Last week I had a quick business trip to Chicago, arriving Thursday evening for a conference Friday and heading home Friday night. As usual, I packed my running gear, but when I woke up to steady rain Friday morning I decided to hit the gym instead.
A rare quiet moment in this small weight area. Most of the time I was dodging someone needing to load the weight rack or trying to get different dumbbells. The area had lots of equipment but almost no room to use it!
My conference went well and I had just enough time for a small glass of wine before I had to head to the airport. As I headed out I reflexively checked my phone, and saw this:
TripCase is a great free app that can keep all your reservation information in one place (flights, rental, car, hotel), and send you flight updates–I got this before I got the alert from United.
Ack. I already had booked the latest flight home and still was in the heart of the city in the middle of a rainy Friday night rush hour. After 20 minutes on hold with United I figured out that they had rebooked me on a 6:00 pm flight that was delayed to 9:00 pm, but I took my flight’s cancellation and that flight’s delay as a bad sign. (If they had cancelled the 6:00 pm flight and kept mine, I would have headed to the airport in blissful ignorance!)
Fearing a night at O’Hare, and encouraged by my Chicagoan colleagues who knew what a nightmare that would be, I decided to stay one more night and fly home Saturday morning. That was easier said than done, but my travel agent was able to find a hotel room and squeeze me onto a Saturday morning flight–too bad the only seat left was in first class. 🙂 I finally got checked into my hotel by 8:30 pm, had a light dinner at the hotel bar, checked the weather forecast for a morning run, and was asleep by 10. Isn’t that what everyone would do on a free Friday night in Chicago?
It was cloudy when I headed out @ 6:00 am, but not raining.
The eerie sky lured me out onto this pier.
I cut down to the Lakefront Trail and headed north for a few miles before heading south and back into the city via the Riverwalk, which I just discovered last year.
It was really blustery along the lake, but there were lots of other runners out, so I forged ahead. By the time I finished my run the sun was coming out and I could tell it was going to be a gorgeous day.
So, how did this end being a thousand dollar Chicago Lakefront long run?
Friday night hotel room: $411.62 (incl. $20 for dinner)
Extra airfare: $499 (ouch! totally not worth it for the 90 minute flight, except for the fact that it was the only way to get home on Saturday)
Starbucks: $12.27 (coffee, breakfast sandwich, Bistro Box for lunch)
Victoria’s Secret: $165.51*
*I had forgotten to pack PJs, and slept in my workout clothes Thursday night. Since I wore them to the gym on Friday, I couldn’t do that again. So, I stopped at the Victoria’s Secret across from my hotel and bought a t-shirt, PJ shorts, undies–and leggings so I wouldn’t have to wear my suit again for the trip home.
[Tweet “The Thousand Dollar Long Run #runchat”]
Have you ever had to spend the night at an airport?
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I am totally not going to comment about how super super cheap I am and given the opportunity to sleep in $167 worth of Victoria’s Secret…versus the suit from my birthday 🙂 I might have chosen the latter 🙂
xo
I’ve heard the same from other friends, but I just can’t! Plus I need clean undies for the next day. And I really didn’t want to wear my suit again ….
at least the scenery was beautiful!
Ugh… I hate flight cancellations. Glad you were able to avoid a night at the airport and have a beautiful run in the morning 🙂
Ugh! Sorry you were here through that horrible rain! We got even more Saturday night and our sump pump was protesting loudly. Glad you got a run in though.
I think the rain has followed me home, now! I hope the weather’s better for my next trip next week. 😉
Whoa. That pier shot is epic!
I felt like it was luring me to my death – I stayed close to those posts so I wouldn’t get blown in!
At least you got a great run and who doesn’t need more PJ’s?!
Apparently a lot of my friends. 😉 But I do!
Thankfully I’ve never had to actually stay overnight in an airport, but on more than one occasion we’ve had to stay in a hotel at or near an airport due to missed/canceled flights (not to mention the number of airports I’ve literally run through to catch flights!).
As those things go, sounds like it wasn’t too bad. Running along the Chicago lakefront must be spectacular!
Yes, it certainly worked out well in the end — at least until I get my VISA bill!
That picture of the pier is really pretty!
My transfer flight from Colorado to California got cancelled one year due to a snowstorm, so I was super-super cheap and just slept under some chairs at the airport, hehehe. I’m glad you got to hang out in a hotel instead of the airport! 😛
Yeah, if I were at the airport already, I’m sure that’s what I would have done. Anything to avoid that TSA line again!
All that for one night? and you got to fly first class going home… and you didn’t have to sleep in the airport! YAY!!! Gorgeous run.
Hotels in downtown Chicago are no joke. A first class ticket from Chicago to D.C. is not worth it–I just got to drink my club soda out of a glass instead of a cup.
I’ve never stayed in an airport, thankfully. I’ve flown standby some because my BIL worked for an airline, so I’ve have my share of being bumped. I’ve got to have clean undies too. But, I probably would have gone with cheaper — like Hanes cheap. LOL. Looks like a beautiful city to run in! (Eek!)
It would have been hard to find Hanes on the Magnificent Mile. 😉
I have been stuck in airport at night, your option is better for sure, but ouch! The $$ – at least you had a nice run 🙂
I am so sorry about that! I’ve had some travel nightmares and they are definitely the worst! I can’t get over that Victoria’s Secret purchase, I probably would have just slept in the buff haha! Sounds like your run was great though!
I don’t get a chance to go shopping very often, so when I do I make it count!
LOL, sounds like a productive trip to me! 😉
Wow, that would have really stressed me out! I’m glad your conference went well. I’ve never flown in first class – I would have loved that! Beautiful shots of Chicago!
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so glad you figured out your flight was cancelled before you headed to the airport. i’ve had all kinds of travel drama on work flights before (some ending with 2am hotel checkins only by the grace of God because there was literally one room left in the city). it is NEVER fun.