Tips to Have Fun on Your Next Business Trip

I’ve just come back from a business meeting at a beautiful resort in Florida. Whenever we think of conferences at great resorts, we often think “boondoggle.” I even tease my husband when he’s headed out of town for business meetings with this term. But the reality is – there’s often little time to enjoy the property, no matter how beautiful and what great amenities, other than walking from one meeting space to another. Unless you are intentional and plan ahead.

As a mom who rarely gets the kid-free trip away from home, I definitely try to squeeze in a little bit of me-time, around my conference agendas. Conferences aren’t cheap to attend (for the attendees or the host organization), so it doesn’t make good financial sense to pay the fees and not go to the prescribed business sessions. Instead, make the most of the time outside of the agenda.

Grab a few of these tips for the next time you find yourself heading out for a conference away from home.

Arrive early, stay late. When attending conferences, I always plan to arrive before the conference starts, even a day before, if possible, and take the last flight/train home after the conference ends to build in a little free time to enjoy the host city. When I went to my sorority conference in Chicago, this plan gave me lots of hours to bike and wanderthrough the city.

Wake up early. As tempting as it is to sleep in, or as much as possible, instead, wake up early and go out for a run or walk before your business agenda starts.  We had breakfast, followed by a full day of meetings on my recent conference agenda, so I got up early and went for a run around the hotel property. This was my time to myself and the opportunity to get in some exercise to counterbalance the sitting in meetings all day.

Make the most of “lunch on your own.”  Just because the agenda allows a 2-hour lunch break doesn’t mean you have to sit in the hotel and eat for the entire time. Wander outside, grab lunch at a food truck, and explore the city.  Or find that much-raved about restaurant in the city and get over there. Or skip lunch all together (you know you ate a big breakfast) and do something relaxing instead.

Be ready for spontaneous moments.  I know, sounds like an oxymoron, right? But there’s always that session that ends early, an unexpected break for a technical glitch. Keep a book in your bag or loaded on your e-reader and find a corner to catch up on your reading, wander outside for a breath of fresh air, keep cash in your pocket for a scoop from the ice cream shop.

And lastly -

Always pack a swimsuit.  I don’t know of a hotel worth its stars that doesn’t have a swimming pool.  Find the time for a refreshing dip in the pool or even a few laps – wake up early, jump in during a lunch break, or slide in after the day is done.

With a little bit of planning ahead, you can actually enjoy your next business trip. Have fun!

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5 (or 6) Bites to Eat in Chicago

There’s about a million restaurants in Chicago and if you ask for a recommendation, you’d get as many opinions on which is the best. So to add to that list, here’s my 2 cents on a few delicious bites that I tasted during my days in Chicago.

Pizza - deep-dish Chicago style pizza – is a given.  I imagine asking a Chicagoan where’s the best pizza is like asking a Marylander who has the best crabcakes.  I had a spinach personal size pizza from Giordano’s at Navy Pier (there’s a restaurant and a stand). And while in O’Hare, I enjoyed a cheese pizza from Reggio’s (Concourse C – not sure if they are near other gates, too.)  Be ready for the carb and cheese overload and enjoy.

You can't pass up a deep-dish Chicago pizza

Okay, now on to other food.

Popcorn. Specifically – Garrett’s Chicago Mix. A bag of the caramel corn and cheese mix is a Chicago must-taste. It’s a unique blend of sweet, sticky caramel and lick your fingers cheesy. (The first time I had it, I thought someone messed up the bag.) Once you are within a block of a shop, you’ll smell the hot burnt sugar sweetness. I also got a bag of the caramel with pecans (other nuts are also available) – it’s like a grown-up bag of Cracker Jacks.  For travel, I would recommend the caramel – it keeps better than the cheese or butter.

Get it while it's hot... caramel and cheese popcorn

Mini churros & sweet cream cheese sauce. Fried dough – enough said, right? Churros require a special crispiness, hot (as in warm) but not burn your tongue hot, and sweetness. Add a sweet dip – this one was a cream cheesy; I usually go with chocolate, but this was a yummy different option.  And a cup of coffee – it was the beginning of a great brunch at GT Fish & Oyster.

