After a mild winter on the east coast, winter decided to arrive as I prepared for a weekend getaway to Chicago to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  The snow day helped to reduce the amount of work I needed to stay current, and by the end of the week I had completed everything required to take Friday off of work.  After packing a small carry on, which I made sure would fit in the overhead bin of a regional jet, I headed to the airport to begin a weekend that would leave me refreshed.

Even though the St. Patrick’s Day Parade was the previous weekend, Chicagoans were more than willing to find an excuse to celebrate the weekend after as well.  Although there were still many St. Patrick’s day celebrations, it did not make much of a difference in my plans.  After all, the purpose of these weekend getaways was to relax and recharge, and going on a bar crawl, specifically at my age, would not be something that would result in either of the two.  As anybody from Chicago will tell you, the city has some of the best restaurants in the country, and nothing says refreshing to me like a great meal at a restaurant with cuisine from the area I am visiting.

After a quick American Airlines flight lasting a little under two hours, I landed at the infamous Chicago O’Hare and was welcomed to Chicago with an arctic blast walking up the jetway.  There was no need for wasting time at the baggage carousel or on the jetway for gate gatecheck since my overnight bag and personal bag fit in the overhead compartment of the American Eagle ERJ-145.  Within minutes, thanks to having elite status with American Airlines and always reserving a seat at the front of the aircraft, I was exiting terminal 3 to an awaiting Uber.  O’Hare has made it very convenient to meet an Uber or other ride share with designated pick up zones on the departures level outside of each terminal.

A view of the Willis Tower right outside my hotel window at the JW Marriott.

Arriving into O’Hare on a flight that misses rush hour is key to maximizing time in Chicago.  Thanks to a convenient arrival time and a little bit of luck, it was a short 30 minute Uber ride to the JW Marriott in the Central Loop.  I picked the JW Marriott since I had never stayed at this particular hotel in Chicago, and it would give me an opportunity to review it, which will be posted in the near future.  More importantly I had plenty of restaurants ranging from high end steakhouses to small local staples to get a famous Italian Beef sandwhich.

After arriving at the JW Marriott, I was given early check in and access to the Executive Lounge due to my status with Marriott Rewards thanks to my JP Morgan Ritz Carlton Rewards Card.  The check in process was smooth, although they could have used a couple more representatives at the front desk as it seemed like a large group of people arrived at the same time. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes, I was relaxing in a room on a high floor, matching my preferences in my Marriott Rewards account.

The picture of my Giordanos pizza does not do it justice.

A staple for me anytime I go to Chicago is pizza.  Now I know how passionate people can be about the debate between New York style and Chicago style pizza, and in some circles in Chicago, it is even dangerous to mention what Chicago pizzeria has the best pizza.
No matter what is your favorite, my suggestion is to get stuffed pizza somewhere during your time in Chicago.  At risk of my own life, I will say I think Giordanos has the best stuffed pizza but this will be an argument that will go on well past when the Cubs win another World Series.

After stuffing myself with this pizza, I returned to my the JW Marriott bar for a quick drink before going to my room to sleep off the pizza hangover.  The next days weather allowed me to walk to millennium park where I grabbed a Chicago hot dog.  The weather was beautiful and the view of the lake was a picturesque as a post card.  I returned to the hotel to check out and catch an Uber back to O’Hare.  After a quick check in at the American First/Business Class counter and expedited security thanks to American Airlines Platinum Status and TSA Pre-Check, I settled in for a final drink at the American Airlines Admirals Club in Concourse G before boarding my flight home.  As usual, my flight arrived home on time and I was in an Uber on the way to my house by 6:00 p.m.

Overall, it was a great weekend that let me escape the normal daily grind.  I came back refreshed and ready to tackle whatever Monday morning had to throw at me.  Best of all, I knew that I was not a week behind on work and could jump right back into projects I had been working on just days before, even though the weekend getaway refreshed me like a week long vacation.

For more weekend getaways follow my blog at theweekendgetaway.net or on Twitter @thewkndgtaway.