A few weeks ago, my husband suggested we fly to Chicago for the day. Knowing my travel plans for the rest of the year didn’t include my favorite city, I agreed, even though I typically shy away from the impulsive. After all, flights were cheap and the trip is a short ride.

In a moment of haste to book flights, I conveniently forgot how early my husband likes to arrive at the airport, which is how I found myself unhappily awake at 2:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning for a 6:00 a.m. flight. Once through security and having met up with our travel companions, though, I perked up. We boarded our flight, and I ordered a cocktail and settled in for few episodes of True Blood.

After a smooth landing at O’Hare, we took the train into the city, where we were met by a chilly rain. Not quite ready to let the weather dampen our spirits, we grabbed donuts and coffee and set out to see Draft Town. The NFL Draft is one football event I always catch on TV, so I was happy our visit coincided with the event’s last day. People of all ages were flocking to Grant Park, despite the showers, which were now a torrential downpour. We checked out all the merchandise stalls and activities offered, caught a few pictures and wandered over to where the actual filming takes place. We were even able to head backstage for a closer look, thanks to one gracious NFL employee.

The rest of the day was spent walking the city, visiting a few favorite spots (like Millennium Park), chowing down on some pizza and doing a little shopping. After we were thoroughly soaked and ready to rest before our next flight, though, we decided to head to the United Club Lounge.

I’m a bit of an airport lounge newbie, so I was pleasantly surprised at how much more enjoyable the quiet atmosphere was compared to what you’d find out in the actual airport. With comfortable seating, attractive lighting and modern furnishings, I won’t lie by saying I didn’t possibly drift off to sleep at some point during my visit.

While it’s probably not a feature you can find in every United lounge, one of my absolute favorite things was the floor-to-ceiling windows on one wall of the lounge that provided views of many of the arriving and departing planes. The light lunch offerings and the drinks from the bar were both great. I could’ve eaten my weight in the hummus, and the bartender made a good whiskey and Coke. Another fun feature? Seeing Global Traveler available among the other reading material. I enjoyed flipping through the April issue even though I’ve already seen it a million times.

Our flight ended up being delayed by a few hours, so we finally made it home after about 24 hours on the go. While I can’t say I’ll be doing the same thing again soon, it was incredibly nice to be in Chicago, since I try my best to make at least yearly trips to the destination. However, we’ve already started discussing other places we can fly to and from in a day, so there’s no telling what the upcoming months may bring.

— Holly Riddle, assistant editor