Wow, what a crazy couple of weeks it's been!
I decided to escape work and ditch my cell phone connection for a bit, so we headed to the beautiful Southern Oregon Coast. We stayed near Brookings and traveled up to Bandon, passing through Langlois and hiking out to Cape Blanco and then down the to Redwood National Park to see the awe inspiring redwoods. The beaches we visited—Pistol River, Agate Beach, Secret Beach, and Sixes Beach—were absolutely stunning and practically empty but we hit during warm sunny weather which can be rare at times down there although being affectionately known by Oregonians as the Banana Belt of the Oregon Coast. Some of the most beautiful spots on the entire West Coast, hands down after having traveled the entire coast multiple times.
Along the way, we stumbled upon some real tasty gems. The famous Langlois hot dogs at the Langlois Market definitely lived up to their reputation—so good! In Bandon, we tried hard ciders from Bandon Rain, which were the perfect refreshment after a day of exploring. And I can't forget those crazy good tacos from Wilson's Market in Bandon—they were out of this world!
After that relaxing getaway, I jumped right into a hectic week in Chicago for the IMTS conference.
With around 110,000 attendees filling up the entire McCormick Place event center, it was the largest conference I've ever been to. So many technology companies, CNC machines, robots—you name it. I was there with some startup clients from Japan, and it was an amazing week of meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends. We also visited a few tech incubators and accelerators like mHUB, which was super inspiring. The days were long—five days of walking over 20,000 steps each day—but totally worth it. And of course, I had to take in some of Chicago's famous food. Portillo's didn't disappoint with their Chicago dog and Italian beef sandwich. We also swung by The Billy Goat Tavern for a "cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger" (LOL), which was a blast.
One evening, we tried Giordano's for the classic Chicago deep-dish pizza. The pizza was okay, but there was an odd situation with a 3rd party hustling photographer that made the whole dinner a bit awkward. On the bright side, the highlight meal of the trip was at Havana Grill on N. Clark Street. Hands down the best Cuban food and drinks I've ever had. If you're ever in Chicago, you have to check it out.
It's been a few years since I was last in downtown Chicago, and I have to say, the city has changed for the better. I absolutely loved the Riverwalk—it was always bustling and a party.
From the beaches of Oregon to the energetic vibe of Chicago, these past two weeks have been a whirlwind. Can't wait for our next adventure to Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah to see family and Yellowstone National Park in a camper van with 2 dogs and 2 adults.
Cheers,
-Shaan
