CHICAGO: BUSINESS + PLEASURE: BY DIVINE APPOINTMENT
I spent A FEW DAYS IN THE WINDY CITY TO ATTEND FORBES TRAVEL GUIDE’S EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT DINNER AND to SNAG A QUICK MOTHER/DAUGHTER CITY BREAK
Because Boxwood Travel Design is honored to be a Virtuoso affiliate of TRAVELLUSTRE, we are a Forbes Travel Guide-endorsed agency. I noticed in the FTG May newsletter that they were hosting a few Exclusive Engagement Dinners in select cities—Chicago, London, L.A. and Mexico City. The Chicago dinner fell in a great spot in my calendar and was a relatively easy plane ride. When you live in Knoxville, TN, direct flights to anywhere you need to go can feel few and far between—but Chicago we can do! I didn’t know exactly what to expect but thought, “What the heck?”
These dinners are a very special chance for advisors to connect directly with hoteliers, general managers or directors of Forbes 4- and 5-star hotels around the world. Ten hoteliers are chosen along with ten travel advisors. The CEO of Forbes Travel Guide, Hermann Elger, and Jennifer Lodge, SVP of Travel Industry Outreach, hosted the dinner, which was held in a breathtaking ballroom at Trump International Chicago.
Massive Swarovski crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, a pianist and violinist played the entire dinner, surrounded by candles and against a backdrop of the Chicago skyline lit up through the floor to celling windows. An exciting seven-course dinner was served by gracious servers in white coats, plating and removing in sync with every course. I had to pinch myself throughout the evening—everything about it felt so rare and special.
I went into the dinner expecting to connect with these various GMs of hotels, probably learning about each of their properties and having a lovely dinner. What happened instead was remarkable.
The dinner was set up to have the GMs rotate their seats twice throughout the evening so there were three different sets of people to my left, right and across the table by the time dinner was finished. We all connected not just as professionals, but on a very personal level. I left in awe of how the people around me had directly and specifically encouraged me. The entire evening felt like it was a gift from God, and not just because it was a beautiful dinner….
Two weeks before I attended this dinner, out of the clear blue, my son, Walker, 20 years old and born in 2005, happened to mention the movie, “Pursuit of Happyness,” which he had recently seen and he made a point to say he was moved by the story. At the time, I thought, “That was random—that movie was before Walker’s time and we never saw it as a family—I personally haven’t seen it since it was in the theatres—but okay, neat that the story impacted him.” Didn’t think anything else about it.
Fast forward to the night not long after this that I found myself in the ballroom at Trump Chicago for this dinner…when lo and behold, as we were all gathered and being welcomed, Mr. Elger announced that we had a special guest that evening. He explained we were probably familiar with the guest’s story as it had been made into a movie by Will Smith…introducing, Mr. Chris Gardner, the author of “The Pursuit of Happyness.”
I was speechless. This was too weird. What?! In walked Mr. Gardner, who spoke to us and then signed his new book, “Permission to Dream.” He spoke about his heart for the younger generation, to set goals and chase after their dreams. I got tears in my eyes as I considered where Walker is right now, considering his next steps in life—something our family has been prayerful about this summer.
Walker mentions this movie out of the blue two weeks ago…then suddenly I’m face to face with the actual man at the center of the story…and he’s talking about young people dreaming a dream for their lives that’s specific to their giftings. Divine arrangement. I shook Mr. Gardner’s hand and explained the connection—he could not have been warmer or more engaging, signing the book specifically for Walker. An incredible night by all accounts, including the connections made with those around me.
The rest of my time in Chicago was about hanging with my girl, enjoying good food and walking the city with Mamie. It is not possible for me to be in Chicago and not have a dinner at RL, so of course, we had to—it’s the best. Don’t you always want to be in the buzziest restaurant with great food, great cocktails and great service? It never fails. We also greatly enjoyed a lunch at Monteverde—goodnight, that pasta, that meatball—their Cacio Whey Pepe and Spaghetti Al Pomodoro are perfection. If you’re going to Chicago, get on this! If all else fails: Resy notifications. We loved our dinner at Terrace 16 at Trump Chicago which was a great option for on-property dining, or even if you aren’t a guest of the hotel—incredible city views on their massive rooftop terrace, right over the river.
Two special treats worth mentioning—my affogato at Ralph’s Coffee hit.the.spot. in the middle of a massive heat wave and the pastries at Dialtone coffee shop are from the legendary Dan the Baker. Let’s just say I parted with $50 worth of pastries. You must not miss whatever flavor cruffin of the moment he’s done (mine had orange-infused vanilla cream) and the croissants were magnifique.
Pastries as souvenirs? Sounds sensible. Until next time, Chicago!
