[[Tenebrous Dragon|Home]] / [[Trips|Travel]] / [[2026-07 Naperville|2026 Naperville, IL]] # 2026 Naperville, IL > [!trip] > ![[2026-07 Naperville.jpg]] > - **When** Friday 17 to Saturday 18 July 2026 > - **Where** [[Νάπερβιλ, IL|Naperville]], [[Ιλινόις|Illinois]] > - **Why** Seeing [[Οδύσσεια (ταινία 2026)|The Odyssey]] on opening weekend > - **How** Driving [[Bolty]], my [[Chevrolet Bolt|Chevy Bolt]] > - **Stayed** [[Red Roof PLUS+ Naperville]] > - **With** My spouse and [[Lumi Ochizuke|Lumi]], our dog > - **Carried** [[Kanken laptop 15]] We drove to the Chicago area for the opening weekend of The Odyssey. It's The Odyssey, why not? > [!day] Friday 17 July > **Driving out** > > We drove Bolty to Naperville. It took 7 hours, and we charged three times along the way, for 30 to 45 minutes each. One of the stops was at a [[Menards]]. > [!day] Saturday 18 July > **Stationery, lunch and a movie** > > [[Heather Davenport|Heather]] was coming to Chicago that weekend, and we only found out the night before, so it was a surprise. We picked her up at 10 in the morning and went to the stationery shops first, including [[Paper and pencil chicago|Paper & Pencil]], an independent stationery shop in [[Andersonville]].[^nap-paper-pencil] > > Then we went out to eat, and we dropped her off at [[Mitsuwa Marketplace]] in [[Άρλινγκτον Χάιτς|Arlington Heights]], which has a [[Kinokuniya chicago|Kinokuniya]] bookstore inside.[^nap-kinokuniya] I went in and bought some stuff. > > The Odyssey started at 7 PM. We watched it in [[IMAX]] 70mm at [[Cinemark Seven Bridges]] in [[Woodridge, Illinois|Woodridge]]. > > --- > > I liked the movie, for different reasons. I could write a whole essay on my thoughts about it (I probably should), but in short, I don't think the original story is relatable for most modern day audiences. Whereas a PTSD Odysseus? Everyone gets that. Do I miss cunning, wily Odysseus? Yes. But you would need a TV show to explain the nuances and the world a lot. > > --- > > We had planned to stay through the 19th, but we drove home that night instead, honestly because of the hotel conditions. We had also brought Lumi, and she was really stressed out. ## Where I stayed > [!stay] Red Roof PLUS+ Naperville > We stayed one night at the Red Roof PLUS+ in Naperville. It is pet-friendly, so Lumi came along. > > It was very humid, and much of the Chicago area was naturally swampy,[^nap-swamp] so I think the area around the hotel was too. The carpet was wet, and the water was pooling hydrostatically. ## What I packed > [!pack] One Kanken > I brought my Kanken Laptop bag, and it worked just fine. ## Lessons > [!lessons] > 1. **Check the hotel before you book** > Check the location and the floor carefully before booking, not after arriving. > 2. **My spouse and I travel differently** > He wants his creature comforts, and I want to move. > 3. There often is not enough near the chargers. Bring a book. > An EV road trip is only a good road trip if there's somewhere better than a Menards to wait out the charging stops. Bring a book. [^nap-paper-pencil]: Paper & Pencil, [Paper & Pencil Chicago](https://paperandpencilchicago.com/), which describes itself as a local, independent, queer-owned stationery shop in Andersonville, on Chicago's North Side. [^nap-kinokuniya]: Wikipedia, [Mitsuwa Marketplace](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuwa_Marketplace), which lists Books Kinokuniya among the specialty retailers at the Arlington Heights, Illinois location. [^nap-swamp]: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, [History of Flood Control & Drainage in Northeastern Illinois](https://dnr.illinois.gov/waterresources/historyoffloodcontroldrainageinnortheasternillinois.html), which describes northeastern Illinois as naturally wet and poorly drained, and says suburban development after World War II showed its historically swampy nature. It does not mention Naperville or Woodridge.