Sweet Geneva, by Flavie Moadab

Flavie’s post

Sweet Geneva

On this cold March day of Chicago, the Safari group left Chicago to visit Geneva (http://www.geneva.il.us/), a beautiful place near the windy city.

This day was a special sweet and chocolate day. As we went off the train we arrived in the typical Geneva streets which definitively make the charm of this place. 

We went to Graham’s Chocolate Factory (http://www.grahamschocolate.com/) were we met the owner Bob Untiedt. It’s a very nice and welcoming place, where we tasted excellent chocolate. We then left to a cupcake store, the Sugar Path, where we met the two sisters who run that business. We also tried a few samples of their delicious patisseries. Busy day, we then left to the Herrington Inn hotel (http://www.herringtoninn.com/), a very European style place. The manager Jennifer Piazza welcomed us and made us a tour of the hotel.

What was the most important thing about those visits is the quality of all the products used by the different speakers. For example Graham’s, Moveable Feast but also Valerie Beck pays a lot of attention to their products: they must be local sometimes and come from fair trade businesses. That’s how; we discovered a main problem of the chocolate supply chain: sending the chocolate from the farms to the US. Chocolate is a sensitive product that needs the right temperature to maintain its high quality: not too warm and not to cold. That’s how Professor Beck had a lot of trouble bringing her chocolate back to the US, but with time and researches she found the best delivery company. It’s funny because it’s one of the main parts of the chocolate business in fact, bringing the coco beans to your firm but it’s probably one of the parts we all tend to forget, and it’s not the less complicated!

Around noun we went to a very nice authentic and vegan restaurant were we had lunch all together and the mayor M. Burns, a special guest, joined us to talk to us about Geneva. After that, we went to the Jane Pabon Boutique, a cute clothes shop, just before taking the train back to Chicago. This visit at the store taught me something I wasn’t really aware of: all the businesses here in Geneva work together. Which means that in this boutique you could have some chocolate from Graham’s as a gift for purchases. All businesses work together because as we were told, if one business works, all businesses will work and that how Geneva attracts the clients. It’s really interesting how this city created a community that supports each other; I think their economy based on trust and quality (of products and services) should be a model for every city worldwide.

It was a busy and interesting day we will all remember. I still think that I have two favorite parts: the Graham’s products because I really enjoyed their delicious chocolate but also the kindness of the whole family and also the speech we had about the businesses helping each other in Geneva.

Arty Day, by Moheli Hamidi-Oliva

Mohéli HAMIDI-OLIVA

Arty day

On Tuesday, had a great experiences about Art buisinesses and Architechure.  Generally, I am in love with all kind of Art.  Petra Bachmaier welcome us in the Columbia’s gallery were she exposed some of her work. She had an impressive personality because she spoke quietly and she looks shy but as she talk we discover the famous artist and the great business woman. She told us she doesn’t need to advertise, this is people who come to her. I love her work on the light because it’s funny,  beautiful and pure in the same time. 

Later, we ate at Toni’s patisserie and to the Chicago’s Cultural center were we discover a classic architectural things of this city : ceilings. They are always ornate by stone and mosaique. I was impress by the stained glass Tiffany’s dome. The biggest she create. In the cultural center,  I enjoy Archibald Motley ‘s exhibition. The chicagoan had painted colorfull array of the 20’s and 30’s honorring the non-white culture. 

To conclude with a business touch, it was a pleasure to met DC Crenshaw and Mary Vallender. DC Crenshaw is the investigator of Fete and other business like 312 spirits. I learned from him to keep contact with people you met. For example send an email to say «  it was nice meeting you ». Mary is a real estate broker in @properties. She share with us an emotional professional courses. She advice to never give up as woman in business even if it is an hard and long work. 

Tuesday was an exiting day with many activities and new accknowlegdment. 

For more information about our visit :
http://www.luftwerk.net
http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_culturalcenter.html/
http://www.efete.net 
http://www.312spirits.com/index_age.php
http://www.atproperties.com/agents/3060/mary-vallender

The Fashion Day, by Moheli Hamidi-Oliva

Mohéli HAMIDI-OLIVA

The fashion day 

Hi everyone ! 

Let me introduce our first excursion day about the business of fashion, branding and merchandising with style.  After a short debrieffing at the buckingham we went to J.Crew shop at the 900 North Michigan mall . We were welcomed with donuts from do-rite and cofee donuts accompagned by hot chocolate. A warm atmosphere to start the week ! 

