If you’re in the holiday spirit and want to “window shop” – head over to Macy’s on State Street to check out their spectacular window display.  You can also head inside to see the Great Tree – it’s the 103^rd year that the 45-foot Great Tree will be lit to celebrate the holidays. It will feature 10,000 LED twinkling lights and 1,200 amazing ornaments.

Holidays not your thing? That’s OK – you can join in on Chicago’s winter tradition: ice skating at Millennium Park’s McCormick Tribune Ice Rink.

Located on Michigan Avenue between Washington and Madison Streets, the Millennium Park Ice Rink draws more than 100,000 skaters annually. The rink is open to the public every day of the week and skating is free. (You read right – FREE!) Skate rentals are available for $10. The rink is in its 11^th season and is open until March 11, 2012, weather permitting.

For Ice Rink hours and additional information, click here.

Also, through January 8, a bit further down the road from OfficeLinks’ Chicago offices, the Navy Pier will host Winter Wonderfest. Escape any winter blahs and enjoy rides, lights, and even fireworks! Admission is free (yes – I said it again! Twice in one post: FREE!), but you do need to pay for an Activity Wristband for any rides or attractions.

For Wonderfest hours and additional information, click here.

Chicago is a wonderful place to be around the holidays and during the winter. Get out there and enjoy every second of it!

Looking for a unique Halloween-themed experience? Come here after dark on October 20th!

Celebrate Halloween at the Adler Planetarium, about 2 miles from OfficeLinks’ Chicago location, on Thursday, October 20, for a “Spooky Space” celebration. Get into character and dress to impress for a Halloween costume contest (yes, there are prizes!), get spooked with scary constellation stories in the Atwood Sphere, sip on this month’s signature cocktail, the Rummy Worm, while you dance the nightmares away as DJ Tim Zawada spins records.

In addition, there will be screenings of some rare sci-fi films hosted by Odd Obsession, as well as some ghostly hauntings in the historic galleries on the lower level.  You can even create your own gooey monster capable of slithering through the states of the old planetarium.

Both the Adler’s Grainger Sky Theater and the Definiti will be running. You can also check out Adler’s newest show, The Searcher, or see what’s happening in the night sky in a special, one-night only Space Mysteries show in the Definiti Theater.

The Doane Observatory will be open for drop-in visitors until 6:45 p.m. From 7:00 p.m. onward, tickets are required for entrance to the observatory. Tour tickets can only be reserved when you purchase advance tickets; tickets will not be available with on-site sales. Please note that access to the Doane is subject to weather.

Advanced tickets to Adler’s After Dark Spooky Space event are $12 for non-members, $9 for members and students (with proper ID); tickets at the door are $17 for non-members, $12 for members and students (with proper ID).   Advanced tickets sales end at noon the day of the event. A cash bar and full cafe menu is available.

The fun doesn’t stop on October 20^th. The third Thursday of every month, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m., the Adler Planetarium offers folks 21 and over to enjoy cocktails and appetizers against the award-winning view of the Chicago skyline seen only from the Adler with their Adler After Dark events. Each month Adler After Dark reinvents itself with a new and exciting theme, so there is something new to discover and experience.  Want to find out more? Click here.

What are you doing the first Friday in August?

The first Friday of every month, you can wander just 2 miles from OfficeLinks’ Chicago office space to the Willis Tower to the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago at 220 East Chicago Avenue, where you’ll enjoy live music from local DJs, the world’s only iMac G5 digital dating bar, creation stations, and more.

August 5, 6-10 pm you’ll have the opportunity to relax after a long workweek with a cash bar featuring specialty drinks and free Wolfgang Puck appetizers. Each month features an up-and-coming Chicago artist in a preview of the latest UBS 12 x 12: New Artists/New Work exhibition. First Friday’s theme for August 5 is Innocence, September 2 is Guilt, October 7 is Masquerade, November Minimalism, and December is Indulgence.

General admission is $18, advance tickets are $13. MCA members are $10. All tickets include museum admission, live entertainment, and complimentary Wolfgang Puck hors d’oeuvres. Buy tickets online or call the MCA Box Office, 312.397.4010. Note that guests must be 21 or older to enter

For more information about this unique happy hour experience, click here.

Start your own garden with Garfield Park Conservatory's seedlings.

Looking to grow your own garden this spring and summer?  The Garfield Park Conservatory, located less than 5 miles from OfficeLinks’ Chicago office space, is offering you an opportunity to come pick some special seedlings for your garden on Saturday May 21, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm.  There will be a unique, exciting and tasty variety of herbs, veggies, and fruits for your own growing pleasure, including heirloom varieties of tomatoes, corn, beans, squash, tomatillos and peppers, as well as former and current All-American Selections varieties.

University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer all of your questions.

