Day 1: Getting to Chicago

July 23, 2009
Chicago Trip Day One:
Today began with a blaring alarm clock and major concern in regards to my trip to Chicago. Wondering if I packed everything I was going to need, the typical last minute jitters anybody gets before their going somewhere on business had set in. My mother was not helping the situation what so ever on the way to the airport. Upon arriving I found that our initial look at the amount of passengers on United flights from San Francisco to Chicago had drastically changed from the night before. I listed myself the day before at 9am and from there the load list went crazy. However it was the card I was dealt and lead to actually being some time that I could just clear my head and get food in my system. I spent most of the time enjoying posts on FML mainly because I guess my day wasn’t so bad after all you know.
Thanks to a very nice gate worker named Olga, I ended up on a plane after nearly 11 hours in the airport. She handed me my boarding pass and I walked down the ramp towards my working vacation. Shortly after takeoff the announcement came over the intercom that we were on time and hopefully Air Force One’s arrival into Chicago wont cause too much of a delay.
Of course my bag was the last bag off the carousel, so after a long wait I headed over to the info kiosk and started looking at hotels my mother suggested for the evening. Found the Holiday Inn Express was willing to forward me a discount that my mother gets when she stays there. Talk about fantastic a king bed, breakfast, and free WiFi for $75 in Chicago, Beat that Price line. On my way to the airport I solved one mans life dilemma as to why his phone was not working. Turns out he left it in airplane mode. From there got on the bus to the hotel and saw the after math of our Presidents arrival. To add to my headache list, I learned that a taxi cab had ran over a pedestrian or two. But on the way I saw Air Force One and the C5 Galaxy that no doubt transported the President’s motorcade. Never the less seeing Air Force One for the first time was a unique feeling a mix of excitement, amazement, and awe. You wonder how just seeing a plane could be exciting at all but then again I have loved aircraft since I was a child so I know what is under that white and blue aluminum skin of that 747. Of course I will remain Gods comic relief till the day I die because after seeing Air Force One the bus pulls into the hotel and in the parking lot sits the Oscarmeyer Weiner mobile. Yet another veicle I have never seen in real life before and im not totally sure, but pretty positive that God is laughing with me. Finally checked into the hotel and ordered some pizza Chicago style. And I have to say after it arrived an hour later was not impressed with it. Sorry Chicago, California pizza is far superior then what you guys have. Cleaned up and enjoyed a relaxed evening with an early bedtime. All and all it was a good day. It’s always nice to end a day feeling better then you did when the day started.