Erin the J.crew’s manager was proud to annouce us that her brand expanding fronteer and had oppened a shop in Paris  and in Canada. When she told that to the class she were doing networking.  Why ? She alarms us that her shop is now in Paris, our city and that the brand grows. 

Moreover she anounces that J.crew launch a babybrand and an e-shop.  The e-shop permit to touch more people and find new consumers all over the world. Erin’s personal strategy for her shop is to be as closer as possible from her consumers is to send e-mail and do personal shopping . Then consumers talk about the brand and create networking because the brand take care of us. She also organize event to present new collection to some company like mastercard, and charity event. This is a smart way to touch lot
of people in same time.  Erin combine promotion, client care and networking in the same time. 

After the talk, we reiceved lovely gift from 900 North Michigan wich are passport pocket it was time to do our proper net working. I visited l’occitane a brand from south France.  Melissa, the manager, told us about the street marketing benefits. A way to create network ! Then we went to Frankie’s pizzeria to enjoy a great lunch.  There Nicki Brashear join us to explain our blogger job and the way she create network. 

Nicki loves her job, and she spend lot of time on the social media. This is her best way to create network because social media are like big word of mouth.  When she start she look about people to work with her and to write on. Thanks to her big network people come to her. She looks about little and originals designers. She launch her own e-shop in partnership with local designers. Nicki said this is the best way to make the difference the other blogger and to touch more people. 

To ending our day properly, we went to taste chocolate in a beautiful shop. There is a famous champaign in but it taste to strong for me.

This day I learned the signification of the word networking wich means connect with people and there is many way to network : from personal care to huge network event. I want to insist on the miracle of internet : e-shop and social media are the bestway to network instead me.

For more information about our visit : 
http://www.shop900.com
https://www.jcrew.com/index.jsp
http://fashionista-chicago.com  
http://www.teuscher.com

The Business of Chocolate: Geneva Getaway, by Lea Steiner

The Business of Chocolate: Geneva Getaway

 

During the last excursion of the week we discovered the business of chocolate. 
So we met at 8 o’clock at the lobby to go to take the train. We arrived at 10 o’clock in Geneva Gateway. 

The first stop was in “Graham’s”. It is a family’s company. The father built this business 27 years ago. Moreover they have three different shops in the city: one where you can see the production, another one where you can take a coffee and ice cream and the last one is just to buy chocolate. They want to keep this business small. They have a real important value: the integrity.  In the business of chocolate there is one thing who’s really complicated: the supply chain management. You are dependent of the cocoa’s production, so their price too. They explained to us it is really important to establish a contract to have the same price during six month for example. They have to do this because if the price increase too much they are going to spend too much money in the cocoa beans. 

I really enjoyed this first stop because when you come in this little house you can see the production, you can smell chocolate and obviously they all are very nice.

The second stop was in “Sugar Path”. It is also a family’s company because the owner are two sisters. They are very complementary because one is more creative and the other one is more sociable. We ate little cupcake and it was very delicious. We had a guest speaker who’s Valerie Beck. She spoke to us about the cocoa beans and her business. 

Then we had a surprise. We visited a very great hotel “The Herrington”. It is the most famous in this little city. They showed us a typical suite.

And finally we went to a pretty veggie restaurant.  

During this day we ate a lot of really good chocolate: Ice cream, cupcake, cookie… But my favorite degustation was in the first stop because we ate something special. It was a bretzel buxom of chocolate. It was so delicious!!

Finally I really enjoyed this excursion. Geneva is a really cute city and despite its little size the different business of the city work very well. The different business we saw find their own marketing to attire and keep their customer. 


Some links:
http://www.geneva.il.us/  
http://www.grahamschocolate.com/
http://thesugarpath.com/
http://www.herringtoninn.com/

Graham's Production

Bretzel's production

Sugar Path: their cupcake are so delicious!!

Sugar Path: They make a lot of different cake.

The Herrington: a very calm place

Little snack at the hotel

Finally the lunch. It was really good and healthy 

by Maxime Boccara

 We have learn this day about the difficulty to have good cacao beans in the world. The first thing we wanted to know is why? Here is the answer I was tell.

