Chicago, Chicago – that toddlin’ town. I just got back from my amazing trip to Chicago, where I was fortunate enough to catch perfect weather – no rain or wind in the windy city! I heard it was 40 degrees the weekend prior, so I’m feeling especially lucky. Here’s a little run-down of how I spent my days, because I definitely couldn’t narrow this post down to just one place.
Day 1: Tiiiiiireeeeeddd. Our flight was at 6:15am, so, yeah. We stayed at the beautiful Palmer House near Millennium Park, and I spent most of the first day exploring the area around the hotel. I strolled through the beautiful park, which is a slice of heaven trapped in the middle of concrete, and planned my trip. If you want to visit some typical tourist spots in Chicago, definitely purchase a CityPass ($94). It saved me a lot of money, but BE SURE to keep the booklet on you, because I tore out the tickets so I could easily stick them in my wallet and had a fun time running across downtown Chicago to retrieve it when I was told the tickets aren’t valid without it. You can order the booklet online and pick it up at your first destination, which I found quite convenient.
For dinner, I met up with an old friend of mine that lives in the city and we had dinner at the delicious Acanto, an Italian restaurant with a bit of a twist. The menu is adorable and reminds me of the Shel Silverstein books I read as a kid. If you ever stop by, I highly recommend the almondine green tea, which has an amaretto aftertaste.
Day 2: “OK, today I’m really doing stuff.” My first stop was the Art Institute of Chicago, which is an amazing museum that was recently rated number one in the world by Trip Advisor. I’d argue that the Louvre still has an amazing collection and is a one-of-a-kind art institution, but I still insist that anyone who visits Chicago stops by the art institute. My next stop was 360Chicago, formerly known as the John Hancock observatory. I went at a pretty cloudy time, unfortunately, but the views were still breathtaking. I spent the rest of my day shamelessly shopping at the Water Tower and surrounding area.
Day 3: The Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium! This was the day that I left my CityPass booklet at home and took off running across downtown Chicago like a maniac to retrieve it. Thankfully Uber is around Chicago, so I was able to take one back to the museum to save some time. As far as transportation in the city, I most highly recommend walking. If something is too far, Uber or bus. The bus is obviously cheaper, but I didn’t want to potentially complicate myself so I mostly walked everywhere and took Uber twice. Anyway, the Field Museum had some great exhibits, but I was told several times that the Museum of Science and Industry is even better, so I definitely regret not going and recommend it to anyone traveling there.
All the architecture in Chicago is so stunning. Definitely visit Museum Walk (the area nearby that houses several museums and the planeterium) even if you’re not stopping anywhere. On my minibreak between the museum and the aquarium I grabbed a hot dog – so good! Note: no ketchup is the Chicago way to do it. I kicked off my shoes and walked in the grass along the shore of Lake Michigan on my way home. It was such a gorgeous day!
At night, we stopped by Potter’s at the hotel for a drink, a delicious cheese plate, and some amazing live jazz. Tried dragonfly IPA for the first time, which has a surprising and delicious bacon aftertaste. Definitely a sweet spot to chill, albeit pricey. We finished the night with a necessary trip to the Sears Tower, now known as the Willis Tower, although no one really respects the name change. The view of an illuminated Chicago sprawling before your eyes for miles was breathtaking, but looking down made me want to pee my pants a little.
Day 4: We only had a half-day, but we made good use of it! Our first stop was the Navy Pier, where we took an architecture river tour with Shoreline Sightseeing, a company I highly recommend because of their excellent guides. Our guide knew EVERYTHING about Chicago and was an amazing and highly entertaining speaker. The tour lasts 75 minutes and visits all three branches of the river.
Fun fact: I was reading the WSJ that day on the plane ride back and saw that the city of Chicago recently passed an ordinance that only allows buildings to advertise a company’s name if it is one-fifth the size of the current Trump sign. I’m glad they did, because the riverside would start looking like a trashy mall if all the buildings erected their names in giant shining letters. Mr. Trump also supports the ordinance since his sign will now be the “last great sign.” Surprising.
We spent the last few hours walking around the Navy Pier and stuffing our faces with Garrett’s popcorn (a Chicago must, get the cheese and caramel mix). On our way back, we also stopped by the famous Chicago bean, because you gotttttaaaaa!
It started raining for the first time literally as we got in the taxi to go to the airport, how lucky can you get? Both airports are highly congested, so allot 2 1/2 – 3 hours for travel. It was such a fun trip and I’ve fallen in love with Chicago. Some things I wish I did: the Museum of Science and Industry, eating deep-dish pizza at Giordano’s, more walking and museums. Other places I recommend: Caffe Baci, for your afternoon snack or coffee (the warm chai latte is the best I’ve ever had); Freshii for a fresh breakfast or snack and to grab some healthy smoothies and juices; Roti for a giant heap of delicious Mediterranean food.
Stop by my insta for a couple of trip pictures that weren’t posed on the blog and pictures of my past adventures. Happy and safe travels to all! -AW
Abroad and Beyond 