Big city, vibrant village vibe What’s the shopping like? Best after dark activity?
Daniel Thomas loves the world-class attractions, architecture and outdoors in his adopted city. But the people make it magical.
How long have you been here?
I originally came to Chicago by chance in 2007 after meeting the new owners of the Hancock Center at a conference in Malaysia. They asked me to evaluate their new purchase from a tourism perspective. I spent three days here and that’s when my love affair with Chicago started. I had a weekend to explore the city. The weather was beautiful, I was downtown, and I started to build a connection with the city and its people.
What do you do here?
The business of tourism has been my lifelong passion. I am the chief executive of TimeZoneOne, a fullservice global communications agency with 40 people in two countries specialising in tourism.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I am a workaholic and that’s been a really rewarding part of my life. Socially, I love spending time with friends and certainly my close friends here in Chicago. A lot of my life includes travel, so what brings it all together is being around quality people. I am a diehard ice hockey fan now – back home it was rugby. So you’ll see me at a lot of games.
What’s the local delicacy, and would you recommend it?
You’ve got to try deep-dish pizza because there’s nothing really like it anywhere else in the world. You know it’s a cross between a pie and a pizza. Chicago is also known for steakhouses as well which is something that New Zealanders would completely appreciate.
How expensive is it – how much is a beer?
On average a beer probably will cost you about US$3 (NZ$4.10) for a domestic. I’ve had this specific conversation with a lot of my New Zealand friends. It’s actually more cost effective for me to live in a city like Chicago than Wellington.
Easiest way to get around?
Quite honestly, taxi. Everything is a $5 to $7 cab ride in Chicago. There’s also great public transport. The ‘L’ can get you anywhere. The blue line can take you out of O’Hare and the orange line out to Midway for the mere cost of $5 each way. There’s great bike paths and it’s a great walking city as well with everything very centrally located. Shopping is world class. You can be on the Magnificent Mile and Oak St with all of the high-end retailers that you would experience in Paris or London, right through to the big box stores on State St. Outlet shopping is alive and well, too. Friends came to visit last year and said that they can’t believe they hadn’t done a shopping trip to Chicago. Now their annual trip will be to Chicago over New York. Going to a speakeasy in Chicago is always a great thing. One of my favourite spots is ‘‘Untitled’’ supper club – which has burlesque and 1930s entertainment vibes. If you want to go completely to the other end of the scale, visit Pippins or Streeter’s pubs which are always fun and eye-openers after dark.
Best time of year to visit?
Summer is great because people plan everything around summer in Chicago, but it can get warm. If you want that perfect weather, autumn in Chicago is just amazing. Not too hot, not too cold and really bright days with lots of street festivals.
What are the top three things you recommend for visitors?
I recommend an architecture tour on the Chicago River, a visit to the top of 360 Chicago or Willis Tower Skydeck. I always say do both during day and night because it’s a very different view. Lastly, visit one of the downtown rooftop bars in the summer or the autumn. It’s just a great way to get connected with the city and be social and get a real vibe of what’s going on.
What are the greatest advantages to living in Chicago?
Chicago has a little bit of everything and I think that really makes it a magical city to live and work in. The architecture, the outdoors and worldclass attractions. I like that from a business perspective it’s a big city and a small town combined – because of the people. I liken them to what New Zealanders are known for. We will walk into a bar and talk to anyone. We’ll create a conversation. We’ll stop and help people on the street who need directions. If you look at Chicago’s DNA, it’s international. It’s Chinatown, the neighbourhoods, the Polish community, the Irish community, and much more. It truly is one of those cities in the US that is representative of all nations in one location.
What are the disadvantages?
Winter is pretty brutal and completely unlike anything the typical New Zealander would experience back home. But you get acclimatised and you get to wear a different wardrobe!
Besides family and friends what do you miss most about home?
I certainly miss the coffee culture. Our definition of coffee culture is different from the American coffee culture. But it is getting better. Starbucks is making flat whites and Intelligentsia has a lot more locations with great flat whites that are equivalent to what we have back home. That’s the first thing I do when I land in Auckland – I go to the outdoor caravans outside the airport and order a flat white.
How easy is it for you to get back to New Zealand?
It’s becoming a lot easier. Air New Zealand launched Houston to Auckland nonstop so that actually takes about two hours off the journey to and from Chicago. It also has multiple options via Los Angeles or San Francisco. But in all it’s probably about a 20-22 hour flight by the time you manage connections and get to your final destination.
For Kiwis looking to move there, which industries are seeking fresh talent?
I’d say that the tech industry is a really big one and that [technology and entrepreneurship centre] 1871 is really the Silicon ValIey of Chicago and Illinois. The growth it’s had in the city has been phenomenal. I think the other is the tourism industry. Promoting the US as a destination is [will be] a critical economic driver.