The first thing you have to know is that cacao beans is a very fragile plant it need humidity and a specific climate that make this very difficult to move. You can see a drawing of a cacao bean supply chain. It is very complex and if only one thing go wrong all the production is lost.
 Moreover, the cacao bean production originally from South America move to Africa where some slaving of children are done. Like their price are lower the sell more and also to big company like Nestlé. 
 Hopefully solution exist. For the transportation, some container are made to transport this kind of product. And some company are specialized in the transportation cacao beans. For the quality A great amount of label exist to protect the fair trade of the cacao beans. That show the quality of the cacao but also that there is no slave and every one get a decent paid. 

 

We had the whence to test good chocolate and today my preferred culinary creation was the chocolate pretzel from graham. Because of the explosion of savor that I love sugar and salt in culinary but I never taste something so good. Moreover graham use good cacao beans which can be feel during the degustation



 

The thing what shock me positively in this small town is the solidarity between all the people from their community. They are very close each other, for example the mayor is someone approachable you can easily speak to him in the street. We can see also business like graham give so much to their community, and I think they show me the meaning of a sentence in my religion which said, the amount of the gift is not primordial it’s what it means for you. Grahams give every day for the community. For me it’s a very noble action. 

The Business of Chocolate, by Alice Henry

Alice Henry

The Business of Chocolate

 

Thursday, March 26 we went to Geneva, IL a little city near to Chicago. When we arrived, I was surprised by the charm of this city and the population who was very welcoming.

The first place that we visited was a firm of chocolate named Graham’s who is managed by a man and all his family. We discovered a lot of original chocolate creations and we learned about how running a business like this. And as every business, it can happen problems. They must be very careful about the origin of chocolate, in what condition it was grown, if the temperature was good and if there is a problem they need to find an alternative like find another supplier. Another problem is the price of the cocoa beans because it’s very expensive so usually they need to negotiate, for example, they can make an agreement with other business to buy cocoa beans in large quantities and bring them in containers.

The second place where we went was another store The Sugar Path that sell chocolate products, like cupcakes. The manager spoke to us about her experience and how she built her business with her collaborator. After we went to a prestigious hotel The Herrington located next to the Fox River that we have had the privilege to visit. Then the manager spoke to us about how manage a hotel, that everything must be perfect for customers, they have strict schedules…

 

During this day, we met others important persons like the mayor of the city, the owner of a restaurant and two fashion designers who created their business.

I was impressing about the motivation and the willingness of these people who had the courage to set up their business. The courage to say, “If I want I can” and just realize their dreams. Like our professor Mrs. Beck said to us, even if you have problems and even if sometimes things don’t happen as you wanted, you must persevere in what you really want and never give up. Thanks to this day, I learned a lot about how build its own business. About Geneva, I found this city very pleasant, all the houses aligned with a clean garden as we can see in American movies. The other thing that moved me is fraternity between the resident of the city. Everyone knows and help each other. There is a good atmosphere; and I really want to go back for a weekend.

 

 

My favorite culinary creations this day were the chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels. I had never tasted before and I found it was delicious especially the mixture of salt and sugar with the pretzels.

Welcome to Geneva, by Adam Bensadok

Welcome to Geneva

At the beginning, I want to say thank you for this day. It was wonderful, for the emotions as for the taste.

The first meeting was at Grahams, a chocolate factory. It’s a family owned business that contains 3 shops. Bob runs the business with his daughters which are in charge of the Marketing and the Accounting departments. 

1. Bob, the owner of the shop explain that the main problem is to know whether the chocolate comes from viable sources meaning that the coco beans are not produced by child labor exploitation. The solution to remedy this problem would be to make sure that good chocolate are certified. 

http://www.grahamschocolate.com

2. My

favorite

creation was

by Sugar

Path, it was a

chocolate

cupcake. In

France t’s not

usual to sell

cupcakes

because it is

not a product

of our culture.

