So along with many of my recent travels, I’ve had the pleasure of traveling to Chicago twice this year.
Once in the beginning of October and once in the beginning of November 2024.
This is a rough itinerary of what I did along with some of the places I ate at.
Chicago is a great city with beautiful architecture, very walkable, and many fun things to do.
Great place to be, especially when the weather is good.
Tons of good restaurants and bars if you’re into that.
A city with a metropolitan feel, without the craziness of a metropolitan city such as Los Angeles.
November 7, 2024 by Kazu Fujimoto
Chicago October 2024 Trip
My first trip to Chicago was from Los Angeles on Fri Oct 4th thru Sun Oct 6th.
Airport
I took a 15 minute uber ride from my apartment to LAX. Got to LAX at 6 AM, approximately 2 hours before my flight which departed at 8 AM. I have Global Entry which comes with TSA Precheck, making check in a breeze. Highly recommend investing in Global Entry or TSA Precheck if you fly frequently.
Going through TSA Precheck not only saves you time by shorter lines, but the people that are in line for TSA Precheck are much more prepared to check in faster relative to those who are not. TSA Precheck also allows you to avoid doing things such as taking your laptop out of your bags, which makes checking in that much easier.
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Flight
LAX to ORD
I flew United Airlines from LAX to Chicago. United seems to have many of the flights that I’ve been needing to take available and have been consistently traveling with them for awhile. United is also a frequent flyer partner with points that you can redeem from the Chase Sapphire card. The flight from LAX to Chicago was approximately 4 hrs.
ORD to LAX
Upon my return, I flew United Airlines from Chicago to LAX. Nothing too crazy here, but sometimes Sundays coming back to LAX can be bad so you may need to be prepared for that.
Hotel
I stayed at the JW Marriot located in Downtown Chicago, close to Millennium Park. It is located pretty conveniently and very walkable to locations such as the Riverwalk. I enjoy walking around in a new city, so 30 minutes or even an hour of walking is very enjoyable. Also, walking a lot allows me to feel a lot less guilty when eating out as much as I do on vacation.
Stayed in a standard 1 king bed room, with interior view.
The JW Marriott is an American luxury hotel brand owned by Marriott International, I’ve been a big fan since I went to Cancun back in August of 2024. The staff is always attentive, the rooms are a step up from budget or regular hotels, and I always enjoy staying here.
Restaurants
Hwang Soh Grill in Evanston
For dinner, went to Hwang Soh Grill in Evanston, an authentic Korean BBQ restaurant. For food we got premium wagyu brisket, pork belly, and sides consisting of Corn, Japchae, Soybean paste soup, and the typical panchan.
Egg Harbor Cafe
For breakfast next morning, went to Egg Harbor Cafe in Downtown Chicago. Got the classic breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toasted English muffin paired with some black coffee.
Shabu Plus Rotary Hotpot – Chinatown
For dinner the next evening, had Shabu Plus in Chinatown. Good Shabu shabu in a trendy, futuristic type of restaurant – the type where they have the robots serving you plates of meat and vegetables on a conveyor belt.
Activities
Mostly spent the weekend walking around in Downtown Chicago. Luckily, the weather was absolutely beautiful with a high of 78 degrees.
The architecture of the buildings in Chicago is beautiful and it’s very pleasant to walk around.
And of course, I checked out The Bean.
Chicago November 2024 Trip
Airport
This time, because it was significantly cheaper, I opted for the 7 AM flight to Chicago instead of the 8 AM one from LAX. Big mistake. Was not worth waking up the extra hour earlier and getting there on time. Would rather sleep in and show up to my flight and destination well rested. Live and learn.
Flight
Hotel
Same as my prior trip, I stayed at the JW Marriot. Again, great hotel, luxury brand of the Marriot company.
Restaurants
Qiao Lin Hotpot Downtown Chicago
For dinner the first evening, had Qiao Lin hotpot in Downtown Chicago. The restaurant seems to be going for that upscale / “modern” vibe due to it’s location and proximity in Downtown Chicago.
Hot pot during cold weather just hits different.
We had an assortment of meat along with a bunch of delicious vegetables and sides such as tofu, cabbage, wok chop, shrimp, and more. Sauces were a great add on. For soup base, we chose the mix and match option and had the tomato soup and the herbal chicken based broth. The tomato soup was very flavorful, but the herbal chicken based broth was seasoned too “herby”.
Venteux
For breakfast the next morning, went to Venteux which is a classic French Cafe. Because the restaurant was busy, we dined at the bar area. It was a nice breakfast consisting of the standard eggs, potatoes, sausage, toast, and coffee.
Terrace 16
For dinner we went to Terrace 16, which is a restaurant located on the 16th floor of the Trump International Hotel located along the riverwalk. The restaurant has a great view which overlooks the entire Downtown Chicago area along the Riverwalk. Recommended for date nights, business meals, or if you want an elevated dining experience.
For appetizers, we had the half dozen Raw Oysters and the Risotto. The oysters were very fresh and pleasant, paired with great sauces.
For our entrees, we had the Filet Mignon and the Duck Breast. Both were good, but I preferred the Duck Breast over the Filet Mignon.
Activities
Art Institute of Chicago
This time, went to the Art Institute of Chicago, which is an Art Museum located in Millennium Park. There were many great exhibits and a combination of American, Greek, European, Asian and more.
Some notable pieces that I thought were interesting at the Art Institute of Chicago:
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte – Georges Seurat
Chrysanthemums – Pierre Auguste Renoir
Alexander Covering the Body of Darius – Charles Meynier
The Destruction of Pharoah’s Army – Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg
The Eruption of Vesuvius – Pierre Jacques Volaire
Closing Thoughts about Chicago in 2024
Chicago is a great city, very walkable, and many fun things to do. Great place to be, especially when the weather is good. Tons of good restaurants and bars if you’re into that. A city with a metropolitan feel, without the craziness of a metropolitan city such as Los Angeles.
When I travel, I prefer to stay at a nice hotel in a conveniently located area that is walkable and enjoy good food.
Although a little bit is fine, I don’t really need to do too much sightseeing or visit attractions when I travel. Maybe like 1-2X in a day.
I’ve really been enjoying a ton of the traveling that I’ve been doing, with many more trips to be had in the future.
It’s great to develop a high paying skillset to be able to comfortably afford travel.
The world is a big place with many cities to enjoy.
A break from home always recharges me and allows me to come back home ready to tackle on more work.
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About the author
Kazuyoshi Fujimoto, PE
Founder | Engineering Career Coach | Principal Mechanical Engineer
Kazu oversees all of ultmeche’s engineering services. He provides consulting such as resume reviews, rewrites, mock interviews, and all services career related. Additionally, Kazu performs consulting work regarding Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense. Kazu is licensed as a professional engineer in the state of California and has 9+ years of experience in Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense.