Chicago and the Long Goodbye
Since receiving the news last year that the Casual Market would be moving from Chicago to Atlanta in 2023, it has felt like the long goodbye to a city I love. When we received the news, Tim and I immediately began making our bucket list of things we felt were a must-do or a must-do-over before the end of the final market in September of 2022. If you are a regular attendee like us, I’m betting you’re doing the same and probably finding yourself reminiscing a bit on time spent at previous Casual Markets.
My first trip to Chicago was in 2005. I knew nothing of the Merchandise Mart, Casual Market, and for that matter, I didn’t know Tim. What I did know was I immediately fell in love with the city. It was a girls’ trip with my lifelong friend and our daughters who were ages 6 and 8 at the time. So of course, our first stop was American Girl! I found the city to be friendly, beautiful in its streetscape and architecture, and the food was incredible. I knew I’d make my way back.
Fast forward to 2016, Tim and I married, and I was thrilled upon learning about the opportunity to return to Chicago with him for pre-market. During this trip, I was introduced to the Merchandise Mart, its grand presence, and the buzz of the Casual Market. Though it was quite different from my first experience in the Windy City, I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with the manufacturers and reps we worked with. Upon returning home, I vowed to Tim that I’d be making every trip from there on out.
When the July of 2019 pre-market rolled around we decided to make a long weekend out of it and took my then 19-year-old daughter back for her second visit to the Windy City. I bet you can guess where she insisted our first stop with Tim would be? She knew he was well acquainted with the city, but having a son, he had not been introduced to the American Girl experience. He handled it well and the experience made me even more appreciative of the good sport I married and thankful for a man that loves my daughter as if she is his own.
At the most recent September market, the David Letterman in me felt the need to do a little poll of some of the folks that have regularly attended the Casual Markets through the years. I was curious if they had a bucket list as well and even more curious about some of their favorite memories.
Here are my favorite top ten memories from those I polled and not in any particular order:
Attending a Cubs game
Cool early morning runs along Lake Michigan and the smell of chocolate in the air
Retirement dinners for faithful employees and hearing their favorite stories from the road
Architectural cruises along the river
Celebrating my 50th Birthday in the city and on the same day the company we rep for won the Manufacturer of the Year Award...it was quite the celebration
Spending September 11, 2001, with colleagues congregating together to comfort one another and staying glued to the televisions in the hotel lobbies, and the unforgettable eerie silence in the Merchandise Mart and on the streets
Proposing to my wife at the top of the John Hancock Tower
The Apollo Banquets and celebrating the Life Time Achievements of those in the industry
Buying Garrets Popcorn immediately upon arriving at the airport
Relationships built with the amazingly talented and professional people who own, manage and work at the Merchandise Mart
Are you catching the same common theme here as me?
The memories we carry are more often than not memories of time spent with others. We will definitely miss the Windy City, but there are still many memories to be made at future markets and in a new city. I have no doubt these memories will include time well spent with colleagues that have become dear friends, and oftentimes feel like family.