3. At the end of the day, we have met the mayor of Geneva. His name is Kevin Burns. He is 50 years old, he explained the different event of Geneva. The event who shocks me; it s « Geneva Concours d’Elegance ». It’s a collection of classic and modern autos from across the country are display along the streets of downtown Geneva. It’s so amazing for me because I love classic car. It’s not a car built with a
plastic. It’s a car built with a wood and built with a hand. Every car is different. There is also a festival of the vine and Geneva Film Festival. 

http://www.geneva.il.us

 We also visited the Herrington Hotel, which is one the most luxurious hotel in Chicago and we had a wonderful meeting with the manager Jenifer Piazza. The building was restored in 2001. And I understand why you take holiday in this place. The owners live at the 4th floor. The atmosphere of this hotel is so peaceful.  We have learned how the Director uses her networking to send emails to her clients to wish them happy birthday and to offer them special offers on housing  

http://www.herringtoninn.com

The Business of Chocolate: Geneva Getaway, by Romain Saulot

SAULOT Romain 

Blog Post

Excursion: The Business of Chocolate, Geneva Getaway

What a wonderful day we had thursday ! Geneva is one of the cuttest city I have ever seen in my life. The contrast between Chicago and Geneva is huge but it just one hour of train so that’s really relaxing.

The first thing we did was to visit the Grahams’ chocolate shop. In Geneva this shop is an institution. It is set up since twenty-five years. It is a familly business in which everybody is fascinated by chocolate. They showed us differents machines by which they create the different products and then the father told us more about the marketing. For example, when we enter in the shop, there is a very strong chocolate smell. That’s totally intentional. Moreover, one of my classmate asked a very interesting question: are you sure that your chocolate come from a fair trade way ? He answered that the chocolate comes from different suppliers enrolled in a fair trade way of production. It was a very good moment to share with everybody and I am very happy to have discovered that place. 

Then we came to a bakery where we ate very delicous cupcakes. After a guest speaker talk, our professor, Valerie Beck, gave us cacao beans. It was the first time in my life that I tried and I don't like very much despite I love chocolate. 

The third place that we visited was a very fancy and elegant hotel. Many influent people have slept in that place. The manager of the hotel told us that the hotel's owner wanted to have a european design. It remembers me some hotels in Italia for example. 

We lunched in a vegetarian restaurant. It was the first time I ate vegetarian food. The fruits were excellent and we had the honor to taste the Oprah Winfrey's favorite brownie. It was delicious ! 

We had also a great surprise: the Geneva’s mayor came to the restaurant and talked with us about his role of mayor and what he has to do. 

In conclusion, it was a great day in Geneva. All the different places that we visited were interesting but my favorite was the Grahams’ chocolate shop with the Chocolate Bretzel. 

 

 

 

[additional photos coming soon]

Today was the Chocolate Day! by Clementine de Montille

T O D A Y   W A S    T H E    C H O C O L A T E    D A Y  !

   Shortly after our arrival in Geneva, we visited Graham’s Fine Chocolates where we met the owner Bob and his two daughters Jayni and Maddi.
From entering in the shop, we saw that the chocolates pastries were homemade. We could smell the sweet odor of chocolate. We had the chance to test products, and the chocolate pretzel was one of my favorite culinary creations today! 

  I had the opportunity to ask Bob what were the worst supply chain problems and he told me that it was the price. The chocolate supply chain includes everybody who plays a part in producing chocolate. To achieve it, he has to work with different suppliers to provide cocoa beans. The demand for cocoa beans is growing and consequently the price in considerably increasing.

To face this problem, he explained that the solution was to build a long-term relationship with the suppliers. This allows him to buy his raw materials to a uniform price in order to avoid market fluctuations.

 The company is involved in other companies to give money and help them in various field (humanitarian causes, churches, sport). Recently, they raised money for a company dedicated to cure people who have cancer. Bob told us that it’s a good way to create connection with people. It’s also efficient to do advertisement for the company. Another way to market the brand is to use social media. It brings visibility. The company uses Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Jayni is in charge of the marketing, including the brand’s designs image and Maddi is in charge of accounting. 

As they said, one of them save money and the other spend it! 
They are complementary, and both contribute toward achieving the same success. 

They told us that they well work internally and even if they come from the same family, they reap benefits. 

  Another important point is: how to know that the raw materials come from ethical sources? Bob answered that we must pay attention to labels and certification, to know were it comes from.

http://www.grahamschocolate.com

Then, it was in a Cupcake shop that Valerie Beck told us some secrets of her business!

We learned that cocoa bean began five thousand years ago. We can find it in remote areas of West Africa, South America, or Southeast Asia. A funny anecdote was the one about Lindt. In 1825, Mr Lindt let his mixer for three days with chocolate inside, and when he came back he saw that the taste had changed. 
It was the best chocolate he had ever eaten. 
It was viscous, and instead of being liquid it was solid. 

