[Chicago / Champaign, IL, Mar 17-20, 2024] We woke up to much cooler temps – 30s vs 50s the day before. We still braved the cold and walked to a different section of the river, because when are we going to see a green river again? We then picked up our rental car and drove…
[Chicago, IL, Mar 16, 2024] It was time for my annual conference, which was taking place in Champaign, IL The Higher Education Date Warehousing (HEDW) conference moves around every year depending on which university is hosting it, and this year it was the University of Illinois. I always make it a point to extend my…
[Chicago, IL] After several days of feeding my body (really, really well), it was time to feed my soul. Bulgarian Folk Festival Verea was one of the reasons I had extended my work trip. Now in its fifth year, it is a festival where Bulgarians living all over the US and Canada come together to…
[Chicago, IL] A couple of major Chicago attractions book-ending a divine lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant? Not a bad way to spend another day in Chicago, I think! We started off our day at Willis Tower. Built as and still commonly referred to as Sears Tower, it was the tallest building in the world from…
[Chicago, IL] Kristina did not know this yet, but sightseeing with me is no joke. There are places to be seen and meals to be eaten and pictures to be taken. I have a checklist with must-dos and nice-to-dos, and I have google-mapped the place to death because my worst nightmare is wasting precious time…