Garfield Park Conservatory volunteers started all seeds in a Garfield Park Conservatory greenhouse, and all proceeds from the sale will go directly to the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance to help fund programs. Seedling prices vary by plant.

And while you’re there, you can pick up some FREE tulip bulbs at the Garfield Market Place Gate (just north of the Conservatory’s front doors).  Bulbs start to be given away at 9 am, but the line forms much earlier, and it goes until the bulbs are gone (which is usually around 11 am, so arrive early!).

So head on over to Garfield Park Conservatory, located at 300 North Central Park Avenue, to pick up your seedlings and tulip bulbs to support the Conservatory and your own green thumb!

Michael J. Evans, CEO of The Cogent Advisor

After recently speaking with Michael Evans about his company, The Cogent Advisor, it is clear to me that he heeds his own advice.  Michael was a trader for 20 years before starting The Cogent Advisor, based out of OfficeLinks’ Willis Tower location, in 2010.  What made him want to go out on his own?  I asked that very question and the answer is evident: his passion.

Well, there is some back story to his transition.  While trading, Michael was also managing his own money.  One day he lost 44% on a “safe” investment, leading him to become a plaintiff in a class action law suit.  Lesson learned the hard way, he adopted a strategy for avoiding this type of single-holding risk. It also inspired him to become a financial advisor, to help individuals and families avoid making similar mistakes with their own life savings.  His goal in creating his company was to serve clients like himself, to whom he can deeply relate.  The Cogent Advisor helps successful financial professionals make informed decisions with their money to free their wealth for something more – such as giving back to their communities.

Michael’s vision is reflected in his company from the inside out.  The Cogent Advisor is a Registered Investment Advisor firm that operates on a fee-only basis; Michael and his team is not incentivized by percentages of gains nor is he product-based.  This helps ensure that Michael’s interests and his clients’ interests are well aligned and his role is always a fiduciary one.  The Cogent Advisor coordinates a team of experts and design solutions for clients’ unique situations focusing on five key areas including:

1.    Preserving wealth

2.    Minimizing income tax

3.    Preserving legacy

4.    Protecting wealth against liabilities

5.    Making charitable pursuits more meaningful

I found Michael’s long-standing devotion to his work inspirational.  In closing, I think we should all consider some of his final words from our interview. “Get into an industry you are passionate about, believe in what you are doing, and desire to produce the best outcome for yourself and others.  Not only is this a powerful force for success, it’s also more fun.”  To learn more about Michael and The Cogent Advisor, visit thecogentadvisor.com.

The W offers the elegance of a 4-star hotel with the convenience of being just a block away from the Willis Tower. As an OfficeLinks client, no matter if you office with us in Chicago, Chelsea, Wall Street or Bryant Park, you will have access to an exclusive, outstanding discount for the W’s “Wonderful” and “Spectacular” rooms.

Here are 5 easy steps for you to follow to book OfficeLinks’ discounted rooms at the W Hotel:

1. Go to www.whotels.com
2. Click “Book Now” Located on the right side of the screen
3. Select W Chicago Lakeshore or City Center and Enter Dates
4. Click “Travel Agents and Corp. Accts”; Enter in the number: (OfficeLinks clients may speak to their Center Manger to find out the secret code.)
5. Click “Find Rates”. If the OfficeLinks client rate is available, you will see it listed. If not you will see the best rates The W can offer to you during those days.

Offices where you’ll thrive and W Hotel rooms to rejuvenate, the perfect combination.

See for yourself why OfficeLinks forged a relationship with the impressive W Hotel by clicking here.

Sears Tower - Willis Tower

It’s time for Chicagoans to bid farewell to the Sears Tower’s and welcome the newly named “Willis Tower”. The verdict is still out on how the new name will be used day to day. But other than a name change, not much will be different on the outside. But on the inside, there are some notable additions to this 110-story landmark office building.

On Floor 103: You can stand out on top of Chicago – literally! Visitors will be able to step out to one of four glass-floored balconies jutting 4 feet out from the building’s 103rd floor Skydeck and take in a complete view of Chicago from up above. In case you are wondering, that’s some 1,353 foot view down through the strong half-inch thick glass that can hold up to five tons of weight. Maybe it’s best to take in the sights before lunch!

On Floor 84: Work from the office of the future. OfficeLinks boasts top notch attention to detail throughout it’s 30,000 square feet, with 100 offices, 241 workstations and a High Definition videoconferencing studio. Like all OfficeLinks facilities, the Sears Tower location offers tenants a staffed reception area, secretarial and administrative services, multiple conference rooms, pantry & break-out areas, ergonomically superior lighting and furniture, wireless connectivity, and gigabit speed network access in a “green” office environment. See inside OfficeLinks Sears Tower Willis Tower Office Space for yourself.