I’ve been to enough places that I’ve really started to lose track.  Mostly because I have the memory of a coked out five year old.  Seriously, all the time folks mention events I apparently participated in that I cannot recall.  Thanks beer, you’re so kind.  And so delicious.

My very first boss (awesome guy) had a cork board with a map of the world and some push pins to keep track of where he’d been.  If you ask me, this is an infinitely better way to keep track than any foolish online program.  I need to make me one of those things.

Of places I’ve not been but wished to go, Chicago was always at the top of the list.  Everyone I know who’s been there had awesome things to say.  But for years I’d put it off.  But recently, life has continued to take a plastic bat to my head via quite a few challenges.

So for once I decided to travel on my on clock, for my own joy, to get out.  As in, not travel dictated by my boss(es), where I get a few hours here and there after the work is done.  Chicago was all on my schedule, my own plan.  I haven’t done such a thing in a very, very long time.

You forget how important this kind of thing is for your overall mental health until you’re doing it.  A few times in the middle of these few days I’d remark to my idiot self, “Man, I really, really needed this.”  And so I did.  And Chicago did not disappoint.  Called out as a joy by so many people, the city delivered.

So a few Chicago based posts await this degenerate blog.  Why should you care?  Well, you shouldn’t, because the stupidity on display will still (always) shock you.  But the goal of any subsequent Chicago posts (however many there are, I have no idea) is to pass on what was given to me.

In short, that city is awesome, and you need to go.

Chicago Festival of Lights 2014, kickoff spotlight cart