Dave Cole and I spent the last weekend of January in Chicago -- I was on a work trip for "new hires" and he was visiting our friends from school. If you are gonna be cold in the Midwest, you might as well be in the coolest city it has to offer!
PG loaded up all 11 of us onto a chartered bus after work on Thursday. I had visions of junior high church ski trips dancing through my head but it was actually a pretty nice set up. The bus had wi-fi and cable. Thankfully, we managed to entertain ourselves face-to-face and avoid the technology with the exception of one horrific episode of "Jersey Shore". Thank goodness I had my solitaire machine.
Andrea and Jess
Our Friday was spent with the agency learning about US Hispanic trends and media and participating in a fascinating immersion activity. We were given $50, transported to Pilsen, and armed with a list of food and household items for a family of 7. In that type of situation, P&G products don't even enter the selection set. Pretty eye-opening. The agency consoled us with an authentic Mexican meal and then turned us loose on the city for the remainder of the weekend.
Jess and I at the Leo Burnett Building
The Dream Team
So what do a bunch of P&G people do for a weekend in Chicago? Apparently, eat. Our mornings were filled with extravagant brunches and our evenings with multi-course meals and good wine.
When dinner starts with an edible menu....
...has courses that look like this in the middle....
Luckily, DC and friends were ready and willing to meet us at Mercadito for chips and guacamole!
I was able to sneak away on Saturday night to stay with the Udanis. We met up with Kristy and Nathan on Sunday morning for some yummy Dunlays brunch and then spent the afternoon shopping on Armitage.
The Chicago crew at Sunday brunch
I don't think David or I realized how much we missed Chicago! Even in January, it was great to be back with people we love at places we love. Until next time!
