3:45 Bri and I make our way back to my car and drive to the Days Inn O'Hare south, which has delightfully decided to undergo renovations during our stay, making me feel like an ass for booking everyone here. As we take Bri's stuff to her room, the first floor doesn't look all that bad if you manage to ignore the huge roll of carpeting in the lobby. The second floor, however, has baseboard laying on the floor, paint here and there on the doors, and for a lovely touch, the room numbers written on little pieces of tape on the wall next to the doors. The rooms themselves however, are pretty nice, except for there weird pieces of metal on the wall, with a strip of metal sticking out of it for some unknown reason...
4:45 Since we are supposed to meet the folks from #xpa at 8:00, Bri and I decide to get something to eat before picking up NeonSister at the airport. We head to Gino's East for some really good Chicago style pizza.
5:45 Well, who could have expected all this airport traffic on a
Friday evening? Doh! We are late picking up Neon. I leave Bri in the
car at the arrival area so I won't get towed, and run to meet Neon,
who's gate is thankfully much closer than Bri's was.
6:45 We get Neon's things in the car and head back to the Days Inn. Neon gets to see the lovely decor firsthand.
7:30 Bri, Neon and I have all changed into our partying clothes for the evening, and decide to go down to the bar a little early to have a drink while we wait for the folks from #xpa to show up.
8:00 No sign of the folks from #xpa.
8:10 We see a few faces peering thru the window, and someone comes up to ask if we are who we are. Since we are, Mel, T.G., and Draggi from #xpa come in to say hi and chat a bit. TG and Draggi soon go to see what is keeping the others, and return to say the party seems to be going on upstairs. We go on up and enter a room full of philes. Besides the 6 already mentioned, also present were Appy, Guy, Ladyhawke, DrX, softlite, and kaybee. Lo and behold, there be a laptop in the room! Woohoo! Appy goes onto IRC and everyone crowds around the laptop.
9:15 Although averyone else has bailed, Neon, Bri and I decide to head downtown to party anyway.
10:15 We emerge from the train in beautiful downtown Chicago and, with a bit of help from a freindly fellow el passenger, now know exactly how to get to Navy Pier in the morning for the Expo. We hit Rock Bottom Brewery briefly, before heading out to decide where to spend the evening. We first decide to head to the Hard Rock Cafe, but on the way, I'm distracted by the apparently false memory of a really cool little blues joint down the street from Harry Caray's in the distance. Being unable to find said cool little blues joint, we decide to head to Harry's for a bit, before noticing that, well, hell, House of Blues is right down the street, so it's there we head for a night of blues and booze.
1:00am We decide that we should head out about 1:45 or so, in order to catch the 2:15 train back to the airport.
1:45am We order another round. What the hell, theres another train at
2:45....
2:15 We finally stagger out into the night, back to the train. I attept to guide us three safely down the sidewalk, being only partially successful in evading streetlights and such...
2:45 We plant our butts on the train, and Bri promptly falls asleep, sprawled over about 3 seats.
3:45 We arrive at the airport, and Neon goes to the courtesy phones to call for our shuttle. They tell her it'll be about 15 minutes.
4:00 No shuttle.
4:15 Neon goes to call again. Should be there soon, they say.
4:30 Finally, here it comes. We hop on board and go back to the hotel, arriving just a bit before 5am, I believe.