Microsoft Ignite 2024 – The Chicago Adventure

This post is part of a series of posts about Microsoft Ignite 2024. In this post I’ll let you in on my sightseeing experience during the week. This series is all about Microsoft Ignite beyond the technical parts, perhaps mostly for me to remember, perhaps a fun read for someone else. See my post with highlights from a Power Platform perspective if you’re only here for such content!

Full series
Microsoft Ignite 2024 – The Story
Microsoft Ignite 2024 – The Lab Experience
Microsoft Ignite 2024 – Beyond the Highlights
Microsoft Ignite 2024 – The Chicago Adventure

Also see the Microsoft Ignite 2024 – Highlights post, Power Platform and related.

The Chicago Bucket List

I had a Chicago bucket list prepared, did I do/see it all, no, but below are my tips if you only have one day in Chicago!

• Go visit the “Bean” (or you’ve not visited Chicago)
• Take pictures with the Bean Chicago skyline (or you were never there)
• Walk the River Walk (or miss a famous one)
• Take a river cruise (or miss skyscrapers from river side)
• Go up the Willis Tower (or miss The Ledge)
• Visit a rooftop bar (or miss rooftop experience)
• Experience the deep-dish pizza (or you’ve not visited Chicago)
• Don’t compare it with other pizzas (or get confused)
• Have a Chicago-style hot dog (or miss toppings)
• Visit a popcorn store (or miss Chicago-style popcorn)
• Just walk around in the Loop (or miss random cool buildings, theaters etc.)
• Plan for rapid weather changes (or get surpriced)

Cloud Gate “The Bean”

Located in Chicago’s downtown Loop, the Bean is found in the Millennium Park. Cloud Gate is its original name and it was the only place I felt I could not miss while being in Chicago. The Bean became my sightseeing start and almost the end too. One of the below is fake.

The River Walk

From the Bean you can easily walk to the river and do the famous River Walk. Other places easily accessible from the Bean are the Maggie C Daley park, Grant Park with the Buckingham memorial fountain and nearby you’ll also find the Art institute of Chicago. I attended a river cruise, thank you Jon Leveque and DocuSign for that! The below pictures are from my walk though.

Willis Tower

Willis Tower is also just a walk away from the Bean. I really wanted to end my week at the Bean by night. Seemed like a perfect end of the week since it was also the start of it. However, a Christmas Concert stopped us from making it. Too crowded in the streets. Instead we went to Willis Tower by night which probably was an even better choice and over there we found a picture of the Bean instead. Willis Tower was amazing in the afternoon / evening!

Downtown – The Loop

You can easily walk around in the most central parts and experience downtown. Also a bit outside of it, e.g. to the Navy Pier. I almost walked there on my one day of sightseeing (until I noticed I had not taken the best way by foot and turned around ). Knowing that the Microsoft Ignite After Party was going to be at the Navy Pier I waited for that instead. Then the bus shuttles took us to Navy Pier from the venue. It’s probably worth a visit during daytime, I only saw it by night.

Below are random pictures. From a cloudy early conference morning to a conference evening and skyscrapers by night and a bit of in between. I captured autumn and other nature motives too

Fun fact: I did not plan this but apparently, I ended up booking a hotel room at THE most haunted hotel in Chicago. I did not have too many unexpected experiences during my stay though, so all good. Perhaps you got to believe in it to see it!

Here’s my last tip – Make sure to have a multiple award/medal winning powerlifter nearby, in case you accidentally end up in the wrong place at the wrong time out on the streets in the evening. Honestly, stay safe!

This was the last post about my Microsoft Ignite 2024 experience, beyond the technical parts. Thanks for reading!

Original Post https://carinaclaesson.com/2024/12/18/microsoft-ignite-2024-the-chicago-adventure/