The Land of Obama, Ferris Bueller, Deep Dish Pizza, the Cubs, the White Sox, and of course, Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”
I met up with some friends from college over a long weekend in October. It was so nice to get together with my friends and it was the first time post-college we were reunited. We picked Chicago since Nalani lived nearby and Allison, Sydney, and I hadn't been exploring there before. We stayed in the Fairfield Inn and Suites on Mag Mile and it was a great location. We were able to walk around to most places we wanted to visit, as they were close by and the weather was nice. Breakfast was also included. When we wanted to go to places a bit further away we took a quick Uber/ Lyft, except when we went to go look at the suburbs and had Nalani drive. While staying at the hotel she left her car in a parking garage. Since we didn't need to take Uber/ Lyft rides far and were splitting the cost between us, we didn't spend too much on rides, we also walked much of the city.
The people of Chicago were so kind and genuine, it was refreshing. A city with a rich history, food, architecture, and much more. While I was there a teacher's strike took place because of their wages, so the city does have problems, but people were willing to talk about them. People have opinions, and they share them and I loved talking to all our uber drivers and locals. They were much friendlier than other cities I've visited and kind, no phony business.
Highlights from our trip
The bean at Millenium Park - The bean itself I expected to be shiny but with everyone touching it, that wasn't the case. We didn't mind having other people in our photos but I know some people wake up at the crack of dawn to take a photo there with no one in the reflection or background.
Sky Deck Willis Tower (Sears Tower) - The line for this took forever but the view was nice. You only have a short amount of time in the glass window box, so think of your posses ahead of time. One lady did pass out while waiting in line, not sure if it was because it was crowded or maybe she didn't do well with heights.
Utopian Tailgate a truly amazing rooftop bar. I loved the unique swings, outdoor patio games, and views of the city.
80 Proof Chi and Old Town Pour House were also fabulous bars, great music, and cocktails.
Deep dish pizza. It was a lot of dough and cheese for me but a must when you visit. Nando's is not local but I had never been to this South African restaurant before and liked their style of chicken. They also had delicious drinks.
Pop up central perk/friends set. Sydney, Allison, Nalani, and I all loved friends so even though it wasn't the original set we loved posing on the sets and learning more about the history of the show.
Shedd aquarium, it was nice to visit our fishy friends. They had a diver feeding them and sea turtles while another person outside the tank explained more about them.
The American girl shop, When I was younger my mom took my sister and me to the location in Manhattan to shop and have lunch/tea at the cafe. It was magical as a kid so it only made sense to visit the original shop in Chicago and see all the new dolls and books they have created since we were kids.
Navy Pier was a hit for us all. They had great food options and upstairs a pretty nursery with lots of flowers, trees. Outside was also beautifully decorated with flowers. The outside area with amusement like rides wasn't open at the time.
Chicago Riverwalk and an architecture tour- The buildings are impressive and have an interesting history. It was very windy and we were glad we wore layers while on the boat ride.
The Art Institute- Some of my favorite pieces of artwork were A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, American Gothic, Water Lilies, and America Windows.
House hunting in the suburbs. They were adorable and we even found Michael Jordans home, you can easily recognize it from the street since the gate has the number 23 in it.
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