Our Chicago Weekend Trip

A few photos from this weekend's chi-town fun. Stephen and I decided to take a quick trip to the windy city because we had some extra airline miles and I had always wanted to visit. The trip almost didn't happen though because of course ice-magedon hit DFW right before it was time for us to fly out. Texans don't do well with ice and this Texan's drive to the airport was seriously terrifying buut we made it and surprisingly our flights were not cancelled! On Friday night we took a cab from the airport to our hotel and just relaxed with a drink at the bar downstairs.

On Saturday, Stephen and I woke up early to start our sightseeing. First, we walked from our hotel down to Michigan Avenue where all of the action is (shops, restaurants, the bean, etc...). We wandered around, snapped some photos and found a great spot for brunch called "Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe". The food here was delicious and not too expensive at all. If you take a trip here, I would highly recommend getting their signature Berry Bliss pancakes. Oh man, so good. 


The bean. Pretty crazy thing to see in the middle of downtown! Definitely brought out the little kid excitement in me. 

After brunch and the bean, Stephen and I stopped at The Art Institute of Chicago for some culture. The Art Institute houses some of the most amazing pieces you will ever see... my favorite: the Modern section. Even though they aren't necessarily difficult to create, I still see the cleverness in their execution. I mean, literally, we walked past one canvas that was painted completely blue. And that was it. How did a solid blue canvas make it into the Art Institute of Chicago?! Well I can't answer that, but I can tell you that it was refreshing to walk by pieces that you wouldn't necessarily call art. Another funny thing, I walked into a room that had trash all over the floor and was like, "oh wow, what happened here? someone threw trash everywhere!! how could they let this happen?" That's when I saw the plaque on the wall and realized it was someone's work. I wonder if they were recording people's reactions as part of the exhibit lol. Anyways, definitely worth a trip!


For dinner, Stephen and I got lucky with a walk-in at The Gage on Michigan Ave. (Tip: if you want to eat dinner at a nice place, make a reservation far in advance. Places in Chicago book up fast and then you have to eat somewhere like Bennigans lol.) The Gage is a gastropub that serves upscale american fare and was highly rated on yelp. We ended up splitting a four course meal and loved every bit of it. First course: Fondue, Second Course: Tuna Tartare, Third Course: Scallops with Korean Short Ribs, Fourth Course: Venison Burger.

After dinner we headed to the Up Comedy club for a holiday comedy show. It was hilarious, but we were seated in the front row so I was weirdly worried they would mess with me the whole time. Of course they did but it was harmless fun... they ended up taking my phone and gift wrapping it in a box for a skit. So random haha.
  

On Sunday we headed to Willis Tower for a little more sightseeing. They have a skydeck with a see through box that you can step into and stare straight to the ground. Strangely a terrifying experience! I knew there was no way I would fall, but still had to get my "balance" before stepping in.


After Willis Tower we packed up our stuff and headed back to the airport. (Just a quick shot of our gorgeous hotel. The W City Center was so swanky and the perfect location for downtown sightseeing.) Our drive home from the airport was even more terrifying than the trip there but so worth it. Hopefully DFW gets some sun soon... Tired of being cooped up in the house because I'm too scared to drive!




Comments

  1. Great Willis Towers shots! I would have been so scared. Haha! Love me some Chicago. I have family there but haven't visited in a while.

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  2. Thanks Sarah! It was our first time there and we loved it too... hope to go back someday in the summer. That cold wind is pretty intense haha!

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