This past week I spent two days in Chicago with a group from work going to the Pack Expo. An exposition of packaging machinery may not sound really exciting to some, but there was a LOT of really cool stuff there. It was at McCormick Center, so you know it was huge. I was looking mostly for powder filling and ampule handling equipment but I also found a heat sealer that I plan on buying next week. After the first full day of walking around looking at machines, the group headed for the hotel, which was an adventure in itself. I was the only one in two miniwan loads who knew how to get around in Chicago, but do I get to drive or even ride shotgun? Noooo. Anyway, we were looking for the W Chicago Lakeshore hotel, which is on Lake Shore Drive, but the driver thought it was called the Lakeshore Hotel so that's what we were looking for and trying to call information for a phone number...no luck. Anyway, we drove around in big circles around Lake Shore drive, Ontario Street, Lincoln Park, and Michigan Avenue trying to find the place, even stopping to ask directions at this other hotel before finally figuring out the correct name of the hotel about 3 or 4 loops later. It turned out to be the one we had stopped to ask directions at. Then of course, my room (and one other guy's) wasn't ready, which puzzled us since it was about 7 pm. It took so long for them to get the rooms ready the gave us two free drinks at their bar, which was staffed by three people, one of whom looked like she must have been the house call girl, which was fitting because the room itself looked as though they were expecting me to bring a hooker there. Black ceiling, lots of wicker, shutters going into the bathroom, big fluffy bed with lots of pillows, etc. We all went to the Chicago Chop House for dinner, which has been voted the best steak house in America 3 years running. The wait for a party of 9 was 2 hours, but if we were a party of 4 and a party of 5 it was only an hour, so most of us went across the street to the Hard Rock Cafe for drinks and appetizers, bringing a cell phone so another guy could call us when the table was ready in about an hour. He called us before the drinks and appetizers had arrived. We tried to cancel the order but it was too late. I ran over to help get the table because I hadn't ordered a drink, but the others stayed to pay. It was about $45 for scarfed nachos and gulped drinks. Nobody wanted to stay out after dinner so we went back to the hotel and retired. (Up to that point, being in Chicago with 8 other guys from work had reminded me of being in a port of call in the navy)