I landed in Chicago after an early flight from Philadelphia on United Airlines this past Tuesday morning. Due to the time difference and landing 25 minutes early, I walked off the plane before 8 a.m. Central Time, which felt like a blessing until I realized I was traveling downtown with everyone else at rush hour. It ended up taking about one hour and 20 minutes in a cab.

I make this trip once or twice a year, so I always comfortably navigate Chicago O’Hare International Airport and make my way downtown to my favorite spot, The Peninsula Chicago. Check-in was easy, as always, and my room for the night was on the 16th floor with views of Michigan Avenue. I settled in and ordered breakfast to my room before my first meeting at 1 p.m.

After a couple meetings with our Chicago-based clients, I took some time for myself and headed to the 20th floor of The Peninsula for the gym and steam room. The steam room was closed for construction, so I opted for the tub in my room to relax and recover. Wrapped up in my hotel robe and slippers, I ordered sushi to my room and caught up on some work.

The next day I had a couple more meetings before I delivered Chicago O’Hare its award for 20 years of Best Airport in North America. This was voted on by all of our readers in the 2023 GT Tested Reader Survey awards. I got to meet with the airport commissioner and first deputy commissioner to deliver the trophy.

It was only a 10-minute drive from O’Hare’s operations building to the airport, where I ate lunch and waited for my flight back to Philly. I always enjoy my trips to the Windy City and look forward to the next — hopefully when it’s a bit warmer!

— Haley Fogarty, vice president of sales