Chicago

I’m always excited when I get to visit Chicago. This time I was in town for An Event Apart, the outstanding web conference from Messrs. Meyer and Zeldman. I was looking forward to seeing Eric Meyer speak, as well as Dan Cederholm and Jim Coudal, none of which I had seen in person. Jeffrey Zeldman has been at almost every web event I’ve ever attended, but it was good to see him again, too. Lots of informative sessions, high quality presenters and the premiere of Hobbies.

One of the best things about any business trip is the extracurricular activities, and this one included some great Chicago-style pizza at Gino’s East and my first Cubs game at Wrigley Field. And there can’t be many better places to see a baseball game than Wrigley.

The brewers were in town, trailing the first place Cubs by a game and a half, and the atmosphere in the ballpark was boisterous and convivial. As the Cubs staged a comeback late, the sell-out crowd - over 40,000 strong, plus the fans filling the rooftop seats overlooking the park - danced, sang, and jumped to their feet at every opportunity. The Cubbies won the game 5-3, sending most of the throng home happy. Throw in some jumbo pretzels, cold soda and a sore hand from high fives, and it was a great way to cap off a short trip to the Windy City.