City Girl Travels: Chicago, Illinois.
Last week I traveled to Chicago to visit a dear friend. We gallivanted through her city and experienced the very best of Chicago in only 3 days! Here is a little tour from the trip.
Day One.
We took the L from her lovely townhouse and first stop was downtown. Millenium Park was amazing. We saw the skyline of the Hancock building reflected from the famous Bean seen here & here and the famous outdoor concert pavillion Grant Park. The Art Institutes is just a short walk on a High Line-esque ramp where you can see views of Lake Michigan and more skyline.
Next stop: shopping. What City Girl day out is complete without it? We strolled Michigan Avenue until we couldn’t walk or talk any longer (and we spent our limit for the day). At the Water Tower we stopped for a snack: fleur de sel caramels, a chocolate hazelnut croissant & seltzer.
Later that night we went out to dinner with more Chicago ladies at the neighborhood bar. I have never had such amazing bar food! Korean BBQ tacos with cilantro rice? Yes please! Truth be told, the night was even more fun when we stayed for 90s themed trivia night. Questions ranged between what movie soundtrack had Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me” and which type of wood was part of Tim Allen’s Home Improvement Tool Time sketches.
Day Two.
What’s a trip to Chicago without a Cub’s game? The weather was amazing, the company even better, and they WON. We sat in the bleachers with the “real fans”, sang the National Anthem with our hands over our hearts & later sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” like we were old pros. Too full to eat dinner after concession stand fare, we opted for Terry’s Chocolate Oranges & white wine while catching up on Mad Men…and Dirty Dancing…and Crazy Stupid Love. Epic day.
Day Three.
After hearing about 2 places in Lake View— Akira Boutique & The Counter (burgers) we made a day of it. Akira is a local boutique full of every on-trend item imaginable: brightly colored maxi skirts, sheer shoulder cut out blouses, striped pants, gold statement jewelry, tie-dye scarves, and House of Harlow shades. It was buy-one-get-one half off accessories so I left with a full bag. Pictured above are two gorgeous pieces that I am so excited to wear.
I do not have words for the succulence of the burger I ordered from The Counter. It was a roll-up-your-sleeves, tie-back-your-hair kind of meal. They presented us with a menu to build your own burger. Mine was 1/3 lb organic beef on a gluten free bun with bacon, onions, roasted peppers, and a garlic aioli. I’m still dreaming about it.
Being in Chicago reminded me of the reason I started this blog. I’m a City Girl. Take me to any corner of this country where City Life reigns and I am happy as can be among the buzz of pedestrians, access to public transportation and shopping, multitudes of ethnicities and food and music, and centrality to history and the arts. The journey does not end here. More travels to come!
