Humuhumu in Chicago, 11/28-12/2

Just finished making travel arrangements for a business trip to Chicago... the lovely souls at HQ have put me in the Hilton. Whee! Trader Vic's for me! I only wish they were open Sunday.

I get in Sunday in the early evening, and I leave Thursday morning. The conference I'm at is at the convention center downtown.

Since I'm there for work (a schmooze-fest conference sort of thing), I'm not sure which nights I might be available to hit the tiki hot-spots (I also hope to get to Hala Kahiki while I'm there, maybe Sunday).

Anyone want to try to meet me at Trader Vic's and/or Hala Kahiki? Let me know, and we can swap cell #s to keep in contact once I'm out there.

You should check out Chef Shangri-La if you have the opportunity. Lot's of Witco & Oceanic Arts, plus Paul was a Chef at the old Shangri-La. He & wife Susan are quite the hosts with some great stories!
Dave & Coalbe

Humu, it should go without saying that me and the Mobile Exploration Lab are at your beck and call for the duration of your trip.

We can do the Chef Shangri-La to Hala Kahiki run any night you want (they make a GREAT double feature), and if you're feeling brave we can do Club Paradise too.

And only ONE night at Trader Vic's?

Surely, you jest!

BTW - make sure you're at the Palmer House Hilton - there are several other Hiltons here.

Humuhumu --

Was in Chicago recently but evenings did not allow Vic visit. I did, however, discover that:

-- the Chicago Art Institute is quite possibly the best art museum in the country.

-- there is a very good subway system that can take you from your hotel to most anywhere, fast and cheap.

-- the new Millenium Park is not to be missed.

-- everyone's very friendly, very nice, won't knock you down and trample you to death if you wait for the cross-walk light to change (like they do in NYC).

-- food is just outstanding, everywhere, from fancy restaurants to streetwalk vendors.

-- take one of the "architectural tours" on one of the tour boats through the Chicago River.

-- Sears Tower is very ugly and plain and even kind of cheap-looking, but there is a full-floor-size room on like the 99th or 100th floor that businesses use for receptions (perhaps yours might?) and the view is not to be missed, particularly if there's a storm coming up from the plains.

On 2004-11-21 10:36, Satan's Sin wrote:
Humuhumu --

-- Sears Tower is very ugly and plain and even kind of cheap-looking, but there is a full-floor-size room on like the 99th or 100th floor that businesses use for receptions (perhaps yours might?) and the view is not to be missed, particularly if there's a storm coming up from the plains.

Do the Hancock Building... a bit shorter but it has a killer open air room with nothing between you and the outside but a screen... standing up there you feel the wind on your face and your ears are filled with every little sound the city has to offer... especially great at night...

And if you love sweets... scout out a Garret Popcorn shop... the carmel corn is to die for...

Unfortunately, the little bit of time I'll have to actually see Chicago will be very carefully carved out of my schedule. I'll be expected to be working day and night... as a matter of fact, it's likely that I'll have to convince customers and/or coworkers to have our schmoozy gatherings at these tiki places if I'm going to get to see them at all. The last one of these work things I did was in St. Louis, and after spending a few days literally a block from the arch, the only way I got to actually see it was by trudging out there at 3 in the morning before my flight out of town. This trip is not for pleasure (though I always have a good time, it's a fun industry).

James... I just may take you up on your offer for a ride... would you be up for a trip to Hala Kahiki Sunday night? And yeah, I just found out that they put me in the wrong Hilton. Harrumph. I'll try very hard to get to the Trader Vic's at some point.

what indusry are you in???....im sure it wouldnt be hard to get them to vics or the chef for some lunch/dinner and some drinks would it???

Molecular imaging. And yes, that's the general idea, but Trader Vic's is going to be a much easier sell than Chef Shangri-La.

I had a great time in Chicago (although that city is just too damned cold)! Massive mahalos to James for picking me up at the airport, and whisking me off to Chef Shangri-La and Hala Kahiki. Chef Shangri-La was nicer than I expected, and every time I see Hala Kahiki I fall in love with it a little more (despite how severely it falls short in the drink department). The fabulous Hala Kahiki gift shop was closed, which was a bit of a bummer but not unexpected.

Chef Shangri-La:

Hala Kahiki:

After many false starts, I finally herded my coworkers into the Trader Vic's my last night in town, and they had a blast. Didn't get any proper pictures of the place, mostly just pics of my coworkers and a very unfortunate Menehune doll:

If you're interested in the pictures from the rest of my Chicago trip, you can see them here:

http://photo.humuhumu.com/v/chicago/

Highlights include more tiki hotspot shots, a visit to Delilah's, dinner at a stunningly beautiful and delicious Armenian restaurant, dinner at a very good Italian restaurant, a nightclub full of drunk Radiologists, and a great little bar with lots and lots of peanuts. But mostly goofy shots of people you don't know.

Critiki - Ooga-Mooga - Humu Kon Tiki

[ Edited by: Humuhumu 2005-09-23 15:47 ]