blank:


We got here same time.

Hahaha.

@Topic, Originalsly have said it all.

Originalsly:
As someone starting this kind tour business... you need to do a whole lot more homework and be diligent if you want to succeed. And I'm talking as a layman with no technical knowledge about tour biz. It appears that your decisions are price based... the cheapest tag gets the nod.... the reason why you hauled the family from JFK to La Guardian Airport to travel to Chicago.... $16 fare cheaper than the price charged for luggage at JFK.... you didn't consider the hassle nor the wait despite having kids. Time of arrival and transportation at Chicago weren't considered.. and in the end costs a whole lot more. I'm sure there were other Airbnb available... but you took the one not based on the reviews but on the price... the cheapest price.... beautiful apartment... very cheap compared to similar apartments... red flag... neighbourhood not good. Google would have spelled it out...but... can't resist a cheap price. The rough looking guys at the corner shop... warning you that you shouldn't be out.... no alarm bells went off in your head?
It is nice to share your experience... but you also exposed how unprepared you are and this can hurt your business before it even starts up. About the suburbs being peaceful basically because Whites live there give the impression that wherever Blacks are there is always violence... stay away from Blacks... Akatas. White communities have their dark side..... their youths are also dying silently of vices in their commilunities. .. but that is not broadcast worldwide. I wish you well in your business venture... but you need to step off on the right foot.

I appreciate your wise advise, especially at just being a start up. Another thing is, I advise my clients and they make their choices. Most times, its their call.
When we left the former hotel, they referred us to their sister branch but my client wanted something cheaper than the $500 a week we were paying there. Infact, they put me under a lot of pressure, such that getting the airbnb place at that cheap amount $300 a week was victory.

After the incident, I recommended we left, the client refused, saying that if we remain indoors, we will not be exposed to their vices. I personally packed up my things and left on sunday, before they called me and said they wanted to leave because the Chicago cubs (baseball team)won the World Series and they celebrated in the neighbourhood with gunshots all night. They had had enough. This time, they left me to decide where to move to and guess what, I went back to the sister hotel recommended to us by the former hotel.

We were out till pretty late last night, besides the fact that PACE buses dont work on sundays and we had to walk 25 mins to get a bus, but nothing like peace mehn!!!

Also, the Southwest airlines was a good bargain, $94 per person with 2 bags free? Other airlines will charge $25 for the first bag and $35 for additional bags, and we all had a bag each.

Abi we for do Spirit airline

wanderlustian:


I appreciate your wise advise, especially at just being a start up. Another thing is, I advise my clients and they make their choices. Most times, its their call.

That explains it!... guess you are wiser now! Every city has its " bad area".... South Side Chicago is not known to be a bad area.... it's a no go area.we live and we learn.

aieromon:


Any reason why? Did you feel she was an alarmist? I would have taken her very serious considering her skin color and inherent knowledge about rough neighborhoods.

she made a rush decision, regretted it and moved on...can you also get over it the way she did?

wanderlustian:


You are very smart... I'm redefining travel, mostly tourism. Not an agency per say,more like travel management and advisory.

Working on same idea, but my niche is west and east Africa for now

ifyalways:
Following keenly

Good evening Ma. Hope this met you well?

I've been coming across your posts on the agric section and you once mentioned that you are/were into buying and selling of agricultural produce.

Please, I will like to go into it also. I need your advice and connection. I'm looking at Egusi, I would love to know if you have a contact (contacts) at Mile 12 or any other major markets that can help with the sales. (Dilali - Agents... I'm assuming you are still in Lagos)

I know the dilalis on Nairaland, but they are only into sales of vegetables and fruits. Please, I'll really appreciate your assistance.

