We made our way into the big city today!
The ride was 30 miles, but it flew by very quickly with all of the exciting sights and sounds. Our first stop of the day was for lunch and a friendship visit on the north side of Chicago. While there, we received a tour of the facilities and got to meet a lot of amazing people. The sno cones that were provided during lunch, were definitely a memorable treat.
Once we finished up with lunch, our police escorts arrived to guide us the last few miles into the city. The police rolled up to the friendship visit on ATVs and stunned the team. It was the first time that we had ever been guided by 4 wheelers through any city. We followed the police as they shut down the traffic lights, and we were really excited as we made our way by Wrigley Park only minutes before the game started. I will definitely remember rolling by all of the fans decked out in their Cubs attire. Once we entered the city center we had to bob through traffic in order to make it to our lodging at the Palmer House Hotel. When we arrived at our hotel we were all blown away at how luxurious it was. We then found out the history and importance of the hotel within the city of Chicago, which made us feel even more fortunate for being allowed to stay there.
We moved our bikes into storage and got ready to explore the city. The first thing that I did was go to Millennium Park which was only a few blocks from the hotel. I traveled around the park with Jim Rampton (Elon) and Dan Brown (GT). We made sure to visit the outdoor theater, BP Bridge, and fountains. It was definitely one of the nicest parks that I have ever been in. We continued to Grant Park and took note of where President Obama delivered his acceptance speech. In addition, we had some funnel cake and sat by the Yacht Club. We then needed to travel back to the hotel in order to get ready for dinner. Our dinner was provided by some Pi Alpha brothers at a local real estate firms office. The office was great because there was a TV, darts, ping pong, and pool to play. I unfortunately lost at ping pong and then spent the rest of the evening chatting with former JOH rider, John Pierce (Drake).
After dinner we were let loose for free time in the city. I decided to go to ESPN Zone with Jimmy Vaeth, Ray Feuga (Cornell), Travis Alsop (Indiana State), Ryan Grumble (Louisiana Tech), and Ross Gruenky (GW). We played some video games and then I made my way back to the hotel to wish Ali a happy birthday and get some rest before the big day in Chicago tomorrow.
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