Thursday, April 9 | Arrival Day

We made it! After months of anticipation, the Tezels are officially in Chicago.

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The adventure began with an afternoon flight — smooth, direct, and mercifully uneventful. The trip was prompted by Alicia’s attendance at the Urgent Care Association Conference, so while she’ll be deep in sessions over the coming days, Mark is along for the ride with a long list of Chicago sights to explore. Eight nights in the city. No complaints here.

Landing was easy enough, but Chicago had one classic welcome gift waiting for us: 5 o’clock traffic. Our Uber crawled through the city like everyone in Illinois had somewhere to be at the exact same moment (because they did). But patience prevailed, and we finally pulled up to our home for the next eight nights — the iconic Hilton Chicago.

Now, we’ve stayed in nice hotels before, but this room? This room is something. We scored a corner room on the 20th floor, and the views are genuinely jaw-dropping — sweeping vistas of Lake Michigan, the Museum Campus, and the lush green expanse of Grant Park stretching out below. We may have stood at that window a little longer than we’d like to admit.

After settling in and shaking off the travel fog, we laced up our shoes and headed out for an evening walk along the lakeshore. The air was crisp, the lake was vast and moody, and the skyline behind us glittered in the early evening light. It was exactly the kind of slow, unhurried arrival moment that makes travel feel worth it.

Back at the hotel, we capped the night with a light dinner and a well-earned glass of wine at the 720 Bar and Grill. Nothing extravagant — just good food, good wine, and a quiet moment to take stock of the fact that we’re really here.

Eight more nights to go. Chicago, we’re just getting started. 🍷

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Next up: Day 2 — Mark hits the streets while Alicia dives into the conference. Stay tuned!