Not nearly as condensed as NYC but way more accessible than LA, the windy city was rich in history, lush with vegetation, pleasant to walk about at night, full of activity and accommodating to a wide variety of palettes.

At about 10:00 pm after the Fellows Investiture dinner I strolled to the huge and colorful Buckingham Fountain, made my way along the waterfront, walked along the main boulevard past dozens of mostly full restaurants, ambled along the Chicago River, frolicked in Millennium Park (Ok . . . Frolicked is a bit of a stretch . . .) touristed at several pieces of historical statuary and not once did I bump shoulders with someone I didn?EUR??,,????'?????<

After the L.A.F Benefit?EUR??,,????'?????<

Anyways . . . On the drive from O?EUR??,,????'?????<

Now I know that Chicago is in the hunt for the 2016 Olympics, and if any city in the world is known for its, ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Of course, the purpose of going to Chi-Town was to meet and greet old and new friends at the ASLA annual meeting. The last time the event was held in Chicago, it was at the downtown Hilton. David Bothardt was the EVP and LASN was moved at the last minute (and without warning) down to the far back corner to an undersized booth. At that show, guys were riding bikes down the empty exhibit hall aisles and we were playing football. The typical pass pattern was to run down two aisles, cut right and lob the ball over the booths, with no fear of disturbing exhibitors or attendees . . .

Well, that, too, has changed! Under the directorship of Nancy Somerville, this year?EUR??,,????'?????<

Now, I did have to leave before the Presidents?EUR??,,????'?????<

In any event, this event in Chicago was fun and fruitful and like a good event should, left us wanting more . . .

See you all next year in D.C. . . .

God Bless!

George Schmok, Publisher