This week, I helped TT’s events staff at the BriForum event in Chicago. Aiding in setup has been different than my experience as an attendee at Citrix Synergy in San Francisco last month, but I’ve again learned a lot more about desktop virtualization.
On Monday, 14 June 2010, I took an early flight from Boston’s Logan Airport to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport with colleague Colin S. We stayed at the swanky Palmer House hotel on the first night, and I got to explore the neighborhood a bit after orientation. It was my first time in the Windy City. Just as San Francisco reminded me a little of Boston, so did Chicago remind me favorably of New York, with gothic architecture, an impressive skyline, and bustling streets.
During one of my few breaks, I walked around the neighborhood, and saw a scale model of the city and Graham Crackers Comics. Colin and I joined co-workers Bridget B. and Michelle B. and had fresh sandwiches for lunch at Corner Bakery Café and a deep-dish pizza dinner at Lou Malnati’s. The rest of our generous meals were provided at the conference. We later moved to the Hilton Downtown Chicago, which hosted BriForum.
After Tuesday’s breakout sessions, we went to Lucky Strike, an upscale bowling alley/nightclub, where we feasted on fried macaroni and cheese balls and drank beer from bottles shaped like bowling pins. When my family meets in Chicago in late July for my mother’s birthday, we’ll have no shortage of dining options or things to see and do!
On Wednesday, Colin and I went to a Cubs game at historic Wrigley Field. Although I’m not a huge baseball fan, the weather was less muggy than it had been during the rest of the week, the Old Style Beer and bison hot dogs were good, and the Cubs beat the Oakland A’s!
The sports news this week was also dominated by the World Cup for soccer/football. Unfortunately, the Boston Celtics didn’t defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, which ended just after we landed last night. I tended to go to sleep around midnight Central Time and wake up by 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time, so I’ve got some catching up to do.
I won’t have much time for work and e-mail, though, since Janice’s and my vacation is coming soon! I plan to blog in late June 2010 about England, more gaming and genre entertainment reviews, and the implications of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Gene's Worlds 