Chicago, Illinois

Micah and I planned this trip to Chicago for several months. One of Micah's bucketlist things is to watch a game in every MLB stadium. So, we decided to knock one of those stadiums off the list this year. However, I had no idea what all Micah had planned for this trip and that Chicago would become one of my most favorite places. 

We flew in on Thursday night and checked into our hotel, Raffaello Hotel. This hotel was more than I could have imagined. We had a large living area that closed off to our room. After checking in to our hotel and unloading our luggage, we walked across the street and had dinner at Southern Cut Barbecue. This restaurant had a very intimate feel, with dimmed lights, comfortable couch seating, and some delicious barbecue! 

Our first morning, we ate breakfast at Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe. This was our favorite breakfast spot of the whole trip. After breakfast, we headed to Adler Planetarium. I was real confused as to why Micah wanted to go to a planetarium, but to my surprise, Micah had planned the sweetest proposal here. He chose the Adler Planetarium because it had the best view of the Chicago skyline and of Lake Michigan. I could not have asked for a better proposal. (Check out the full story here.) Complete with a guitarist singing 'From the Ground Up', a perfect picnic with chocolate strawberries and sparkling grape juice, and a photographer. It was a dream!!

We called and FaceTimed all of the family, we went to the Chicago Riverwalk and took a boat tour. There are several options for boat tours in Chicago, but we decided on the Urban Adventure River and Lake tour. This tour took us through the river and all the architecture and then out into Lake Michigan. We had lunch at Chicago Brewhouse Riverwalk and then had to go back to the hotel for me to take the comprehensive exam for my masters. Which took me four hours!! But once I finished the test, we got ready and went to The Signature Lounge. The Signature Lounge had great views of the skyline and we got there right at sunset. The views were ahhh-mazing! The best views, though, were from the girls restroom. After dinner, we walked to Navy Pier and explored before they shut down for the night. 

We slept in the next morning and went to a late breakfast at Brunch and then made the drive to the Chicago mural (pictured above). After a short photo sessions at the mural, we drove to Wrigley Field to the Cubs vs Pirates game. It was HOT but it was so much fun! 

After the game, we drove to North Avenue Beach and then on to the hotel to park the car. We spent the rest of the night walking around the Magnificent Mile and then ate dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe. 

Sunday morning, we woke up early to finish all of our sight seeing before flying back home that night. Our first stop was breakfast. We decided on Bakin' and Eggs for a quick and easy breakfast and then headed off to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It is a free zoo, but parking is pretty expensive. I will say, I love seeing different zoo's around the world, but this one did not impress me very much. My favorite part was seeing the gorillas and the elephants! We decided on The Hampton Social for a quick appetizer lunch. Then, I made Micah walk with me to a bridge over the river for a quick picture.

After lunch, we checked off all of the other sightseeing, tourist-y things! 

The Flamingo Wall.

The Bean and the Crown Fountain at Millennium Park. 

Buckingham Fountain.

We walked across the street to get ice cream at Scoops on the lake and then had the famous Lou Maltnatis Pizza. It was delicious and definitely a must when in Chicago!

Chicago is definitely a city that will forever hold a special place in my heart. If you have ever been, what are some things we should do next time?