I had the honor of visiting Chicago thanks to Tropicana bringing a group of writers out to the PepsiCo. Sustainability Center, their headquarters. They brought us out there to learn all about Tropicana, even answering our many reader questions. But that’s not all we did. They sure know how to show their guests a good time!

The group of writers included:
Michelle, Amy, Maridal, Melissa, Me, Kristen, Laural, Jenn, and Fitz

The James Hotel and Writer’s Dinner

We all stayed in the James Hotel in downtown Chicago, just blocks away from the Navy Pier. Our first night we mingled amongst the Tropicana officials and then they left us writers alone to have a private dinner together. The food was delicious and the company even more delightful. I’ll be honest, I was intimidated being around a bunch of health and fitness writers (Consumer Queen Melissa and I were the only general lifestyle writers) but they all were friendly, surprisingly down to earth, and not health maniacs like I had imagined. They live what they teach but with a healthy balance and low pressure on others. I made friends with every one of these lovely ladies and enjoyed my weekend with them.

Morning Workout

The morning was met with a private Core Fusion workout with instructor Nicole Romano Uribarri of Exhale Spa on the grassy rooftop of the PepsiCo. Sustainability Center. It was a tough workout, but Tropicana wanted to emphasize all aspects of healthy living, not just drinking orange juice.

Bespoke Cuisine Cooking Lesson

After the workout we were all ready for breakfast. We were treated to a cooking lesson at Bespoke Cuisine where we learned to make Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice inspired recipes. It was fun learning from a professional chef and then getting to eat the finished masterpiece.

Tropicana

With full, happy bellies, we returned to the PepsiCo. Sustainability Center to meet with all of the Tropicana officials:
Andrew Hartshorn, Tropicana marketing
Lindsay Williamson, Tropicana marketing
Joy Dubost, RD, PhD
Tim Carey, PepsiCo Sustainability
Steve Lezman, Government Affairs / Craftsmanship Expert
Rashmi Patel, Trop50 marketing
Josh Karpf, PepsiCo digital
Kathy Timperman, research and development
Gina Judge, Tropicana PR

We spent several hours learning and discussing everything you could imagine about Tropicana.

Zed 451 Dinner

That evening was the best treat of all. We had dinner at Zed451. It is a stunningly beautiful restaurant of modern design set up in an upscale buffet style. In fact, all of the meat was hand served to the table by chefs, a practice I’ve never seen before. It wasn’t meat on a plate. No, they would bring it out on a giant skewer and cut off pieces to each person that requested it. However, the highlight of the meal (other than the fabulous company) was the dessert. With so many options we all had to try a bite of most everything. We had s’more pie, red velvet cake, chocolate dipped strawberries, bread pudding, and so much more. If you are looking for a Chicago highlight eating experience, I definitely recommend Zed 451.

Hit the Club Scene

After dinner we were ready to hit the streets. A small group of us settled on the James Club (the club attached to our hotel). The trouble is we were out too early for the scene to be happening yet. So we sat and chatted as girlfriends. Funny enough, that was my first time to a club and I’ll admit it wasn’t that different than going to a restaurant. The difference was that there was a DJ, the music was way too loud (mostly being rap, which isn’t my thing), the place was dark, there were few tables but plenty of seating, and since there weren’t many people there the dance floor was bare and the air was without smoke. So I wasn’t impressed, but it was a decent hangout to get to know the girls better. Soon enough that early morning had caught up with all of us and instead of staying out all night we decided to turn in.

Chicago O’Hare Airport

The following morning we had a group breakfast and then it was off to the airport. I must say, my wait at the airport was pleasant discovering a dinosaur towering over the traversing passengers. It always amuses me when airports go above and beyond with interesting displays.

What Do You Recommend in Chicago?

I wish I had some time to sight see while I was there. The break between meetings and dinner could’ve been an opportunity, if I hadn’t been so tuckered out from the workout (and the lack of sleep from being so excited for this weekend). But I got a taste of Chicago and it has me hungry for more. Have you been to Chicago? Do you live in Chicago? What do you recommend I see the next time I am there?

*Chicago City Thumbnail (Original photo by Terence Faircloth , used under Creative Commons license.)
*All photos in post taken by Sarah Eve.