(In the event that I'm actually wrong and you ain't into buying and selling of agricultural produce, please I apologize in advance for the mix-up)

Thanks

I know everything that happened wasn't your fault because you were with them the whole time....well done. Well i would also love to travel to usa and i would want you to process it for me....my number is +2348157228112

Please can you drop your number so i can call you for further details. Thanks

Kingade16:
I know everything that happened wasn't your fault because you were with them the whole time....well done. Well i would also love to travel to usa and i would want you to process it for me....my number is +2348157228112

Lmao. What is this?

wanderlustian:
We arrived around 9pm in the evening, and it was remarkably calm. We did not anticipate any unrest though. I had read airbnb reviews about the place but most reviews were not very detailed, except one or two that alerted about the terrible neighbourhood, which I kind of dismissed because of the urgency of the situation.

The next day, we had a couple of places to go to so we explored the malls in the area and returned at about 10pm, thinking that it will be the same as it was in Downer's Grove where we roamed around till midnight. While in the bus, just as we got to the neighbourhood, we heard gunshots across the street, and people running. The bus moved to the next bus stop, and stopped for a woman to get in, who had just been robbed.

Our antennas pricked... a bad signal that we were in a horrible place. We hurried home, and locked the doors with our hearts in our mouths.

While we were recovering from the shock of the previous day, we cancelled our plans to go out the following day. Because we packed in a hurry, I could not find my baby's cereals and we had run out of milk, so I decided to leave for the corner shop just across the street to buy milk. I initially planned to go to walmart, but after standing at the bus stop for 30 mins, a lady walked up to me and told me that buses do not ply that route once it is 6pm. Another bad signal...

My baby began to cry ceaselessly and refused to sit in her stroller, so I carried her on my hips while I walked to the corner shop. As I made to enter the corner shop, I saw a lot of rough looking boys gathered around the entrance of the shop. One of the guys told me I should not be there right and now, and I had to start running home, which I did.

Immediately I opened the gates, sporadic shooting started, on instincts (being a University of Benin product) I dived to the ground on the porch, and remained there even after the shooting had stopped, until a fellow airbnb guest waltzed in from a different direction, oblivious to what was happening till I screamed for her to get down. She managed to get my stroller in and lock the gate and we entered the house.

By the time I got to upstairs, I met the other tenants in the apartment with my people huddled on the ground. The kids were taken to the bathroom by the only man in the house to get as far away from the windows as possible.

In a few minutes, that felt like forever, The police finally came in their numbers.
The same night, one of the guests in our apartment checked out. Which we could not do, cos we had kids. The property owner was alerted and he visited the next morning with an apology and a shocking story...

See as this narration be like film.

Ishilove:

See as this narration be like film.

Haha . Chicago gangstas. Those guys are something else .
I was friends with a gangsta once. I cut all ties before the police associates me with them. That stuff can ruin your life. That 'bad boy' life is actually somewhat cool , that is, if you're not a ra.pist and murderer.
At least OP is alright.

*plays the Ghetto Theme

DriggityDre:

Haha . Chicago gangstas. Those guys are something else .
I was friends with a gangsta once. I cut all ties before the police associates me with them. That stuff can ruin your life. That 'bad boy' life is actually somewhat cool , that is, if you're not a ra.pist and murderer.
At least OP is alright.

*plays the Ghetto Theme

My dear, nothing cool about posturing like a testesterone driven peacock, which most of them are.

Ishilove:

My dear, nothing cool about posturing like a testesterone driven peacock, which most of them are.

Not everybody is into that sort of thing, though. Personally, I am a civilized gangsta
You can still be cool without murdering people

DriggityDre:

Not everybody is into that sort of thing, though. Personally, I am a civilized gangsta
You can still be cool without murdering people

You're not a gangster.

A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster.

Ishilove:

You're not a gangster.

That's why I said gang - sta

Slang for law abiding boys like us
Do you want to hear a story?

DriggityDre:

That's why I said gang - sta

Slang for law abiding boys like us

Semantics, darling!

Do you want to hear a story?

Yes please.

Ishilove:

Semantics, darling!

Aye, it is

Yes please.

