Elements of User Experience Workshop, River North, Chicago

Merchandise Mart & Brown Line, River North, Chicago

Sculpture on LaSalle Street, River North, Chicago

Monk’s, The Loop, Chicago

Yesterday I had training with Jesse James Garrett at the Institute of Design at IIT. If you didn’t know better you’d think I was stalking him or something since I just saw him speak a couple weeks ago. That was just an hour on branding, though and this was a full day covering the elements of user experience, the visual vocabulary, the 9 pillars, and where the future is heading.

Since we were so close, at lunch I stepped into the Merchandise Mart just to see what it was like. The first two floors that are open to the public are basically a big food court and a couple of card stores. And a post office.

After training, Adaptive Path hosted drinking at Monk’s. This was a chance to network and to talk with Jesse. Also a chance to drink to many beers for free, which I did.. and now I’m hoping I didn’t say anything I’ll regret since Jesse was at our table for most of the night. I think I’m ok. Uh, I hope.

Btw, the restroom stalls at Monk’s had this weird toilet seat cleaner in them. Has anyone seen this before? It seems like something I would never do. Gross. Why not just have the paper toilet seat covers?

Coming out of the bar at about 9pm it reeked like burning rubber from the fire in the LaSalle Bank Building around the corner.