Hello Windy City!

Visited the Windy City in May 2012.  Business travel to Ottawa, IL and some vacation time in Chicago! 

I flew into Midway Airport in Chicago and had a 90 minute drive to Ottawa.  I
have to say that I felt like I was driving through farm country.  Granted the area around Ottawa is exactly that, but the whole drive, even in the city was showing off the green!  The drive was smooth, no traffic issues and made great time to my hotel.  I was able to drive around the town of Ottawa and check out the area. 

I visited the downtown area where I found a place I would frequent quite regularly, JJ's Sports Pub & Grill.  Was able to watch alot of playoff hockey and basketball!  I met some great people there and had some good conversations and good banter with the locals.  Very avid sports fans, much to my liking.

I was able to check out Washington Park which was the site of a Lincoln/Douglas Senate debate.  There was also a memorial for our many veterans from the local area.  What a great spot this was.  The buildings were alot older and had so much character; in fact, most were painted with patriotic & historical scenes that were so cool!

I ended up watching The Avengers at the local Roxy Movie Theater.  It reminded me of another small town theater I went to during a summer vacation in Placerville, CA.  There were some really good food places downtown also.  Especially, a local pizza spot and Italian restaurant.  Both had great food and amazing atmospheres!

I again used hostelworld.com for my stay in Chicago for an inexpensive place to stay while I checked out the city.  I found the IHSP Hostel which was about 4 miles or so from Wrigley Field.  This was an ideal location as it was near public transportation and close to many places to see at night.  The hostel has a rooftop patio which I used daily for its views and cooler nights. 

I checked out some of the night spots my first night in Chicago and saw some good bands and enjoyed some drinks. After that, I hung out at the Hostel and shared some drinks with my fellow travelers.  It was a good group of people!  My next day was going to my first time at Wrigley!  I had gotten tickets for the Cubs first Social Media night and with that met some people from @ViennaBeef.  I had a great time with them!  I enjoyed a few more drinks with my Hostel mates and with that, my night was over as I was flying out the next day.

I wish I would have had more time to spend in Chicago to check out more of the city.  I was able to check out some of the churches in the area, but there was so much more to see.  Next time!

My next Buzz post will be on a visit to Washington D.C. that I'm taking in September!  Til then!