Illinois: Back to the Start

Road life started for us in Schaumburg, Illinois on Memorial Day 2012.

We checked into the Hyatt Place after a five-day weekend of tent camping at Pine Lake in Wisconsin.  Going from one to the other was a stark contrast.

The hotel felt cushy after being at a campsite with no electricity or running water.  We camped neither "off the grid" nor in a camper.  The hotel was much more convenient by comparison, but it was day-to-day life that contrasted most.

Camping, we made all our meals.  At the Hyatt, there was no kitchenette or microwave.  We couldn't make food.  We had to eat at restaurants for every meal, except weekday breakfasts.  (The food on weekends sucked).  It got expensive and unhealthy.

We cleaned and maintained our own campsite, but housekeeping cleaned and maintained at the Hyatt.  Most days, I left the "Do Not Disturb" sign up.  It was uncomfortable having people clean up after us.

SB's family and family-friends were camping, which made for a lot to do and a lot of fun.  At check-in, we were alone.

Our room at the Hyatt Place was very trendy.  The decor was modern; the TV and couch were large; and the internet was faster, too.  We were comfortable.

"Fast internet and big couches!  It's nicer than our apartment."

SB worked in the main office in Des Plaines during this time.  She'd take the car, which left me to explore what was in walking distance.

IKEA and Woodfield Mall (the 11th largest mall in the U.S.) bordered the Hyatt Place on both sides.  I'd walk to IKEA and design a hypothetical home.  Sometimes, I'd go to Woodfield Mall for lunch and window shopping.  It got old quick.

The view from our hotel room a.k.a. the IKEA parking lot.

My favorite activity, though, was people watching.

We got to know the front desk staff at the Hyatt pretty well.  We'd talk about family, work, and sports.  It was all very casual.  The other guests, however, were the real entertainment.

The Hyatt Place attracted people from all over the world for many different reasons.  People attended seminars, met for job interviews, or came for the shopping.  One group of guests caught my interest early, and I created a story for their visits.  They were the construction shoppers.

The construction shoppers pulled up to the hotel in trucks with out-of-state plates, usually towing a trailer with their remodeling or construction company's logo on it.  They'd arrive at night with empty vehicles.  By the next afternoon, they'd leave with stacks of IKEA boxes.

My theory was that they swooped in, bought up popular home decor and installed it as part of their business.  It was a smart business strategy, because IKEA is inexpensive and fashionable.  The construction shoppers could charge their customers double what it cost them to buy, transport, and install.

Again, this was just a theory about the people I watched.  That's the majority of what people watching is, though, guessing about the lives you see from a distance.

After two months at the Hyatt Place, it was time to move on to SB's training assignment in Toledo, Ohio.  She went there ahead of me for a couple weeks, so that I could attend my best friend's wedding in Janesville.

When I got here, it was more like the road experience I expected but with less of the inconveniences.