When I was flying back from San Francisco, I volunteered to be bumped to a later flight and got a pretty sweet voucher in return. Having known a few people who lived in Chicago, I’d heard a lot about how awesome it was. I had a long weekend coming up at work, and decided to make the most of it—jet off to Chicago and check out the city I’d heard so much about!
Loves
- Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
- Where I stayed: Drake Hotel
- Restaurants: Third Coast Cafe, Carmine‘s
- Shopping: Dave’s Records, H&M
- Museum: Art Institute of Chicago, The Field Museum
- Sites: The Bean, Lincoln Park Zoo, John Hancock Observatory
- Food(s): Chicago dogs, Chicago-style pizza
What to know
- The city is really easy to navigate, and public transportation is awesome. It’s also a pretty walk-able city.
- The air coming off Lake Michigan made for some cold and windy days even in mid-May, so I suggest packing accordingly. Some days were warmer than others, but as a general rule, I had a jacket and scarf with me just in case.
- Give yourself enough time to check out the museums (if you’re into that sort of thing). The modern wing had just opened at the Art Institute when I was there, and that’s really all I had time to see (to still be able to see other things in Chicago).
Why go?
You want to try authentic Chicago dogs and Chicago-style pizza; you’re into cool architecture and art; you’re want to see Wrigley Field; you want to see a T-Rex (Sue, at The Field Museum); there are a million reasons to see Chicago, really.
Things to do
- Museums
- Eat… a lot
- Check out the touristy sites: the bean, John Hancock
- Spend some time at the Lincoln Park Zoo. It’s free, open 365 days a year, and they have a lot of awesome animals. Also check out the Lincoln Park Conservatory right by the zoo.
- Do some shopping.
