My husband, son and I decide to book a hotel in Chicago because of the impending snow storm. We left early to arrive before the brunt of the storm descended. It was an uneventful trip to the "windy city". At 7:30 PM, we were off in a taxi to the United Center for a long awaited Josh Groban concert. Opening act was a moving Angelique Kidjo (African singer), who later teamed with Josh in a stirring song, "Pearls". Wonderful 2 hour 40 minute concert!

Outside after the concert, we expected to find 15 inches of snow. Instead, it was miserable -- raining ice pellets. NO taxis or buses in sight. We trudged through the sludge and slush for several blocks to a bus stop enclosure (crammed full with people) when our son said that he wasn't going to just stand and wait for what looked like no transportation. He took off for the hotel (about a mile away) intent on getting his SUV and coming back for us. (My husband might have been able to make that trek--I would have had frostbitten fingers and toes walking that far into the wind and ice pellets.) My son found his vehicle covered with ice (the outside of his jacket was also completely cover with ice). He was about to start scraping when he noticed a taxi pulling into the hotel carport.

Meanwhile, husband and I are standing behind the bus stop enclosure away from the wind--though still getting pelleted with ice balls. We befriended another couple -- just as stranded as we were. We had warm coats with hoods but no boots (we thought we'd be taxied both ways). The other couple had no hoods or boots. An hour passed, then a phone call came from our son to say that he was on his way in a taxi to get us. The four of us slosh across the street to the designated pick-up spot just after the taxi pulled to the driveway. We saw ten people converge on the taxi and start pulling on the door handles before we could get there. Luckily, the cab had all its doors locked until we could get to it. Our son was sitting in the front with the cab driver. My husband, I and the other couple crammed into the backseat for the trip back to the hotel. Four very lucky people had transportation thanks to our son. Chicago transportation was not kind to its visitors (buses and taxis were non-existent at the United Center), and I've worried about all the people who didn't have a "loving son" to help them find rides.