French
| Chicago |
| in |
| LES RENCONTRES FRANCOPHONES . . . . . . . Par Gigi Olmstead |
Le portail interactif de la communaute Francaise et Francophile de Chicago
| HOME ARRIVER Bienvenue a Chicago Se Loger Demarches administratives Services Utiles Vos Enfants S'INTEGRER Communaute Francaise Sports et Loisirs NOUS CONTACTER info@frenchinchicago.com Qui Sommes Nous ? VIVRE A CHICAGO Evenement du Mois Livres - Echange P'tites Annonces Sports Loisirs Evenements Mode Shopping Media Infos French Food Restos Francais Culture |
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| Pierre-Louis Giacotto General Manager Sofitel Hotel Chicago O’Hare contact: pierre.giacotto@accor.com / Tel:847-928-6900 Birth Place: Lyon (6ème) Current Residence: Elmwood Park (Suburb of Chicago) In the USA since: 22 ans |
| Seven questions to |
G.Olmstead: Good morning Pierre-Louis, thank you for being our first francophone
person we profile on frenchchicago.com. First, how does a “lyonnais" finds his way to
Chicago?
P.L.Giacotto: After having reconnected with a catering school friend during my 12 months I
spent in the army, he told me about the opening of several Sofitel hotels in the US. Since I
always had a dream to go and work in the US, I decided to send my resume and after a
few weeks of waiting, I was offered a job for the opening of the Sofitel Chicago. This was
in 1987!
GO: Our site mostly targets the francophone community in Chicago. What would your
first tip be for a family that is trying to settle in Chicago?
PLG: To discover the city and its different areas, museums, restaurants, Lake
Michigan….. It is a magnificent city that has so much to offer. It is also important to know
where your work site will be, where you will need to drive each day because commute can
be a drag at times. Especially in winter, during snow storms that can easily reach over 1
foot. It is important to know that the temperature can fluctuate from almost 100ºF in
summer to minus 20ºF in winter. Despite all this, the city is very well equipped to deal
with such extremes.
GO: Your hotel Sofitel (Accor) often welcomes French visitors. Do you think Chicago is
a city that attracts a lot of French?
PLG: Absolutely, because the city is beautiful. The Mayor of Chicago loves Paris and
takes inspiration from it. By the way, Paris and Chicago are sister cities and we have a lot
of cultural exchanges between the two cities. Chicago offers as much as New York but in
a much more relaxed atmosphere, cleaner surroundings and a lot of culture. In Chicago
you can find restaurants offering cuisines from around the world at affordable prices,
highly rated museums, a beautiful lake, the Magnificent Mile (rivals the Champs Elysées),
great shopping and wonderful people.
GO: You also lived in Houston for 5 years. What is your best memory of living in Texas?
Is there a large French community?
PLG: Yes we lived in Houston from 1992 to1997and our first two kids were born there.
That’s my best memory ! Family life in Houston is quite nice and somewhat inexpensive.
The French community in Houston is larger than in Chicago due to the oil companies,
however there are a lot of Francophone and Francophile social groups (such as your site)
that can help any French person trying to adapt quickly to Chicago.
GO: Recently you were honored with the « Hotelier of the year 2008 award » from the
Illinois Hotel Motel Association. Are you planning on staying the rest of your career in
the US? Any desire of going back to France?
PLG: Thanks for the compliments but after 22 years in Chicago it would be difficult to think
about going back to France for good, however one never knows! My dream would be to be
able to spend 6 months in the US and 6 months in France when I retire. Who knows, my
dream could become a reality one day!
GO: What do you do when you are not working during your free time?
PLG: Besides taking our kids from one sport to the next, my wife Suzie and I enjoy going to
restaurants. Chicago has so much to offer in terms of gastronomy that you could eat
each night in a restaurant and you would need several years to visit them all. My favorite
food is French of course and on that subject Chicago offers an array of choices. We also
have Indians, Italians, Japanese, Chinese, Norwegian and many other restaurants.
Therefore, it is easy to go around the world without leaving Chicago. Another great thing
about Chicago is its culture and we rank #1 for it! We have world class museums such
as the Museum of Science & Industry, the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium, the
Shedd Aquarium, the«Art Institute of Chicago and many more. I recommend that anyone
interested in coming to Chicago to visit the official site for the city at www.choosechicago.
com
GO: After 20 years in the US what part of France do you miss the most?
PLG: My family ! My parents, brother and sisters all live in France. Therefore, we try to go
back to see them as often as we can and to make sure our kids remember their heritage.
I was lucky enough to marry a woman from French descendants. Her grand parents on
her mother’s side immigrated in the US in the 20’s. We are keeping the French heritage
alive.
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Number 1 - February 2009
