How Much Did It Cost?: Big Ten 10K in Chicago August 2016

WHEN THE GLASSES ARE ON, THERE'S SOME TRAVELIN GOIN' ON! In this week's edition of "How Much Did It Cost?", I will breakdown the cost of my trip to Chicago, Illinois in August 2016 for the Big Ten 10K. I will breakdown the costs into 5 segments: Transportation, Lodging, Entertainment, Food, and Miscellaneous.

TRANSPORTATION: $129.54

  • Greyhound, Columbus to Chicago Round Trip: $71.15

  • Uber: $44.39 ($10.84, $23.93, $9.62)

  • VentraCard: $14.00

LODGING: $145

  • Airbnb in Chicago: $145

ENTERTAINMENT: $153

  • Big Ten 10K: $54

  • Chicago CityPass: $99

  • Navy Pier Fireworks: Free

FOOD: $178.21

  • Saved By The Max: $77.67 ($46.03, $31.64)

  • Giordano's: $34.43

  • Vapiano: $26.53

  • Greyhound: $3.64

  • McDonald's: $10.81 ($4.34, $6.47)

  • Museum of Science & Industry: $6.05

  • Subway: $8.90

  • Shedd Aquarium: $10.24

MISCELLANEOUS: $32.18

  • Target: $14.18

  • Shedd Aquarium: $3.00

  • Quads Gym: $15

ESTIMATED COST FOR TRIP: $637.93

Now, let's put the numbers into context. My biggest expense on this trip was food. I went to Saved By The Max, which is a pop-up restaurant based on The Max restaurant from the TV show Saved By The Bell. The $46.03 was the amount I paid to reserve a seat and a meal at the restaurant and the $31.64 was the amount I paid for drinks. All of the menu item names were based off of different elements of Saved By The Bell. I definitely got my money's worth at Saved By The Max.

Giordano's was a 45 minute wait but the hot and fresh, deep dish pizza is well worth the wait. This was my reward for finishing the Big Ten 10K. I went to the location at Navy Pier and must say that the hate for Ohio State was real that day. I went to Giordano's in the early evening that Saturday after the race and ran into a few people who have been sippin' the Haterade. 

My Airbnb was within my price range and in a nice location in Chicago. My host was nice, also a Buckeye, and understanding when I had technology issues upon arrival. When I say I had technology issues, this is just a fancy way of saying that my phone died before I arrived so I couldn't call my host to say that I was at their place. I ended up arriving an hour later than I wanted to because I had to go to a Subway to charge my phone.

For Entertainment, I purchased a CityPass which allowed me discounted admission to certain attractions. I used it at the Willis Tower, Museum of Science & Industry, and Shedd Aquarium. My favorite place was the Museum of Science & Industry because they had a Lego exhibit where different landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Gateway Arch, and Hoover Dam were made completely out of Legos. I also saw a fireworks show at Navy Pier which was pretty cool but it too quick in my opinion. 

That's it for this week's edition of "How Much Did It Cost?". Next time I will breakdown the costs of my trip to Washington, D.C./Philadelphia in September 2016. Thanks for reading always remember, WHEN THE GLASSES ARE ON, THERE'S SOME TRAVELING GOIN' ON!