Thursday, July 16, 2009

Things I don't need to see on the news while I'm at a hotel

So I'm in Chicago at a Shopper Marketing conference with some coworkers and even though I spend most of the waking hours in various windowless meeting rooms, I am falling in love with this city.

It's my first time here, and it reminds me so much of Boston that I want to cry. I can't wait to plan a trip back with Mr. KK in the fall.

This morning I am getting ready to start my day with 500 strangers at the perky hour of 8am and I flick on the Today Show. What fun news stories do I see? Two plane crashes and a hotel prank caller.

Apparently these prank callers are dialing up hotel guests in the middle of the night, telling them about a gas leak in the hotel, and telling them to break a window so they can get fresh air. People are freaking out and doing it, smashing windows with irons and anything else they can get their hands on.

I blame the economy for this. Too many people are cutting back on real entertainment – such as movies, cruises, dinners out – that they are turning to more "home-based" fun. Like pranking hotels. And probably setting lawn furniture on fire. And shooting squirrels with BB guns.

Crazy people aside, my coworkers and I have sort of termed this trip the "bucket list" trip, as we're having many experiences that are enabling us to cross things off our eternal to-do lists.

This trip I am crossing off the following items:

• visit Chicago
• eat frogs legs (and lived to tell about it! think: a cross between chicken and fish)
• see Billy Joel and Elton John together in concert (the President of the Company surprised us with tickets...and they're playing at Wrigley Field!)
• meet the most annoying woman on the planet (and she's an analyst...so she's annoying about numbers and charts and graphs – quite a combo)
• freeze my nipples off (seriously, it's THAT cold in these conference rooms...can someone please turn up the frickin' heat???)

We are sneaking out for a little shopping in a bit...to do a little shopper marketing of our own.


7 comments:

Stereos and Souffles said...

I love love love Chicago, definitely one of my favorite cities. We try to go every summer for a long weekend.

Little Ms Blogger said...

Chicago is amazing! It's a cross between NY and Boston.

I always love when I get the opportunity to go there.

Enjoy!

Btw, just to let you know I've stopped pranking hotels.

Unknown said...

Frogs legs are good if your favourite part of the chicken wing is the bone with the single sliver of meat on it.

Chicago sounds like Toronto. Been here yet?

Tasha said...

Chicago is one of my favorite cities! It's SO exciting that you get to see Elton John and Billy Joel! Did you eat at Pizzaria Uno or Boston Blackie's? I could put on 10 pounds in a weekend in that city!!!

Toni said...

Freeze your nipples off? I call that 'smartie smuggling' or 'peanuts in the bra' - think the air con units are run by men :-P

Chicago is on my 'to fly to' list!

Andy - Instafather said...

RIP, KK's Nips.

I've never been to Chicago but I feel I need to at some point just to say I did.

Merely Me said...

Just arrived home from our weekend jaunt to Chicago!

We had one of the best times ever! Hope yours was as good!

Fortunately for me it isn't as far! A car hop away!