  Valerie Beck pointed out serious problems with the supply chain, which need to be changed. First of all, nowadays because of the climatic warming, the weather changes. 
It becomes warmer every day. However, cocoa beans like humidity. 

  Another important point is the ethical production. Chocolate can be made in wrong way such as child slave labor. Many children work in difficult condition instead of going to school. They are exploited. That’s why we should control that chocolate comes from ethical sources. One of the solutions is to look at the labels. As Valerie Beck said we must “ read between the lines “ to see chocolate’s origin. Chocolate has health benefits: it’s great for the health, the heart, and the skin! It’s an antioxidant, and a source of magnesium.

An important thing to remember more broadly from her business is about entrepreneurship. From her experience, when she started she had no customers and for her first chocolate tours nobody where here. However, she decided to start networking and to target the customers interested. She thought immediately about the farmers. They need her. Valerie Beck asked for a mentor on Michigan Avenue to help her.
Now, she has a big team, and she works internally with them communicating by skype once a month. When she travels, she uses networking to create contacts with people from different countries, to make her business known. 
We have to remember that we have to never give up. 


Then, we had the opportunity to visit the Herrington hostel where me met the manager Jenifer Piazza! 

She told us that every detail count in hospitality, in order to make the customer feels unique.  

She gave us example of social networking. In order to keep in touch with her customers, she uses emails.

When it’s a customer’s birthday she send an email to wish it and offers them a special pastry if they are here. 

As an example, she told us that a woman when she was young celebrated her birthday in Herrington, and few days ago she went there to celebrate her wedding. 

 It’s a good way to maintain a strong link between Herrington and customers. 

http://www.herringtoninn.com

Then, we ate at Moveable where Wendy did a brownie presentation. Our guest speaker was the Geneva’s mayor. He explained us how the businesses interacted each other and how Geneva was a special place.

https://www.moveablefeastgeneva.com

To end our day, we went in Jane Pabon Boutique, where Jane and Christina celebrated the creation of their business 6 years ago. It was interesting because they gave us advise about entrepreneurship. They told us we have to create our own business who passionate us. We have to follow our dreams and not follow our fears. Another point was about the Geneva city, they explained us every business shops are helping each other. If some customers are visiting their store, they would tell them to go see another fashion store in the street. There is not competition even if they work in the same field. It’s co-working!  It shows how to well work externally. 

From this day, “the lesson of life “ we should remember is that all of us should turn what we love, what we are passionate about into a successful business!  

The Social Justice Day, by Moheli Hamidi-Oliva

Mohéli HAMIDI-OLIVA

The social justice day 

[photos coming soon]

Wedesday,  the class and I met Mrs Beck in the Buckingam lobby at 9 :10 am for a totally different excursion than the other day. This day was de « Social Justice » day. 

We went to a very poor neighborwood wich is really unhabitual for us. It was cold and the weather was bad. This is not helpful to judge this place. There, the house had the same style than the other in Chicago but  their front are dirty, some windows broken and the frontyard are not maintained.  Sidewalk and road in those street are all broken  and you walk among the dug hole. Moreover  the trush aren’t collect. All that does’nt really surprise me. What strike me the most was habitants of this neighborhood. When they came back to their home and see our noisy class they stopped some minutes to observe us and go in their house. 

After we went to the visit NLEN / sweet beginings. This are social enterprise who permit to prisoners to be reinsert in society and obtain work. They produced honey, and this honey is use in their cosmetic brand.

At the lunch we met  Jonny Imerman the creator of Imerman Angels an association to help people with their cancer. One survivor support a person who is sick during the treatement. Those to business of social surprise me by their impact. Sweet beginings grew and need new lab office. Immerman angels is now famous and help people in all over the world even in France. This is thanks to their network. But social business have something more than normal business, this is solidarity. People talk and the world of mouth do the job.  For me the role of business in helping other had like said the director of Sweet begining tree dimensions : social, economics and productive. Because it pulls up people, it creates
money and  jobs and their is the goal to create product. 

To ending this day on a beautiful touch we went to see a flower and arty exhibition representing the biggest pintor in the world. 

For more information about our visit : 
http://www.sweetbeginningsllc.com
http://www.nlen.org
http://www.imermanangels.org
 

The Business of Art and Architecture, by Pierre Benaim

The business of Art and Architecture

 

Pierre Benaim

Tuesday March 24th

 

For me this day was the best of the week, because art and architecture are my two passions.

