Chi Town: Day 2

My apologies. Blogger has been screwing me all week so I was just able to get this uploaded. Enjoy!

After such a wonderful first day in Chicago, it would be very hard to top it, but leave it to Sue Q. to show us a good time. :) We started the day with a wholesome breakfast at Nookies,Too (second location - love the play on words!). It's a cute little neighborhood spot right down the street from Sue's Lincoln Park apartment that serves up awesome food. I thoroughly enjoyed my fresh squeezed OJ and Farmer's Egg Skillet. YUM!


After stuffing our faces, we figured it might be a good thing to walk off the meal by attending a local street fair. Chicago is known for their abundance of street fairs in the summer. I suppose it is to make up for the extreme hibernation in the winter time. This one was great ~ lots of cute vendors with unique art, jewlery, photography, and of course, food.


After listening to the tunes of a local band, we decided to get some ice cream before heading downtown to Millenium Park. Luckily, there was a place right up the street. Sweet Mandy B's is an adorable little cake shop serving up creative cakes, cupcakes, desserts, and home made ice cream. I definitely enjoyed my chocolate peanut butter ice cream. I actually wish I could have some now!


After our treat, it was time to hit the train and head downtown. In all the times I have been to Chicago, I've never been to Millenium Park. Now was the moment and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
From the amazing architecture of the concert venue...


... to the over the top Bean...


... to the refreshing fountain, I was in heaven!!


We even saw a bridal party taking photos - genius idea by the way. I loved it...totally worth the wait!


From there we decided to take in some more of the sites including the Adventures in Babysitting building, Oprah's former residence, the beautiful new Trump Tower (where we took respite and enjoyed some much needed AC) and the famous Chicago River.


Dinner was at Giordano's for some deep dish pizza and then it was off to another street fair - and this one was NO JOKE! For a mere $35 bucks you got in, got your cup and got 5 ~ yes 5! ~ drink tickets! This street fair ~ sponsored by the church. You gotta love that! And if that weren't enough, Barenaked Ladies was the headlining band. Not to shabby! Luckily it was a beautiful night so fun was had by all.


So there you have it. Sunday was a quick day that started with a delicious breakfast made by Sue and a tour of some of the fancier suburbs of Chicago. We had such a good time visiting Sue that it was hard to say good bye. It is a guarantee that we will be back...and soon. :)

The Windy City: Day 1

It's been a few days since we returned from our trip out to Chi-Town and I have to apologize that this post is so tardy. We got home Sunday night and I got on a train to NYC Monday so life has been a little crazed. But better late than never, right? :)

We had a FABULOUS time out in Chicago visiting Sue Q. I'm sorry that it is over already! From the moment we got there to the moment we left, Sue had us booked up with awesome outings and meals. She really outdid herself. If the whole "I'm getting my PhD and curing cancer thing" doesn't work out she can definitely get herself a job at the Chicago Tourism office.

Our Thursday night flight out to Illinois was happily uneventful and Sue was there to greet us at baggage claim which is a rare, but lovely thing these days (and totally by accident; unforeseen construction caused her to park). We headed to her new place in Lincoln Park and were greeted by a very excited Sophie girl. After a quick tour of the new duds, some catching up and late night snacks (chips and salsa and cheese...yum!), we hit the sack in anticipation of our very busy Friday.


We awoke to a bright and shiny day and got ready for our 10:30 am Chicago Film Tour. This 3 hour tour took us all over Chicago showing us sites of many famous movie scenes. We grabbed some seats in the back and were on our way. Our tour guide (who was very witty) showed us a scene on the tv's and then point out the site with many an anecdote in between.


From the famous Marina Towers, site of one of the most famous stunts from the 1979 flick The Hunter starring Steve McQueen (see video here)...

...to the site of the original Playboy Mansion located at 1340 North State Parkway...


...to the very famous Green Mill Lounge made famous by movies including The Untouchables, High Fidelity, and more recently, The Dilemma starring Kevin James and Vince Vaughn. Fun fact: Vince Vaughn requires in his contract that portions of every one of his movies MUST be filmed in Chicago. Check out the clip here.


Next up was Wrigley Field which really needs no introduction. I managed to get a good shot of the rooftop seats adjacent to the stadium - Love!


From there, we saw the Biograph Theatre, site of John Dillenger's death as portrayed by the always good to look at Johnny Depp in Public Enemies...


The train station where Sandra Bullock filmed While You Were Sleeping...


...the Backdraft firehouse...


...and the picturesque Wrigley Building where portions of The Fugitive were filmed.


It was a fun filled tour. We learned a lot. We saw a lot. We had a great time. :)

From there it was off to the Weber Grill Restaurant for lunch (made Ed very happy), some shopping on Michigan Avenue (holla to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!) and some good old fashioned site seeing. Awesome Day 1 in Chi-Town!


And if that weren't enough, we had an incredible evening filled with good eats and amazing music. Dinner was at Quartino, a delicious Italian Tapas and Wine bar. The food was amazing...and boy did we pig out. From gourmet cheese and meat to short ribs to pork filled ravoli and pizza, we enjoyed every morsel.


We then headed over to famous blues club, Kingston Mines to listen to some really awesome music. This place is one of the oldest and largest blues club in Chicago. We were lucky enough to hear 2 different blues bands and let me tell you, they ROCKED! Check out the triple guitar that the girl (yes, GIRL) was playing!


Our first day in Chicago was pretty much awesome. So much so that it would be hard to top...but just wait. Details of Day 2 to come!

Chicago or Bust

Ed and I are leaving on a jet plane tonight bound for Chicago to see Sue and Brett. Yeah! We have been looking forward to this trip for a long time so we are so excited that it is finally here. It is hard to believe that I have not seen my sister since the holidays. :( How is that even possible? I hate that we live so far away, but appreciate that we have the means to see each other a few times throughout the year. See you in a few hours, Sue ~ we can't wait!!!


So things will be quiet on the blog over the weekend, but I'm sure we'll have LOTS of really fun stuff to share once we are back. See you then!