Chicago

[Pete]

I respect the crap out of Chicat, but I am voting for after July 1, because of work related reasons. BUT, we get serious about Tokyo in the fall, I'll happily support you dudes doing Chicago without me in June, if I can pak with you guys later in Tokyo. 

[steve dave]

I don't have the AA miles to do Tokyo and probably won't by the time we would need to book award travel

[steve dave]

also, passing off our annual meeting as being in Tokyo may be more difficult to force the IRS to swallow than Chicago would be

[ChiComCat]

I respect the crap out of Chicat, but I am voting for after July 1, because of work related reasons. BUT, we get serious about Tokyo in the fall, I'll happily support you dudes doing Chicago without me in June, if I can pak with you guys later in Tokyo. 

I may still be able to make July, just have somethings I would prob have to work around.  Also, if Pete is serious about Tokyo, I have to make that happen.  After missing VegasPak, no way am I missing Pete in Tokyo

[steve dave]

Denver would be easy and fun sometime too. 

[Dr Rick Daris]

right now four weekends make good sense...

june 16, 30
august 25
sep 1

all have cubs games and all look like they have avios availability on AA, but i didn't check everyones city individually. 9k avios roundtrip for most of us.

[ChiComCat]

right now four weekends make good sense...

june 16, 30
august 25
sep 1

all have cubs games and all look like they have avios availability on AA, but i didn't check everyones city individually. 9k avios roundtrip for most of us.

I like all those except Jun 30, which I could still prob make but wouldnt be there til Sat.  Sept 1 is MOAP, no?

[steve dave]

I have two free nights at a Hyatt 1-4 that I have to blow so I suggest we stay at the non-south-side and non-airport hyatt

[chum1]

nix navy pier for dinner.  one boat option is a dinner cruise on lake michigan featuring night skyline views.  harry carey's steakhouse is great.  don't know if that's the same as the tavern.

[steve dave]

Scratch that.  You can't write off award flights/stays.  Learned that the hard way in OKC.

[Dr Rick Daris]

Scratch that.  You can't write off award flights/stays.  Learned that the hard way in OKC.

yeah. i have no concern for being able to get a pretty nice hotel in downtown chicago for a reasonable rate. we'll avios it up and back but pay cash for the rooms.

[Pete]

Scratch that.  You can't write off award flights/stays.  Learned that the hard way in OKC.

Just pay out of pocket for the flight to Tokyo.  There are a lot of deals out there.  Plus, huge miles.

[ChiComCat]

Scratch that.  You can't write off award flights/stays.  Learned that the hard way in OKC.

yeah. i have no concern for being able to get a pretty nice hotel in downtown chicago for a reasonable rate. we'll avios it up and back but pay cash for the rooms.

I can prob get a couple rooms downtown for $50 apiece

[Dr Rick Daris]

Scratch that.  You can't write off award flights/stays.  Learned that the hard way in OKC.

Just pay out of pocket for the flight to Tokyo.  There are a lot of deals out there.  Plus, huge miles.

i would consider gifting sd 50kaa in order to make this happen. it would be coach, but it'd get him there and back. that would give us four. chicat, pete, daris, sd. plus, he's already said he has a couple of hyatt cat 1-4 free rooms and there is a really nice hyatt cat3 that's in a good tokyo location and just a couple of blocks from Shinjuku Station.


http://tokyo.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null






  shinjuku station...

[Dr Rick Daris]

Scratch that.  You can't write off award flights/stays.  Learned that the hard way in OKC.

yeah. i have no concern for being able to get a pretty nice hotel in downtown chicago for a reasonable rate. we'll avios it up and back but pay cash for the rooms.

I can prob get a couple rooms downtown for $50 apiece

boom. if not, there are a bunch of places that would give a govt rate and i'm guessing we'd have at least one person there that works for the govt.

[Pete]

You can get a round trip from LAX to Toykyo for around $850 in September right now. 

Use your Southwest miles (or whatever) to get to LAX, then just pay out of pocket to Tokyo.

[Rams]

Is this the most shameless thread hijacking ever? I say yes.

[Dr Rick Daris]

Is this the most shameless thread hijacking ever? I say yes.

i gave you a really good tip on the purple pig though 

[Pete]

Is this the most shameless thread hijacking ever? I say yes.

i gave you a really good tip on the purple pig though 

I had those baseball game tips.

Oh, eat Giordanos...I know it's a local chain, but it really is the best Chicago style pie in town. 

[steve dave]

Is this the most shameless thread hijacking ever? I say yes.

i gave you a really good tip on the purple pig though 

also archy boat tour.  you got your money's worth. 

[ChiComCat]

Is this the most shameless thread hijacking ever? I say yes.

i gave you a really good tip on the purple pig though 

I had those baseball game tips.

Oh, eat Giordanos...I know it's a local chain, but it really is the best Chicago style pie in town. 

I liked East Genos

[Dr Rick Daris]

Is this the most shameless thread hijacking ever? I say yes.

i gave you a really good tip on the purple pig though 

I had those baseball game tips.

Oh, eat Giordanos...I know it's a local chain, but it really is the best Chicago style pie in town. 

I liked East Genos

yeah. i'm east genos 4life.

[chum1]

i'm crazy loyal to unos on ohio.

[steve dave]

my new neighbor is this guy named Pudgy who owns Pudgy's Pizzaria in Omaha.  complete chicago stereotype. he's great. 

http://pudgyville.com/en/background

[Rams]

OK...so here's what I got.  Joe's for dinner on Thursday.  Trump spa Friday morning, Geno's East for lunch, archy cruise in the afternoon, dinner at the Purple Pig Friday night.  Probably just tool around on on Michigan Ave and the Navy Pier on Saturday and maybe hit up a museum before our flight leaves on Saturday evening.

Couple of questions left...

Should we take the L from Midway to downtown and then walk to our hotel, or should we get a cab from the airport?  Have no idea how fast the L is. 

Also, we'll have to check out around noon on Saturday and we'll hang out downtown until our flight leaves at 8:00pm. Surely the Hilton will hold our bags for us on Saturday, right?

Thanks guys...and sorry for being bitchy about hijacking the thread and stuff.  Friends?