Anecdote: Mascara's Journey to The Windy City, Chicago

The moment I stepped onto the city of Chicago, I immediately fell in love with it. It was like love at first sight. The magnificent skyscrapers, the strong wind the blew in my face the moment as I strolled down the city, and the beautiful rows of shopping boutiques standing in lines along the Magnificent Mile. I took the Southwest Airlines from NYC and landed at the Midway Airport , Chicago; and finally checked-in at the DoubleTree Hilton (http://doubletree1.hilton.com/en_US/dt/hotel/CHIMMDT-DoubleTree-by-Hilton-Hotel-Chicago-Magnificent-Mile-Illinois/index.do) at the Ohio Street, receiving a pack of hot melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookies from the reception counter.

It was super short trip for me as I was given the task to visit some hotels & restaurants in the city for an event next year – but I was determined to explore the city, hence the moment I checked in at the hotel, sampled the bed & the soft mattress, gulped down some tap water, and nursed my exhaustion – I quickly made my way to the Magnificent Mile – this shopping heaven I have heard and googled  so much.

The spectacular architectures of Chicago's skycrapers




The Chicago River

 

It was marvelous! The amazing architecture of Chicago’s skyscrapers lined the streets, and I had a helluva time craning my neck trying to snap pictures of every single building that came into view. Magnificent Mile at the Michigan Avenue boasted endless rows of fashion boutiques – Michael Kors, Karen Millen, Brooks Brothers, Cole Haan, Guess, Forever 21, Hugo Boss, Levi’s, Marc Jacobs, Niketown, Ralph Lauren, just to name a few.  The view at the Chicago River was spectacular, and I particularly stood at the bridge across the river for a full 5 minutes thanking God for allowing me this chance to be here and enjoying this beautiful city.  It was quite a stroll which in particular gave me a permanent backache (hmmph!) but it was worth all the sweat nonetheless.

Some friends told me to visit the Willis Tower and the Navy Pier – unfortunately I didn’t have the luxury to extend my stay and so I had to forego the visits and instead brave my way through the city to sit through my meetings & appointments. Nevertheless I shouldn’t be complaining about my job as it does involve meetings with interesting people & visits to breathtaking places – of which this time around I had the privilege to meet up with representatives of the Sheraton Chicago (http://www.sheratonchicago.com/ - thanks to my Sheraton KL friend’s help – Tengku Ramizan!), Hyatt Regency Chicago (http://www.chicagoregency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null) , Swissotel Chicago (http://www.swissotelchicago.com/) , Fairmont Chicago(http://www.fairmont.com/chicago/) , and The Palmer House Hilton Chicago (http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/CHIPHHH-The-Palmer-House-Hilton-Illinois/index.do) – all equally remarkable hotels with its own separate uniqueness & exceptional services. I also managed to sneak a quick visit to the Art Institute of Chicago (http://www.artic.edu/aic/) in-between my appointments – a must-do activity which promises a worthy collectibles of memory for me.

I definitely am not an expert in arts and paintings, let alone pick up a pencil and sketch something as simple as a pencil itself – but I am easily amazed and impressed by any form of arts & paintings created by anyone born with such superb artistic talent. The Art Institute boasted thousands of collections – including the European paintings in the Impressionism and Post-Impressionism Era, which is my personal favorite collection.  The short visit to the art museum impressed me so much that I ended up spending a large sum of money buying fridge magnets depicting each of my favourite painting in the museum, and of course, 2 books with a collection of Van Gogh and Monet best works – for me to drool and stare once I get back to the hotel.

It was merely a 2 day visit – but I felt fulfilled and experienced a personal elevated happiness from this short trip to the Windy city. It was probably due to the city’s beautiful views, or it’s magnificent architectures, or perhaps because I was alone during this visit, which gave me the necessary space and time that I needed to forget about the rest of the world and just concentrate on what’s laid in front of me. Whichever the reason is, I am ever thankful to God for the opportunity, as I always am.