FR: 11-11-12 Chicago (Naperville)

[_Hunter_]

November 11th, 2012
Naperville, IL

This week I went to Chicago for a business trip. I find that when I travel I have this estranged new confidence out in the field. I rationalize this by the realization that there is no way I’ll ever have to worry running into any potential screwed up sets/HBs. I figured this week it was time to sarge, and sarge hard.

When I arrived (on the 10th) I met with a 21-year-old coworker (let’s call him ‘Big D’) who I had only previously known through e-mail. I set my mind by letting him know “I am an extremely outgoing person; I talk to everybody.” He was intrigued. We went to a local restaurant to catch up and get to know one another. He was a genuine guy, good-looking, but had noticeable AFC traits (reserved body language, the habit of touching his face, and constantly repeating key comfort words like “outrageous”). I told him about the community in an effort to try and build a decent wing as quickly as I could. He listened well and learned fast, as if he were just waiting on someone to tell him how to pickup women his entire life and I was finally there to deliver the long-awaited message. We discussed peacocking, body language, some simple openers/routines, cocky funny, and the like… but this report is not about him.

The first night I was there we checked out downtown Chicago. It’s big. There are tons of things to do, however they are moderately spread out with at least a 5-8 minute walk from bar to bar, unlike most bar scenes in the Dallas area. This, in combination with our mutual unfamiliarity with the area and a passing thunderstorm, made the night a complete bust. We talked to several group of people in an attempt to find the hippest crowds, to which most replied, “Oh, well if you looking for something like that you really need to go down to Naperville.”

The second night promised to be better, and it was. Upon arriving to Naperville we found numerous shops/bars/pubs all clustered in a small area. We first hit Bar Louie. It was fairly busy so we took carefully positioned seats between the bar area and the bathroom. The only HBs present at the time were two HB7.5’s seated at the other end of the bar. We ordered our waters and discussed tactics such as seat choice and ideal isolation locations within the establishment. Not much later, the slightly cuter of the two 7.5’s went to the bathroom. I issued a quick body language reminder to Big D and opened her as she was on her way back to her seat with the Herman opener. Worked like a charm. Big D had just turned 21, but looks closer to 28, while I am 24 and look closer to 21. This allowed for a fun ‘Who’s older?’ routine that we used throughout the rest of the week. They failed miserably, stating that he was 30 and I was 22. We quickly injected some cocky funny while letting them know that we were both from different parts of the country and needed some sound advice regarding bars in the area. Coincidentally she was a bartender at a nearby bar called ‘Saddle Up Saloon’. We prodded her with things like “Oh, yeah, you seem like the bartender type” and such, in an attempt to raise our relative value and establish a preset familiarity with the bar scene. We proceeded with The 5 Questions Game and The Cube to build interest and connection. The blonde seated closest said, “You guys are interesting.. you guys should come see me at work, here…” and proceeded to type her number in my phone, then Big D’s. Soon after, their surprise boyfriends showed up. They attempted to AMOG Big D, giving him shit for the Patriot’s jersey he was wearing. He blew past them, laughing it off with something similar to “You know what? I’d like you guys no matter what kind of shirt you were wearing! Haha!” I hadn’t taught him this… but it got everyone’s attention. He was now the coolest guy in the group. I was blown away. This would prove to be an awesome night.

We finally gave up our seats to the boyfriends, leaving with “We have tons of people to entertain at the other bars!” We walked down the road hopping in and out of place after place, looking for any bars with flat screen TV’s, as the masses had gathered at the select locations that were showing the Chicago Bears game. We walked past a cupcake shop with a large paned-glass window. Inside was a homely looking HB8. We entered and opened with our new-found love for cupcakes, but how they don’t have any cupcake shops in Boston or Dallas. We were playful, keeping everything light and her-paced. I ran the cube as another demonstration for Bid D. I had her judge the accuracy on a scale of 1-10, to which she replied “15!”. It was cake (pun intended). “I’m only going to be in town for a little bit but we should all three hang out soon, you’re fun. Here, type your number in my phone and we’ll give you a call in the next couple days to hang out.” “Umm okay!”. Number close.
Done and done.

_Hunter_