Fall trip to Chicago. I was in Chicago primarily for a conference, but took time to visit friends and enjoy a taste of fall colors in downtown Chicago. Because of recent warm weather, the leaves changed colors at a slower than normal pace. There were still several trees with colored leaves. I stayed at Intercontinental hotel on Michigan Avenue, then stayed at Holiday Inn in Elk Grove for the conference. The Intercontinental has an elegant swimming pool on the 12th floor (an engineering marvel when it opened in the 1920s) that is Olympic sized and has been used by Olympic swimmers in the past.
Highlights:
1) Lincoln Park zoo - camels, zebras, mountain lion, rhino, North Pond
2) Segway tour along Lake Michigan, around sunset. My first evening Segway tour. We could see the Chicago skyline light up as it got darker.
3) Millennium Park, including the giant bean.
4) Chicago Seminar - a weekend seminar for frequent travelers. It is a networking event for people who like to travel. There are sessions to learn about many travel related topics including using miles and points, credit cards that provide rewards towards travel, and online travel sites such as Expert Flyer and ITA.
5) Hike in Busse Woods with 2 of my friends who live in Chicago. We saw elk.