Years ago, when I was about 5 years old, my mother took me to a barbing salon. Normally, my mother instructs the barber to barb everything. But on that day, I begged her to allow the barber to give me big boy style, or skin punk, as it's called. I had seen my uncle rock it the day before. He told me it's for big boys only.
My mother wasn't so eager to do so. Then finally, she agreed. "You are becoming a big boy now o. Oya, choose the style you want", she said.
I told her big boy style. She then proceeded to instruct the barber. As a toddler, I was always distracted so I didn't pay attention to what she said.
The barber started work on my hair. As usual, I was distracted by everything; the customers, the radio, every ketu-ketu that passed by... I was just playful
When the barber was done, I looked up into the mirror.
Alas! This was no big boy style. It was the same old shine-shine!
I started crying.
"Mummy, you did not barb me big boooy", I said.
My mother and the barber couldn't calm me down. My mother eventually paid and took me home. I cried all the way. When we got home, she apologized and gave me some bread." Bread was my 'mumu button' food. I still love bread till tomorrow
"kpele, don't worry. Next time, you will choose your style", she said.
And she kept her word . Eventually, I got tired of punk and settled for low cut. Now, I keep my hair at medium level.
That was how I started my love for 'cool'. My uncle was an inspiration . To me, he was the first gangsta

DriggityDre:

Aye, it is

Years ago, when I was about 5 years old, my mother took me to a barbing salon. Normally, my mother instructs the barber to barb everything. But on that day, I begged her to allow the barber to give me big boy style, or skin punk, as it's called. I had seen my uncle rock it the day before. He told me it's for big boys only.
My mother wasn't so eager to do so. Then finally, she agreed. "You are becoming a big boy now o. Oya, choose the style you want", she said.
I told her big boy style. She then proceeded to instruct the barber. As a toddler, I was always distracted so I didn't pay attention to what she said.
The barber started work on my hair. As usual, I was distracted by everything; the customers, the radio, every ketu-ketu that passed by... I was just playful
When the barber was done, I looked up into the mirror.
Alas! This was no big boy style. It was the same old shine-shine!
I started crying.
"Mummy, you did not barb me big boooy", I said.
My mother and the barber couldn't calm me down. My mother eventually paid and took me home. I cried all the way. When we got home, she apologized and gave me some bread." Bread was my 'mumu button' food. I still love bread till tomorrow
"kpele, don't worry. Next time, you will choose your style", she said.
And she kept her word . Eventually, I got tired of punk and settled for low cut. Now, I keep my hair at medium level.
That was how I started my love for 'cool'. My uncle was an inspiration . To me, he was the first gangsta

Hahahaha!! Now this is funny. Big boy style indeed. Na from belle you like fashion

It's only Ghanaians that barb punk now

Ishilove:

Hahahaha!! Now this is funny. Big boy style indeed. Na from belle you like fashion
It's only Ghanaians that barb punk now

Yampotatocarrot:


Good evening Ma. Hope this met you well?

I've been coming across your posts on the agric section and you once mentioned that you are/were into buying and selling of agricultural produce.

Please, I will like to go into it also. I need your advice and connection. I'm looking at Egusi, I would love to know if you have a contact (contacts) at Mile 12 or any other major markets that can help with the sales. (Dilali - Agents... I'm assuming you are still in Lagos)

I know the dilalis on Nairaland, but they are only into sales of vegetables and fruits. Please, I'll really appreciate your assistance.

(In the event that I'm actually wrong and you ain't into buying and selling of agricultural produce, please I apologize in advance for the mix-up)

Thanks

Not me.

Lexusgs430:


I imagine we got so many parts to this story.........................
You read a review and choose to ignore the content, due to the urgency? And the reviewer was very right to alert others. Have you added your review to warn others?

Honestly, you are a very funny man.

Gerrard59:


Honestly, you are a very funny man.

Oga, ayam a boy ó......