 

    On one hand, during the morning we visited an art gallery at the Columbia collège. We met Petra Bachmaier who in 2007 they formed Luftwerk creating a unified artistic vision that merges visual elements of light and projected video with sculptural facets of architecture and design. Moreover, she has us distribuate and makes discover a masterpiece which was set in front of the Cloud Gate. The picture of the cloud gate was extaordinary because photos were taken under different angle and with different effects i twas really beautiful. I love meeting like Petra Bachmeier because we can see what showed the artist.

 

    On the other hand, the lunch it was wonderful because Toni Patisserie it reminded me France (sandwiches, Small table, chair ...)

After the lunch, we went to the Chicago cultural Center to see the beautiful architecture inside the room. Furthermore if we observed well Furthermore if we observed many buddies French as Molière or Victor Hugo was engraved in the mosaic. Moreover A sentence which for me is important was marked in 14 languages (English, french, Latin, Hebreu, Grec, Egyptian, Arabic ...) « Les mortels sont égaux, ce n’est pas la naissance c’est la seule vertu qui fait la différence » translate in English « Mortals are equal, it is not birth but only virtue that makes the différence » Voltaire
The sentences were registered in a room, and this So the room itself was designed as a library within a library, where anyone in the world could read and be inspired.     

In the same place we met one of our guestspeaker D.C Crenshaw who tell us his background and his profesional route this men is a very great storyteller, we had the impression to be there.

 

For the last excursion of the day we was on the 52th floor of a building in a amazing apartment. the real estate agent who accompanied told us that tis building is the best place to live in Chicago because he view in one of the best. Moreover, for buy or rent an apartment she told us that now the real state agent check increasingly the life of the buyer like their jobs, their bank account...). I have to find it very interesting.

 

To conclued, this day was amazing for me because this day gathered all that I love.

 

Hyperlinks : http://www.colum.edu/adgallery/    MARYVALENDER.COM

by Arthur Bergeret

First of all I would to say thank you for those excursion, which was really interesting. We could discover place and things that we couldn’t see on our own.

I am in charge of the post about art and architecture. I am very interested in art that is why I have chosen this subject. It is very important for me. I think that art can transmit a strong message and gather people. And of course it allows knowledge and open-minded.
We discovered a white gallery of Columbia University. The subject was monochrome white.

I enjoyed the game of the two lights, different colors and different perception.
We met an interesting artist, really passionate about her job, which is instead a passion than a job.

I liked the work she did with light at the cloud gate, really beautiful and impressive.

Secondly we went to the cultural center; we saw a beautiful old building with mosaic. 
We met a nice guy who told his story, and I realized that ambition is really important. If you want something you can build it. But you have to work hard to realize your dream.
He built his business alone and succeeds with ambition. I think he is an example of entrepreneur with motivation. He told us that you need to have a good networking.

Finally we finished our journey by a visit of a luxury apartment at the 52nd floor. A crazy beautiful flat with an amazing view to the Lake Michigan and millennium park. 
We met a really nice woman with a particular career, first she wanted to become veterinary then chemist and finally real estate. She told us an important value, help people without expecting something back.

Tuesday, March 24, by Romain Saulot

The theme of the day was the architecture.

During the morning we visited an art gallery at the Columbia College. Then, Petra Bachmeier joined us to speak with us about art. She showed us one of her masterpiece which was set in front of the Cloud Gate. This masterpiece was full of lights and differents geometric forms. What inspired me is the fact that even by seeing the photos in the book I could feel the different moves of light so I can imagine what it would have been in real. 

After a beautiful and very delicious lunch at Toni Patisserie, we went to the Chicago Cultural Center (the former Chicago Public Library) to see the beautiful architecture inside the different rooms. It was very beautiful. Different green shades of mosaic and a lot of windows to let the light enter in the room. Moreover, we saw a painting show in a beautiful room with large spaces. 

In the same place, we met one of our guestspeaker, D.C. Crenshaw. A very nice man and a great storyteller. 

The last excursion of the day was on the 52nd floor of a building in a beautiful appartment with a insane view on the Michigan Lake. The real estate agent told us that this building is one of the best place to live in Chicago because the view is protected. Indeed, thanks to its locatin, no other buildings can be built and hide the view. 

To conclude, it was a very interesting day with a lot of things to discover and very nice guest speakers.