Back to Chicago, IL

Last week I had an opportunity to attend an American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Congress in Chicago and got to enjoy the windy city's culture yet again. My first visit to Chicago happened about 10 months ago during my cross country trip relocating from New York to California. I actually wrote about this trip on this blog. I visited Chicago back in May of 2016 when the weather was starting to warm up. This time there was no hope of taking off my coat: rainy and miserable with gray skies day after day. I just did not have the courage to venture out exploring the city, but being centrally located this time (Hilton), I checked out a couple of interesting cultural places.

First of all, if you are visiting Chicago, you absolutely must go to Second City, one of the best comedy clubs I have ever been to. The show was truly incredible. Improv was just fantastic!

Another place I found interesting was The Jazz Showcase where you can listen to students performing as well as experienced and well-known jazz artists. Usually Monday through Wednesday they have students, but don't be discouraged, they are very very good even in their first year! Be sure to come 15 minutes before since it is on a first come first serve basis, and you will be able to get great seats in the front if you choose to.

Finally, because of some connections, I was able to visit Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) from behind the scenes while they were rehearsing. I snapped a couple of pictures of the incredible architecture from the inside.

Just several days in Chicago were filled with its amazing culture, something that I miss in Fresno, but warm weather is still my priority. Maybe next summer I will be back...