Churro's in Chicago. Yep.

Kimchi as condiment. I have eaten this fermented cabbage (or other vegetable) native food of Korea all my life. However, I generally eat it with rice, noodles, and Korean or other Asian food. I have never thought to eat it as a condiment on a sandwich or any “American” food.  I had an Oyster Po-Boy with Kimchi (all those yummy words together, how could it go wrong?) at GT Fish & Oyster.  At BellyQ, there was a Warm Potato Kimchi Salad – which I didn’t try, because I didn’t like all those words together, but was intrigued by the idea.  I did however, ask and receive a side of kimchi, which was pretty good.  (I’ll have to do a post on kimchi one of these days.  More later.)

I don't know whose idea it was to put Kimchi on a sandwich.

Grits. I really didn’t plan on feeding my grits-hunger while in Chicago, but I guess there is a touch of southern heritage here (read TheWarmth of Other Suns).  At BellyQ I had Coconut Grits. You like Coconut Rice? Ahh, they coulda slid some slices of mangos on it and had a whole new addictive food. (No pics, sorry, but it was good.)  I also had Shrimp & Grits, because as I mentioned in my Charlotte food post, it’s one of my favorite dishes. I had this bowl, with a more tomato soup taste with a kick, at GT Fish & Oyster for brunch.

Shrimp & Grits. This one up north in Chicago.

Fried deviled eggs. Because. It was deviled eggs. And it was fried. What could go wrong. Nothing.  Except you only get one.  At ThePurple Pig. Yes, as a vegetarian, you can find a good meal at a place with “pig” in it’s name.  Try the calamari with Fregola.  As a carnivore, particularly a pork-ivore, you will find a lot of interesting plates, including the Pig Platter.

Fried deviled egg. Crispy, hot, creamy.

Can I add one more? Because how can I do a food list without some chocolate?  From a foodtruck!  I had a chocolate cheesecake cupcake with chocolate frosting (feel that in your sweet tooth?) from Chicago Cupcakes.  The truck was at Jackson Park, near the Museum of Science and Industry, when I got my fix, but the guy said they are usually downtown and you can check Twitter to find them on any given day. Check them out.

Chocolate Cupcakes. What else do you need to know?

Note that I traveled to all of these restaurants (except the food truck and O’Hare) from my stay at the Hyatt on Wacker Dr. by foot or by bike. So when you go to Chicago, take your walking shoes.

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See Chicago on $7/Day on Divvy Bikes

I added to my zoo "collection" with a visit to Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the country's oldest (note - it's free!) I checked out my favorites - the big cats (though I'm not a fan of house cats) and the monkeys and apes.  

Visit to one of the country's oldest zoos- Lincoln Park Zoo

As I walked a few blocks to the Old Town section, I noticed everyone on bikes, especially the same baby blue model. These were the rental bikes that are popping up in different cities, including New York and DC, and some city-suburbs. The concept: pay a fee to rent a bike from a stand, ride it to or close to your destination, park it at another stand, and go about your business. Chicago's brand is Divvy Bikes.

The rental fee for Divvy Bikes is $7 for 24 hours, as many rides as you want, under 30 minutes each. Over 30 minutes, its a couple dollars more per ride.

Find a stand with blue Divvy bikes & ride!

At first I thought - do I want to ride a bike seeing as I didn't really know where I was going? But then I reasoned: I didn't know where I was going anyway, so at least on a bike, I'd get there faster.  

I grabbed a bike and breezed through the city. (Apparently, there's no helmet law in Chicago, which all my Maryland friends asked.) Chicago, surprisingly for being such a busy city, turned out to be an easy biking city. The landscape is pretty flat, there are clearly marked bike lanes, and where there aren't, drivers are pretty good at giving bikes the right of way, or at least not running bikers off the road - though they will honk if you don't move when the light turns green.

