My first impression as I exited the airport and boarded a CTA train to our hotel located downtown was that this city looked oddly familiar, despite it being my first venture to Chicago. I spent most of the ride gazing intently out the window trying to determine why, until it occurred to me that the city landscape very much resembled Toronto, my hometown!
Anyways, the weekend was a whirlwind of random activities, museums, parks, excessive food and shopping, and getting hopelessly lost. Exactly as a vacation should be, right?
I thought I'd share a few of my favourite moments below. Be prepared for a deluge of food snapshots!
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| View from 360 Chicago (formerly John Hancock Observatory) |
My friends and I were tremendously excited to try the Starbucks evening menu. Yes, of all places. See our before and after photos below.
Parmesan Crusted Chicken Skewers, Bacon Wrapped Dates with Balsamic Glaze, Truffle Mac & Cheese, Chicken and Roasted Tomato Flatbread, white wine (can't recall which one).
Next up, this is at
Weber Grill. We have Beer Can Chicken with Garlic Mashed Potatoes on the left and Grill Roasted Crab Cakes on the right. Great place for a late night meal! This place was situated directly across the street from the Starbucks where we had ordered our evening dishes--so we avoided any additional walking in the cold blasting wind.
Below we have
Gyu-Kaku, Japanese BBQ Dining.
We ordered the Samurai Course for 4 people. (http://www.gyu-kaku.com/menu/il_ch/ch_course.pdf) I couldn't resist ordering some add-ons of spicy cold tofu and a tofu kimchi soup. Making s'mores on the hot plate was the perfect ending to the meal!
And of-course, can't come to Chicago and not enjoy some deep dish pizza. This was a spur of the moment restaurant choice at the recommendation of an H&M sales associate but I believe the name of the place was
Pizano's.
Day 2, we started the day with a hearty breakfast at Yolk (1120 South Michigan Ave). Fuel for the day! Be prepared to arrive here by 9:30AM though unless you don't mind waiting outside in line for 30-60 minutes.
Here is a view of the skyline from outside the steps of the planetarium. Gorgeous spring weather but rather windy, with sharp gusts of air.
Wrapping up a night at
Navy Pier. Unfortunately, we arrived shortly before closing time so much of our time was spent simply admiring the landscape outdoors. I was very glad that I had bundled up.
Finally, the last treat I will be recommending for your belly--traditional Chicago style hotdogs at Portillo! Mouthwatering and delicious. The hotdog is served on a poppyseed bun and dressed with mustard, relish, pickles, diced tomatoes, onions, and celery salt. I have been constantly craving hotdogs since my visit there.
Our final day in Chicago, we cabbed over to see the beautiful Millennium Park. I am not ashamed to say we huddled under the bean with other tourists, admiring our own fish lens reflections.
I will wrap it up at this point but hope you've enjoyed the quick peek into our weekend getaway. It was an excellent break from work, classes, and school assignments. After all, what's life without a little balance of work and play?
This post is archived under
Chicago,
Food,
Travel
Location:
Chicago, IL, USA
