You’re getting a tux for the auto show? Why?!?! That was the reaction most of my friends had when I told them that I needed to get a tux for a special event at the Chicago Auto Show. The First Look for Charity is an annual event that routinely raises more than $2 million for 18 Chicago area charities. I was lucky enough to be invited to the event, so I put on my finest rented tux and pretended to be James Bond walking among all those high-end cars.
The First Look for Charity event took place just before Valentines Day, so there were a lot of couples and a lot of people wearing red. I did my best to fit in by wearing a red pocket square. For those who did make a date out of it, the event was a really nice evening. First Look for Charity gave everyone access to the auto show floor before it opened to the general public, which is pretty neat for auto enthusiasts. But more importantly, there was a ton of food, drink, and live entertainment.
The food was served by several Chicago area restaurants. My favorite was the flank steak from Texas de Brazil. It was amazing! The food stations were spread throughout both sides of the auto show floor, so you could slowly graze on various dishes as you checked out the whole place. And of course, they had beer, wine, and champagne stations everywhere. It made for a very fun evening.
One of the best parts of the First Look for Charity is the vehicle giveaway. This year, they gave away a 2015 Ford Explorer and a 2015 Ford Fusion. Anyone who purchased a ticket to the event was eligible to win. I can’t even imagine how neat it would be to win a car at an event like that. As a consolation prize to everyone else (and for those who were tired of walking around in high heels), Cadillac was handing out fuzzy pink slippers. By the end of the night, it seemed like everyone was wearing them.
One of my random highlights was meeting American Idol contestant Haley Reinhart. Her performance was over by the time I made it to the main stage, but she was hanging out signing autographs and taking photos with fans. I have to admit that I had a few glasses of champagne at that point, so I don’t remember much. But I’d like to imagine that I had a very intelligent conversation before asking for a photo. The best part was later that night when I shared the photo with my dad. He immediately recognized her and shared that he was a huge American Idol fan. I had no idea.
The Chicago Auto Show First Look for Charity was a lot of fun and I am thankful that I was invited to attend. It was a nice excuse to dress up like Bond and the food was great. First Look for Charity gets two big thumbs up in my book.
#CAS15 #CASLive
