive might be 15-20 minutes longer but you will avoid tolls of about $6-7. I have paid the tolls before and not being from the area means you have to go to each of the toll booths and pay, which ultimately takes about as long as going around the tolls.

Millennium Knickerbocker

Normally when I travel I stay at a Holiday Inn or other chain hotel, they are all pretty much the same but you know what you are going to get. When I was booking my hotel for this trip all of the chain hotels were almost double the price of this one. After looking at pictures and reviews I decided to give the Millennium Knickerbocker a try and I have to say, it did not disappoint! Upon getting to the hotel, I pulled up to see where I should park and a doorman came over to open my door (if you have never had this happen, it makes you feel very special). The doorman directed me where to park but before I drove off, he grabbed my bags and coat from the car so I wouldn't have to carry them across the street after parking. The parking garage was another new experience for me: I drove into the parking garage, got a number, and the parking attendants parked my car for me by way of a car elevator. Since this parking garage wasn't specifically for the hotel, it was pricey ($90 for 2 nights) but they allowed unlimited in-and-out's, which is rare for Chicago paid parking.

Back across the street at the hotel, my bags had been moved inside. I walk to the front desk to check in but the room isn't ready so they call a bellhop to store my

bags. The bellhop came over and stopped me from moving my own bags as "it is my job to be hospitable to you." We continued to have a wonderful and hilarious conversation about the difference between service and hospitality in the hotel business. Once my room was ready the bellhop grabbed my bags while I waited by the elevator. The elevator arrived and he put the bags in the elevator and pushed the button for my floor for me. I am honestly surprised he didn't go to the floor with me and deliver my bags to my room for me.

I had a room near the elevator but the noise from the hallway didn't transfer through the door so the stay was quiet. I booked a standard king room - it was small but not cramped and while it didn't have a street or lake view the view wasn't bad looking over nearby buildings and their rooftop gardens. It was clean and well-furnished, cozy yet bright.

The hotel had a bar in the lobby and it was by far the busiest hotel bar I have ever seen (but maybe I have just been staying at the wrong hotels until now). I sat in the bar both nights I was in Chicago to have a couple of drinks. The bartenders were quick and courteous and the prices were average for a bar. The downside of the bar is there seemed to be limited seating and on Friday night there were people waiting for tables to clear to be able to sit.

Navy Pier

While I waited for my room to be ready I took a quick walk to Navy Pier. This was not originally planned as I have been to Navy Pier all of the other times I have been to Chicago but it was close and I wanted to kill some time and practice with my new camera. I had a small amount of time to walk to Navy Pier and back to my hotel so I didn't stop for all of the pictures that I may have taken otherwise but I did snap a few. Between the iconic Navy Pier Ferris wheel and the great views of the Chicago skyline, Navy Pier needs to be on your list of sites in Chicago.

Home Alone House

When I started planning this trip around the Tom Felton event I knew I wanted to do at least one other thing in that city so that I didn't spend 2 hours driving there and back for a one hour event . The event was in Winnetka and once I looked up things to do in the Village of Winnetka I knew what I was doing. The house that is featured in Home Alone is there and Home Alone is a must-watch movie for me every year at Christmas. A quick Google search provided the address and off I went. It was odd seeing the house - so familiar yet so different. The circle drive is gone, the garage isn't there, a fence has been put up at some point, and there is a tree in the front yard. Despite the differences, it is undoubtedly the same house that Kevin McCallister turned into a death trap for Harry and Marv. The strangest part of seeing it was that it was decorated for Halloween.

Tom Felton Event

The reason for this trip to Chicago was for a Tom Felton book signing event. I happened to see a post from Tom Felton (ok, his page... I'm sure he doesn't post on it himself all the time) about the release of his memoir and him doing a book tour for it. As soon as I saw it, I knew I was going. I managed to get a ticket even though the event sold out in 8 minutes! The event was advertised as a Q&A, book signing, and meet and greet. The day before the event the bookstore sent out an email with final reminders and it said that the meet and greet would not be happening due to the number of people in attendance. Even though this was probably a once-in-a-lifetime event and I was lucky enough to be able to go, there was definitely some disappointment that the meet and greet wasn't happening.

Once I arrived and parked at the theater for the Q&A I grabbed a spot in line.

While waiting I started talking with 2 other people that were there alone and strangely we all ended up having tickets to sit in the same section. As we were walking inside, the 3 of us started getting our tickets ready on our phones or trying to at least. In true wizarding world fashion, our phones started acting up and the ticket pages wouldn't load. We got that sorted out and found our seats and there was a buzz (or dare I say, magic?) in the air. The theater had Harry Potter music playing as people found their seats and waited (im)patiently for Tom to come on stage. When he finally did there was an eruption of applause and screams.

When the event actually started, I didn't take many pictures because I was too

engrossed in what was being said. There were several questions about future projects he is, or wants to be, involved in or what he is doing in the future, which he answered and then politely asked the audience not to reveal so no more details there. When asked what he would tell his younger self, he said: "Be kinder to more people." He went on to say that most people in the room didn't know each other but that we were all there for the same event, which brings us together and makes us the same, and that looking for similarities rather than differences is what will make the world great. One of the most heart-warming parts of the night was mid-answer he stopped and asked everyone to put their wands up for Robbie Coltrane. Without any further prompting, the entire theater was filled with flashlights from everyone's phones.

Throughout the entire evening, Tom Felton seemed genuine and down-to-earth and possibly a little in awe that he was on stage for his book. This could have been an act because that is his job, but I like to think it was true.

Final Thoughts

Day 1 in Chicago was a complete success. The hotel was beautiful, the weather wonderful, and the sites were stunning (if only I knew that night what I would see the next day!). This day didn't have many things to review as they were either one-time things or quick trips that don't need a review, but I hope you enjoyed.

Thanks for joining me on this adventure. Be sure to come back in following weeks for more on my Chicago trip.

See you next time!

Sami