Sunday, October 19, 2014

Chicago, IL: Graphic design, Navy Pier, and grilling – Day 3



Rise and shine for another day. Breakfast at the Chicago Marriott was wonderful again with a Denver scramble, herby sausage, fresh fruit, cinnamon sugar donut holes, and bakery fresh blueberry muffin. I think I had a good mix of protein and carbs to keep me going until lunch. The conference day started out with a Keynote by Lynda Weinman, (co-founder of Lynda.com and every graphic designers’ hero), followed by 5 Essential Effects in InDesign and Accessibility and PDF: What You Need to Know. Breakout sessions followed and I sat in on these: Illustrator and Photoshop: Awesome Effects Using Our Two Favorite InDesign “Add-ons” and Catch Their Attention: What’s New in Print Today. It must have been Italian Day for lunch as the afternoon snacks were cannolis and tiramisu. Mille Gratzie! The conference ends every year with Q&A and, of course, prizes. Unfortunately, I didn’t win but there were a bunch who did.

We still had a few hours of daylight left and hopped on the free trolley service to Navy Pier. I’ve seen Navy Pier numerous times from the John Hancock Center Observatory (now called 360° Chicago), but never had time to go. The trolley route is a loop from Navy Pier with stops at Peshtigo Street, McClurg Court, Fairbanks Street, St. Clair Street, Michigan Avenue, Rush Street, CTA Station (Red Line), and Columbus Avenue. The summer service hours are long so you could spend the whole day at Navy Pier with lunch, activities and shopping, and dinner. With the sun starting to set in the west, Lake Michigan was sparkling as the waves lapped to shore. The Chicago skyline from the end of the pier was spectacular. I glazed back at the John Hancock Center. It still looked so tall even from this distance. The breeze from the lake was wonderful and we didn’t want to leave. But we had to get back to the hotel and freshen up before our dinner reservation.

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