Chicago people?

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

There is a trip brewing to fix up N194UA with "my" satLINK and this will drag me all the way up to the Windy City somewhere over the next two weeks.

Social opportunities, anyone?


Jeroen

[Will]

I'm a Chicago person!  My work schedule is arduous, but I may be able to find time to get together for coffee or dinner.  Will you be in the 'burbs or in the city proper?

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Most likely I will hang around ORD all the time, being put up in a local airport hotel and working through hangar duties while not asleep. N194UA is a charter bird so not necessarily midnight work, though.


Jeroen

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Confirmed: arrival ORD Sunday evening June 10th, kick aircraft around Monday morning, leave for MIA Monday afternoon.

[Will]

Jeroen, arrrgh, I won't be able to greet you.  But I hope you have a good time in this excellent city.  Both airports are kind of meh (Midway has more history and charm), but the city itself is world class.  Come back and spend more time!

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Well, this will be one of those normal business trips anyway. Airport, plane, airport, hotel, plane, plane, airport.   :-D


Jeroen

[frumpy]

In case you still find time, go to the Meigs field and bring a hammer.
Pieces of the runway are down at the beach and make a nice
souvenir.

[Peter Sagar]

Hoppie,

How about July? Chance maybe for a side-trip to Oshkosh? I won't be there this year, but just suggesting.

Cheers.

[Phil Bunch]

Well, this will be one of those normal business trips anyway. Airport, plane, airport, hotel, plane, plane, airport.   :-D


Jeroen

If practical, etc, try and stay downtown on North Michigan Avenue - very glitzy shops and other places of interest.  I can recommend specific hotels if this location is of interest.  Unfortunately, the commute to O'hare or Midway takes a fair amount of time and can be formidable if there is any traffic congestion.  There are frequent, inexpensive buses to make the journey to the airports, if taxicabs are too expensive.  There is a subway to O'hare but I have a personal aversion to Chicago subways.

If you can spare some time, the Art Institute and the Field Museum of Natural Science, as well as the Shedd Aquarium, are all well worth visiting for a person with interests in museum-things.  Might even be worth spending a day or so of vacation.

There is a very large science museum on the south side, too, but it would need 1+ days to scratch its surface.  They even have a captured and restored WWII German submarine you can go inside.

(Disclosure:  About 100 lifetimes ago, I spent almost 10 years in college and then grad school at the U of Chicago.)

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Forget it. Fly in late evening, hotel at the airport. To the terminal at 06:00 AM, air side bus to the hangar, work, then plane back South after lunch.

Hey... I thought Miami was hot... but Chicago is a few degrees hotter! Ok, humidity and wind, but still.


Jeroen

[Will]

Last Wednesday it was 65 degrees... Come back when you can explore the city. If you get homesick for Dutch beer and food, we have that covered.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

I'll keep you to that one! Though I pass on the Heineken -- must be some real beer (and preferably neither Amstel, Hollandia whatever that may be, etc.).

Belgian is good, though.    :-)

[Will]

I mean Belgian... We have a place with a hundred or so Belgian beers, many on tap. And a great food menu, too.

hopleaf.com

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Well, posting from a 737-800 at FL400 is something new.

[Will]

Looks like fun!

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

100% white-out at FL400 South of Atlanta. Pretty bad weather. Clear of it now.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL295

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Mission accomplished    

[Shiv Mathur]

You did the push-back with just one hand ? ... not bad !

[Phil Bunch]

That "airplane" is much too big - it would never get off the ground!  Even if it did get off the ground, it's too big for any person to fly!!!

Seriously, it always amazes me to see a person walk under an airliner, and to give scale to how large these things really are.  I guess that in order to fly one, you have to resolve to never think about how tiny you are as a person and how big the plane is.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

I guess that in order to fly one, you have to resolve to never think about how tiny you are as a person and how big the plane is.