If I were your husband, I think I would bring my suit, to be on the safe side. If I were presenting, I would want to be wearing a suit, and my fear is that if the person he spoke with was wrong, and the other presenters are wearing suits, he will feel underdressed. I think if it were me, I would wear my suit pants and a button-down shirt to the conference and look around to see what everyone else was wearing. If they were dressed similarly, I would stick with that. If the presenters were wearing suits, I would run back up to my hotel room (assuming he is staying in the same hotel where the conference is being held) and throw on a tie and jacket. Alternatively, he could wear the suit and take off the tie and jacket if he looks out of place.

Is he heading to DC after Chicago? I currently live in DC, and lived in Chicago for three years, so I could give recommendations for both cities. What types of things does he like to do? Museums? Touristy stuff? Outdoorsy things? If you need restaurant recommendations, what kind of cuisine does he like? Is he adventurous with food? Would he like high-end restaurants, or less expensive options?

I like the name Andrew! Can't you go with hubby, Tam?

I'll be back to help out.

Chicago checking in here ... Suggestions for things to do (assuming he will be in the Loop/North Michigan Avenue area):
1. Chicago Architectural Foundation boat tour of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Fantastic overview of the city and the architecture. Start here.
2. Millennium Park, lunch at The Gage (modern Irish pub across the street from the park).
3. Art Institute (has a brand-new Modern Wing)
4. Shopping on Michigan Avenue for his lovely wife :)
5. A Cubs game at Wrigley Field
6. Walk the lakefront
7. Comedy at Second City or iO (ImprovOlympic) - we are one of the best comedy cities in the world

There is so much more! Let me know if I can recommend anything else! And hope he has a wonderful time. Weather here next week should be in the 70s with occasional rain.

Hey Tam,

My husband works in the computer industry and has been to a few Internet/computer-related conferences in New York and Silicon Valley. He says there's a mix of dress by the attendees, and suits are not out of place. However, he says, the serious geeks don't do suits ;)

Cathy is spot on. Greg works in the software industry too and you’ll see it all at the conference – from suits to very bad khakis and polo shirts, possibly even jeans.

I say stick to trousers and shirts. Bring a suit. Bring a smart casual formula too. Have a good trip Andrew :0)

Tam, I found a Flickr photoset of last year's conference. Maybe this will help him decide on the dress-code
http://www.flickr.com/groups/779314@N23/pool/

I live in Washington DC area. There are so many things to do in the Mall area of the city. All the Smithsonian museums are free. I recommend National Gallery, American History and Air & Space museums. There are plenty of other museums that he can venture into. Also, in the vicinity, he can see the Lincoln Memorial, The Capitol, National Archives. They are all well worth the time. I hope he enjoys his visit.

Hi everyone,

This is Tamara's Andrew, and I just wanted to say thank you so much to you all for your kind, generous & GREAT advice! In "typical boy fashion" it's great to see that I was close enough to the mark :)

As someone that's always given Tam a fair amount of hassle for the amount of time spent on ylf I think I just learned an amazing lesson as to how great you all are. All I can say is "Wow!!!"

Take care
Andrew.

p.s. The greatest trick the geek ever pulled was wearing a suit to conceal his true nature... but on a serious note I'd feel completely under-dressed presenting without one! :)

Andrew, you rock! (So does your gorgeous wife Tam). Thanks for your LOVELY note. It made my day :0)

Have a fab trip.

Hey Andrew,
I second Laura's suggestions. If you haven't seen it before, I would also recommend catching a show of the Blue Man Group in Chicago. It is more of an "experience" than a show, really fun.

Ohh, I just checked the website; you'll be located at the Hilton Chicago on Michigan Ave. Lucky boy! That's a gorgeous hotel; make sure you stop for a drink at Kitty O'Shea's in the lobby. Laura gave you great ideas for what to check out along Michigan Ave and Grant Park. All I can is a recommendation for breakfast or brunch at Yolk, which is just south of the hotel, across the street from the very cool Agora sculptures. You might also want to do a boat tour of the skyline and the Chicago architectures; the Grey Lady tours will take you down the river and then out the locks and into Lake Michigan, so you can see the skyline from the water.

Have a great time in our wonderful city!

I agree with after6's DC suggestions. My favorites of the museums are Natural History, American History (which is worth it just for the exhibit on First Ladies' clothes) and Air and Space. The monuments/memorials are definitely worth it as well, and are in the same area (on the mall). I have actually heard that the tour of the monuments at night is really nice, and with the heat we are experiencing, might be a little more bearable.

I think that the National Zoo is worth a visit, if only to see the pandas--only four zoos in the U.S. have pandas. Like the museums, it is free. It's in a neighborhood called Cleveland Park--he might enjoy lunch at a pizza place called 2 Amys. If he went to the zoo later in the evening and wanted dinner right afterward, a fantastic restaurant called Palena is close by.

Another idea would be to visit the National Cathedral, which is quite pretty. It is in the Tenleytown area, and although it has small restaurants and stuff nearby, it isn't the most exciting area to walk around in.

There are a lot of really great restaurants in DC (those who say otherwise haven't tried eating here in the last 15 years). I would recommend Michel Richard's Central. The food is French with an American twist. It has a more casual vibe than the chef's first restaurant in DC, Citronelle, which is very fancy and very expensive (but if he wants to go for a great, expensive meal, he should definitely try to get a reservation--other great, high-end restaurants he might want to consider would be CityZen and Komi).

Do you know what part of the city he is staying in?

(Oh, and if he wants to see a baseball game and can't get a ticket for the Cubs or White Sox--or doesn't want to pay through the nose--he can catch a Washington Nationals game here in DC. The stadium is still brand-new--only in its second season. Tickets can be purchased for pretty cheap, and he should definitely be able to get something from the box office.)

Wow guys you are incredible!! Thanks so much for helping Andrew out!! I've just come back from work and you have him all sorted!!! I wish I could be coming with him - I have never been to Chicago or DC. Couldn't swing it with my work though :( Reading all your great suggestions makes me want to go though!!!

In case I do manage to convince him to do some clothes shopping for himself, do you have suggestions of where he should look for mens stuff in larger sizes? Do the usual department stores stock them?

Thanks!!!
tam

Tam, in case Andrew gets the shopping bug, we have a fantastic Nordstrom on Michigan Avenue (in a mall called the Shops at North Bridge, just across the street from the InterContinental Hotel). We also have a wonderful local chain called Mark Shale, located in the 900 N. Michigan Avenue mall (Michigan Avenue at Chestnut Street, kitty-corner from the John Hancock Center) that has wonderful smart-casual clothing for men.

Hope he has a blast!!