Friday, April 24, 2015

80th Annual NFL Draft

We are less than a week away from the 2015 NFL Draft. This year the event will be hosted in Chicago at Grant Park, Congress Plaza, and the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. The NFL as well as Chicago organizers say the event will be a major production that will turn parts of downtown Chicago into professional football's second biggest event of the year.
Photo Credit: NFL
The 900,000-square foot Draft Town, across the street from the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago's Grant Park and Congress Plaza, is a free admission "Town" for fans to come and partake in competitions, meet players, enjoy food, drink and music and buy NFL merchandise.
Photo Credit: Show Me Chicago
Although many spectators are excited for the event, Chicagoans dread for the day when street closings and transportation reroutes take over the city. The city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) announced a series of road closures for the Draft. Traffic around Grant Park and Roosevelt University will be diverted to make way for Draft events April 30 to May 2. OEMC officials encourage residents to allow extra time, expect delays and consider alternate routes to avoid the impact of the event.


Draft Town times and Dates:

Thursday, April 30: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday, May 1: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday, May 2: 10 p.m. - 7 p.m. (concert at 8 p.m.)

Free Concert

A free concert featuring American Idol winner and platinum-selling songwriter PHILLIP PHILLIPS will provide a grand finale to the three-day Draft celebration in Chicago’s Grant Park on Saturday, May 2 at 8 p.m.

If you are attending the 80th annual NFL Draft leave a comment below or tweet us @Percipia1 and let us know how the event went.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Where’s Kal? | The Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas, Palm Springs


Need a place to unwind? The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa is a perfect spot with picturesque mountain views and private location create the perfect escape. This stunning Palm Springs hotel has three lounge pools, a 60ft waterslide, and a championship golf course.

Palm Springs Resort Golf


Photo by: StarwoodHotels.com 
Photo by: StarwoodHotels.com 
Listed as one of Golf Digest's® Top 75 Golf Resorts in North America. This stunning course features two championship Troon golf courses that are available to guests, the Pete Dye course adjacent to the resort and the Gary Player Signature Course. Pete Dye is one of the game's top designers, and his designs often host major championships. Gary Player offers a wide array of expertise from winning 165 tournaments including nine major championships.

Palm Springs Resort Family Vacations


Photo by: StarwoodHotels.com 
The Resort presents many choices for guests to relax, renew and refresh. With resort amenities and endless activities, we are an ideal location for Palm Springs family vacations, romantic escapes or refreshing meetings. Lush landscaping creates an oasis where guests of all ages can enjoy a multitude of recreation opportunities, including our Palm Springs tennis facility, as well as golf, spa, pools and an array of Palm Springs Kids activities.

Instagram: chiekohidaka

Photo by: StarwoodHotels.com 

Local Hot Spot


Photo by: Kal Matar
Photo by: Kal Matar
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which attracts half-a-million visitors per year has two tram cars that hold up to 80 visitors each. Both tram cars climb Chino Canyon from an elevation of 2,643 feet to 8,516 feet above sea level. This breathtaking 10 minute gently rotating cars provide a panoramic view of the Coachella Valley all the way down to the Salton Sea. Be prepared for the temperature and wind shock: It was about 90 degrees in the city, but about 54 degrees and windy at the top of San Jacinto Mountain. Many are advised to bring a sweatshirt and comfortable shoes.

Photo by: Kal Matar
Photo by: Kal Matar
Desert View Trail through Long Valley, are considered perfect for novice hikers. At the end of the 1.5 mile trail is a remarkable view of the Coachella Valley and the Salton Sea. Stunning trees and rock formations lend themselves too many photo opportunities. The only sound you will likely hear is the wind whistling through the pines, or a bird tweeting happily in the woods.

Photo by: Kal Matar
This is why staying at The Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas is a perfect spot for individuals, families, and friends.  You can choose to be in 90 degree weather or climb Chino Canyon and experience 50 degree weather.


Did you locate Kal?! Let us know where he is in the comment section! If you have ever been to The Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas, Palm Springs or plan on visiting, please let us know! Tweet us @Percipia1 if you want us to feature a specific property!

Friday, April 10, 2015

Welcome Sahal to the Team!

Please help us welcome Sahal Ansari to our Chicago team!



It is always nerve-racking coming into a new company and trying to break the ice. Ensuring that new employees feel comfortable is crucial to building a positive transition within a company. We thought it would be fun to ask Sahal a few questions to get to know him a little better.

Let’s get started!

Q: What is your official work title?

A: My official work title is System Support Specialist.


Q: Can you tell us more about your professional experience/ history?

A: I’ve worked at lot of different jobs in the past including as a conversational English teacher in Shenzhen, China, as a Product Demonstrator at various grocery stores, and as a Social Services Assistant at a nursing home.

I spent spring semester 2012 in Beijing, China and helped a few of my friends poke holes in the Great Firewall. After I returned to the states, I built a website to help people get around censorship. I’ve been working on it since


Q: What do you like to do outside of work?

A: I love to travel, listen to music, bike, and watch tv.


Q: What are your greatest travel experience?

A: I took a road trip with my roommate a few years ago to the east coast.  We met some cool people at a New York hostel and traveled with them to other cities.

I was in Thailand during last year’s protests against the Prime Minster. We were trying to get on a domestic flight out of Bangkok on the first day of the protests. After a fun night, having only slept a few hours, we left our hostel for the airport with five hours to spare.  We waved down a few taxies until one finally agreed to get us to the airport.  Although the highway entrances were blocked by protesters we still got to the airport quickly. Unfortunately, the driver charged us triple and we sat bored at the airport for four hours while Bangkok’s citizens exercised their democratic freedoms.

The most difficult thing I’ve done physically is climb Tiger Leaping Gorge in Lijiang, Yunnan, China.  Through all the twenty-eight bends, I didn’t see one tiger…


Now on to the more personal questions.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: I really like bad Kung Fu movies with bad subtitles.


Q: Guilty pleasure music artist?

A: Rae Sremmurd


Q: What is something that inspires you?

A: I am inspired by everyone out there that tries hard to achieve their dreams.


Q: What would you say your professional goal would be now that you are employed at Percipia?

A: I want to learn a lot about supporting Percipia’s software.


Well there you have it! We are so happy to have Sahal join the team and contribute to the success of Percipia.

You can send Sahal some fan mail by tweeting @Percipia1

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Chicago Running Events - April

Here's a list off all the Chicago races happening in April 2015!

4- Bunny Rock

4- April Fool's 5K Run

4- Half Marathon

11- Fun Run in Color

11- Hammond 10k

18- Lakefront 10-Miler

25- Race to Wrigley

25- Willow Creek 5k

26- Ravenswood Run

26- Brides Run Chicago


26- BT5k Chicago

Are you participating in any of these races? Let us know in the comment section below or Tweet us @Percipia1!