I road from Old Town through downtown to Millenium Park, about a 2 mile distance, according to Googlemaps. The fun part - traveling faster, I definitely went further than planned and came upon some entertaining surprises. There was a running waiters race on one square and a soft-serve ice cream truck on another.  I wandered through the park, checking off some of the Chicago landmarks, like "The Bean," and caught a little bit of Edward Scissorhands as the movie being shown out on the lawn. I picked up another bike, then rode back to the hotel, the Hyatt Regency, where there was a bike stand a few feet from the door.

How do you know where you can get a bike? There's an app! (But you knew that, right?) This came useful when I was ready for dinner - I read a review for BellyQ, an Asian fusion restaurant that was a few miles from the hotel in the Old Loop. Looked on the Divvy site at the map and ta-da there was a bike stand a block from the restaurant. Perfect. I picked up a bike a block from the hotel and rode straight to the other end of town in about 15-20 minutes.

Dinner by the way, was quite delicious. I had Crab Rangoon, Coconut Grits, and Hamachi (ceviche). And a drink called "Kill Bill." So.... I took a cab back to the hotel. Don't drink & ride!

I got a bike again another day, taking my own riverside and city tour. I saw a book at the Art Institute, Chicago Then & Now, about the architecture and history of Chicago. A read through something like this is useful to develop your own tour through the city.

 

Interesting look at the architecture of Chicago pre-Chicago fire and since.

There are a few drawbacks to rental bikes (like own-your-own bikes):

• Rain. I was going to get bikes one day with friends, but it was unpredictably raining and what we didn’t want to do was get caught in a downpour with bikes.
• Broken bike. One of the bikes I got, I couldn’t adjust the seat. And I didn’t want to go thru the process of getting a new code for a new bike, so I rode it, with the seat lower than I would like. Then I understood why other’s adjusted the seat before getting the bike.
• Empty bike rack. Every now and then, there’s a bike rack with no bikes on it. Walking a couple blocks to the next bike rack can throw a wrench in your plans, if you’re on some kind of schedule. Otherwise, it’s a minor annoyance. 

The rental bikes are fun, inexpensive, and flexible. I could see them being a quite useful mode of travel in your home city, and it’s a great way to see the city on vacation.

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Currently...Getting Ready to Go out of Town

I’m going to my sorority conference this week, which means Dad’s in charge at home.  Unfortunately (for him), that means he has all mom-chaffeur duties. Unfortunately (for him), the kids have about fifty-eleven activities this week. And these are the ones I really wanted to attend, the culmination of all the previous mom-miles and waiting hours I’ve put in to practices. Cue: violins and mom-guilt.

Mom-trips are different than dad trips, though, aren’t they? My husband travels a lot for work and when he does he packs his bags, says “bye,” and leaves. That’s it. Pretty easy. With me leaving, my last day home is pretty busy.

Checking the grocery list. Making sure the fridge is stocked with the makings for sandwiches, milk, fresh fruit, easy to cook dinner options, snacks for all the activities. Of course, when I get back, with the exception of the snacks, all this will still be sitting here, fruit getting soft, and to-go containers will be stacked in the trash.

Doing hair. At least the two oldest girls can do their own hair. And the youngest would be fine except that she swims e.v.e.r.y. day and unfortunately she doesn’t have that braid and swim and keep moving hair. The best I can do is put her hair in a couple braids, leave a big bottle of conditioner and cross my fingers.

Downloading my brain onto paper.  I’ve got my routine and who-to-call-in-an-emergency in my head and on my phone. For Dad and kids, I’m printing out the family schedule, with notes on directions, other folks we know who will be there, and packing lists for each event. With full knowledge that I will still get several texts per day about where someone is supposed to be, or I’ll find out when I return that they just skipped some activity.

Packing a book and crochet. Okay, that’s anytime I leave the house, but this takes special thought because whatever I take, I’m stuck with until I get back. Unless I go to a bookstore or find a yarn shop while I’m gone.

