Right now, I'm sitting at O'Hare airport and reflecting a bit about my stay in Chicago. This is my second visit here and I like it even more after this trip.

I'll start with the little things that made my stay exceptional.
* My hotel. It was $10 more than where I stayed at in Baton Rouge and the total opposite. Assigned to the Bellagio of the South, a.k.a the Dis-Comfort Inn, outside of a comfy bed, it was a dump. The people there were more than nice and made me feel at home as much as possible.
Here, the Renaissance O'Hare was bordering on luxurious. The staff bent over backwards, and with the exception of some bad directions, acted as if they were my personal staff.
* Dinning. This was my birthday weekend and as a gift, I was given a dinner at Harry Caray's steakhouse. I have two words for you: Holy Cow. Another two? Poterhouse steak. It was truly one of the best meals I had ever had. No worse than top three. It's up there with Juban's in Baton Rouge and Delmonico's in Las Vegas.
The staff followed up my great steak with a key lime cheesecake. The wait staff came out and said, "It might be, it could be, it is! Holy Cow! Happy Birthday!"
* Entertainment. After dinner, a trip over to the famed Second City Comedy Club was in order. I love laughing, so checking out some of the best up-and-coming comedians was a can't-miss for me. Two hours later, Second City delivered the laughs I wanted.
This leaves me with one question: Why isn't the Big East Tournament held here? I understand proximity to the team whose fans travel the most, as well as proximity to the league headquarters in Providence, but this place needs to be given a good, hard look.
Accomodations aren't hard to find, games can be played at AllState Arena, where DePaul's men's team plays and with so much to do here, events can be planned around and tailored for the tournament.