Last work trip to Chicago
I wish I knew then that it would be the last time that I would travel for work.
All three of my visits to Chicago were in winter. Once in November, and twice in February. This last time, in February of 2020, before the pandemic took over our lives, was going to be the final time that I went anywhere on business for my former company. My role was specialized: a global communications position with an ad tech company. At the time, the company had 15 offices across seven countries, so I traveled quite a bit. I had big plans this year. My job would have taken me to London, Toronto, Bengaluru, and who knows where else. It never happened. Five months into the pandemic, I left the company.
Every time I go somewhere, whether it’s for business or leisure, I always pack my Konica Big Mini 201. The film camera is shaped like a bar of soap. It’s compact, easy to load, has over/under exposure settings, and is my trusted travel companion. In short, it’s fool proof. For my brief visit to the Windy City, I brought just a few rolls, and only managed to shoot one of them.
I should have taken more time to shoot, but there are always excuses. This time, it was too cold, I was too tired, I had too much work to do. The only photos I managed to snap were of my hotel room and walk to the office in the IBM Building next to Marina City.
The roll that made it through was an expired Kodak Tri-X 400TX that I got in a bundle of rolls in a trade for a Polaroid SLR 680. That trade still stings because I never got what was promised to me, but that’s another tale for another time.
The shots came out a bit grainier than I imagined, but I suppose I can’t ask for more from a roll that was at least five years expired. I didn’t change anything in the shooting or developing process.
My flight landed at O’Hare at around 10pm the night before and I was trying to meet up with my friend. We overlapped in the city just this one night as he was in town with a colleague for work as well. I took an Uber to the W Hotel, dropped off my bags, washed my face, and jumped back into the cold again.
I met them at Untitled Supper Club for an Old Fashioned and fries. They had already eaten dinner after getting away from their client and I wasn’t very hungry. I downed the drink, we chatted a while, then walked around in the cold, paying a quick visit to McDonald’s.
The next day, I was up early and ordered breakfast to the room. It was expensive, and I only expensed a portion of it to the company (I would have felt guilty). I put on my parka and hat, got my camera ready, and took shots along my walk. A few meeting, some project work, and an early exit later, I was in the hotel lobby eating some delicious dinner with another drink in hand. The next day, I was back on a plane heading home, with only 25 frames to show for it.
