Traveling in a suitcase

Last November 07, I left for Chicago, USA, on a trip sponsored by Cathay Pacific (CX) to introduce their new direct-Chicago route. It was such a short trip for a long-haul destination – exactly five (5) days in Chicago, with the fifth day having us going to the airport by 11:30am for our 2pm flight to Hong Kong.

This Chicago route requires an overnight stay in Hong Kong (I am told that this is a free accommodation with the ticket) both ways. Hence, we were advised to pack a cabin carry-on, as our accompanying luggage would be checked through to Chicago. Indeed a cabin luggage was in order as we were to change to winter wear upon arrival in the Windy City, which showed temperatures of 15 to 0 degree Celsius!

I packed my winter overcoat, boots and thermals along with my overnight essentials in my cabin carry-on – which got me in a bind on the way home (O’Hare Airport) as its width would not fit the required size! It fitted well though when I placed in the overhead compartment in Economy. Lesson: Get a slim sized carry-on to avoid problems!

Hurrying to catch our airport pick up (also part of the overnight stay) after a good breakfast at Headland Hotel, located in the Cathay Pacific City complex, I inadvertently left my new black embroidered blouse where I hanged it in the room. Unfortunately, I was not able to retrieve it as there was no report in Housekeeping when I tried to check during our overnight stay on November 13.

We changed hotels every day in Chicago, with the Hilton as our official host for our accommodations. We even had an escort from Hilton International – Anthony Legaspi (a Filipino based in Hong Kong) – who made sure that we checked in without any hitches at all the Hilton properties. Thanks for the fun time, Anthony!

Nov 08, we checked in at the charming Drake Hotel, located right next to the beach – the shoreline of the mighty Lake Michigan. I had a very spacious suite with a dining table for 4 and a king bed. The vintage decors were a delightful welcome to cold Chicago. It was a good thing that all the Hilton hotels we stayed in were on the Golden Mile – Chicago’s chic shopping district. I rushed to buy thick pants at Bloomingdales – across the street from the hotel – as I huddled under my umbrella in the rain.

Nov 09, we transferred to Conrad Chicago after a morning city tour that ended in a much-appreciated lunch in Chinatown, courtesy of our gracious land arranger Eugene Cheng of Unilink Travel California. That evening, Cathay Pacific – our tour escort is no less than Cebu CX Manager Maggie Wong with Connie Cimafranca – hosted dinner at the world-renowned steak house Morton’s of Chicago. Co-hosted by our other escort Anthony of Hilton International. Thank you for the chi-chi evening with those huge portions we had such a hard time finishing.

Nov 10, we headed for outlet shopping after dropping our luggage at Hilton’s heritage property Palmer House. Need I say more on this activity? Suffice it to say that despite the hail in that outdoor shopping area (yes, it not only snowed, it hailed where the Factory Outlet was located outside of the city), we still persevered with our purpose: shopping. We had a fantastic dinner at an international buffet in Shaumburg called Royal Buffet.

Nov 11, we transferred to Hilton Chicago at the other end of the Golden Mile and near the Art Museum. This was our only free day. So, I met up with my cousin Menchu Angbetic and her classmate Angelica “Tata” Borromeo. We had a great time at the Planetarium, after a sumptuous dimsum lunch in Chinatown. The night was spent packing until 2am. (The toys I had to unpack & repack took forever!)

Nov 12 was traveling day and unlike the Cebu-Hongkong-Chicago route where we were pampered in the new CX Business Class, we had to settle down in Economy as Business Class was full. We were however on Business Class from Hong Kong to Cebu.

My prolonged jetlag, which started in Chicago, I could not keep in my suitcase. It stayed with me for a week after I arrived.