Getting in my last hugs. Every time I leave my kids, and it’s not even that often since there’s not too many full-time mom reasons to leave the kids (not legal ones anyway), I start missing them before I even leave. I get this weight of sadness of all the things that I will miss while I’m gone.  I kinda hope that all my whinings reminders of “put your plates in the sink,” “hang up your towels,” “get your summer work done” will kick in while I’m gone, my voice ringing in their heads.  At best, this new-found responsibility will continue when I return.  Or worse, what if they realize how much they can get along without me, that I’m easily replaceable by Uber, Chinese take-out, and a housecleaning service? Leaving can be a bit risky.

Here I go. Packing my bags, hoping my family will be intact and take me back on my return.

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5 Things to Eat in Charlotte

A trip to any southern state is a food trip, as far as I'm concerned. Sweet tea, grits, biscuits, and other fried selections are a must.  If you ever get to Charlotte, NC, here's a few things to try.

Shrimp and grits. This southern tradition is one of my favorites. Its a basic concept - a serving of grits and a serving of saucy shrimp on top.  And from there - it can go all kinds of ways. Every coastal and even not-so-coastal city seems to have their own favorite recipe and "best" variation.  Charlotte's no exception. I had a bowl at Mert's Heart & Soul, a soul food restaurant in downtown Charlotte, a few blocks and a short walk from the Convention Center. Mert's recipe is a brown sauce for the shrimp (I've usually had a red tomato sauce.) Its flavored with tomatoes, peppers, green onions, and a kick of hot-ness. The spiciness is a crucial ingredient for me, without it, there's a blandness to the whole thing. The grits were smooth and creamy.

Shrimp & Grits, Collard Greens at Mert's 

Biscuits & cornbread. You just can't go south and not get some fresh baked bread.  At Mert's, they serve hot mini-loaves of cornbread. Not hot as in warm to the touch, but hot as in steaming when you cut it open and slather it with sweet whipped butter.  We had biscuits at Tupelo Honey Cafe, served with honey and blueberry compote.  I don't usually put honey on my food, but this was a delicious combination.

Biscuits with honey & blueberry

Krispy Kreme. This is a North Carolina tradition and favorite, founded in Winston-Salem. Now, the signature "lights on" causes drooling for hot doughnuts in many cities outside of the Carolinas. Even still, it feels like a requirement to get a box of donuts when crossing the state line.

More grits and other toppings. Can we go back to the grits? Tupelo Honey Cafe, located a couple miles outside of downtown, in SouthEnd, offers a couple variations on the shrimp and grits, and then also a Veggie Bowl. Don't be confused because, for some reason it's listed under Salads on the menu and is served hot. This is essentially the "everything but the kitchen sink" of grits dishes. The base is a serving of smooth, goat cheese grits. It is then topped with black eyed peas (peppery), salsa, sautéed greens (the server said spinach, but I think it was actually kale), and fried okra. Yes - all of that in one big ole bowl. And I had them add shrimp, but really, everything else was more than enough. At first, it's worth it to taste each item to get the full individual flavor. And then, it's got to be eaten all together - the creamy grits, the sharp greens, the spicy black eyed peas, and the crunchy okra.  Delicious.

Then, wash it all down with moonshine or sweet tea - your choice.
Moonshine is a potent liquor, heralding from the days of Prohibition and apparently, one of the reasons NASCAR came to be. (You find out all kinds of things at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.) I had a tasting of Midnight Moon (gotta love the mason jars, right?) The strawberry and apple pie were pretty good. But it's not for the weak. Proceed with caution.

Try a shot of moonshine to complete your trip!

Sweet tea. Any southern state, you can find sweet tea almost easier than water. If you are a native northerner, you may not even understand fully what "sweet" means in this context. Trust me, it does not mean Splenda or any other artificial sweetener. Don't pass it up, whether at a local restaurant or Bojangles. Just be sure you get yourself a glass.

Mert's Heart & Soul

Tupelo Honey Cafe

Eat & enjoy Charlotte!

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