“My first day in Chicago was September 4, 1983. I set foot in this city, and just walking down the street, it was like roots, like the motherland. I knew I belonged here.” —Oprah Winfrey
I’d heard only wonderful things about Chicago so I was beyond excited to finally check it out and teach The Blogcademy in the windy city. Between the impeccable manners, indulgent food (Cookie skillets?! Yes, please!) and a truly awesome skyline, it was a great place to call home for the week.
We held our class at Enerspace which is a massive co-working space with a super accommodating staff — if you have an event coming up, I highly recommend it! I couldn’t stop peeking out the window during breaks. Chicago is so massive that we only scratched the surface of its neighborhoods during our stay.
Our ladies and gents are always so stylish — I love that they’re not shy about rocking their rad sense of personal style.
After some last minute decor touches, we kicked off class. On time. Normally, our blogcadettes are busy chatting and snapping photos so that’s a total rarity. But then again, midwesterners are known for their perfectly on-point manners!
One of the best parts about hitting the road with The Blogcademy is getting to meet so many of you in person. I’d known Clayton online for years and was so pumped to hear that he had finished high school the day before we kicked off class and even better, was joining on his birthday! Go, Clayton!
That could only mean one thing: celebrations were in order and it was time for donuts!
“Let me tell you something. I’m from Chicago. I don’t break.” —Barack Obama
While our Chicago group was incredibly polite and soft-spoken, they were also whip-smart and razor focused. In between blowing confetti, they took their learning and note taking very seriously!
Sponsors
Love Ideas Ink provided us with these fun greeting cards — there’s nothing quite like sending a card with a handwritten note to someone you love.
A little inspiration goes a long way and these Ladybird Likes keychains are a great visual reminder.
I LOVED these arrow pins by Art School Dropout! During our class, I spotted them on bags, in hairdos and even attached to sneakers.
Mad Bijou surprised everyone with disco glitter necklaces!
My personal belief is that you can never have too many notebooks. This selection, complete with colorful pages by Ribbon Squirrel was wonderful.
Life On Mars Vintage provided us with these chic scarves covered in illustrations of Marilyn Monroe!
There are so many technical details to learn when it comes to blogging and WordPress For Beginners makes it a cinch to learn the ropes.
In our classes, glitter ears are a necessity. Crown and Glory always delivers!
Class Photo
Thanks to BTriz Collections, we each had a pack of confetti waiting in our goodie bags. Seriously, this group was so much fun and up for all of our wacky prompts!
Special Thanks
Thank you to our our super sweet, accommodating intern, Carrie who is quite the world traveler. We originally met her in our London class, then she moved to San Francisco and then she trekked all the way out to Chicago to assist us. Whew!
We totally fell in love with the windy city. Chicago, your gracious Midwestern manners are what a teacher’s dreams are made of. Lots of love to ya!
See You In Europe!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta fly through a whole lot of report cards — our European dates are quickly approaching! Join us in London, Berlin or Amsterdam for two days of blogging strategy, confetti and a whole lot of fun. Hope to see you there!
Venue: Enerspace
Photographer: Mysi Finlay of Soda Fountain Photography.
