As I hinted, I just got back from a very quick trip to Chicago for a one day professional meeting. This was a very good meeting, science-wise, and also very different from the last meeting that I went to in that Dr.Boss was there, and he checked up on me and the 4 undergrads I was traveling with several times.
We arrived in the middle of a VERY cold snap, and headed to Evanston, near Northwestern University on Friday night. We didn't have much more time than to enjoy a true Chicago deep dish pizza- but that was quite a Treat. A Chicago deep dish is not a pizza made on a thick and fluffy crust like I'd thought. The crust was quite thin in the deep cake pan, but it was spread and extra inch up the side of the pan, so that all the toppings and juices were sealed inside. And there was a LOT in there- cheese was the bottom layer, which kept the crust crispy, then sausage and onion and mushrooms and finally chopped tomotoes on top. It was much more like a savory pie- and I could only eat one peice.
The day of the meeting we enjoyed some talks and endeavored to meet some new people. Dr. Boss gave the keynote talk, and at the end he said "I have a graduate student with a poster here that I recommend you all check out." Dr. Boss is a very big deal in our field, so pretty much everyone did exactly what he said. I've never had so many people be interested in my research- I am positively hoarse today still!
Our flight home was later on Sunday, so we got to check out downtown Chicago- we drive in on Lake Shore Drive, and headed to the 96th floor of the John Hancock Building to enjoy lunch and an incredible view! Yes, I regret leaving my camera. Strangely, the best view of downtown and the Sears Tower was out of the woman's restroom. We also went to Millennium Park and say the giant bean. Chicago is of course much bigger than Pittsburgh, and has a similar long history and immigrant population. Beautiful architecture and interesting things to see all around- though it was pretty nippy.
Our flight home took place during the end of the Eagles vs Cardinals and the first quarter of Steelers vs Ravens. FYI- this was the last round of play-offs before the Superbowl. We parked ourselves in front of a TV playing the game and ate a chicago dog, which made me wonder why there aren't more fat people in Chicago. One of my travel companions had packed her jersey with her to put on in the airport. She was also the one keeping us up to the minute via iPhone once we left the TV.
Pittsburgh's airport is about 30 mins outside of the city, and it can take much longer to negotiate the tunnel if there are lots of cars on the road. When we arrived, in the middle of the second quarter, there was no traffic. We hardly saw a dozen other cars on the road. I've mentioned that Pittsburgh really gets behind their football, and this VERY important game was no exception. The city was rapt with anticipation. Our route home took us past the screaming stadium, but not close enough to see the men in action. When the Steelers finally won, we could hear the fireworks from our apartment. Still Tuesday, newspapers were front to fold and then some news about the Steelers- did headlines in other papers cover any different news Tuesday?
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