Back to the Windy City

Chicago is a city that tugs at my heart. Although I’ve traveled there dozens of times for fun and work, each visit is exhilarating. The bustle of the city alone gives me chills as a Hotel Snob, but it’s the memories cemented in my mind that draw me there again and again.

This past Sunday I pulled out the well used TravelPro from the top shelf of my closet. A strange feeling came over me as I took the small, empty suitcase out again. Although I’d only be gone for one night, a familiar emptiness filled me. It would be my first business trip in almost a year and a half. Strange as I once was on an airplane frequently, some points in my career nearly every week.

The emptiness subsided surprisingly quickly. I could feel the Hotel Snob adrenaline slowly increasing as I packed the items into the case. Envisioning the airport, flight, bustle of the city and the independence of travel made my heart race.

What’s so appealing about the Windy City? The sites maybe…but I think it’s the memories:

• Tripping down Michigan Avenue with my broken leg, cast and crutches. Enjoying the falling snow and Christmas lights with my loving husband. He desperately wanted to hold my hand, as I desperately held onto the crutch.
• My first trip to Burberry. The home of “if you have to ask how much it cost, you can’t afford it.”
• Navy Pier with the boys. Watching them grow larger year after year. Still wanting to hold onto their childhood.
• Wrigley, Wrigley, Wrigley. The highlight being Joe Mauer’s home run against the Cubs.
• Riding the L to the White Sox Stadium, the four of us dressed in Twin’s garb. Big Mistake!!!
• The day before Eli was diagnosed with T1. The frightful airplane ride…to and from the city.
• The rewind return trip exactly one year after Eli was diagnosed. The ‘do over’. The celebration trip.

Although my business trip was less than 48 hours, the memories came back in full force. Just not quite the same without my three men. The emptiness wasn’t there. I made it through my first business trip since my transformation. And it was just fine.