My Kind of Town Chicago Is

One of the best parts of living in the Midwest is living within driving distance to Chicago. Chicago is an incredible city that I fall more in love with every time I go. My friend Caci has a relative that lives in an amazing condo in the city so we went down for the weekend.

You can't get to Chicago with out paying about $10 in tolls which sucks but you also can't get to Chicago without passing IKEA...which is always a treat. Caci had never been so we trekked around ikea for a couple hours with her baby Charlotte. Isn't she adorable?!

I don't know how it happened, but we didn't buy anything! I was as shocked as you guys are. Caci has a lot of self control when it comes to frugality, but I was there too and didn't even buy meatballs or a cute mason jar?!

I was super close to getting a few picture frames for my postcards from the MFAH but resisted. Joey and I need to get rid of things not buy new stuff. He is off to school in August, and I am moving into a much smaller/cheaper living space. Just gotta keep reminding myself that I can get whatever I want when we finally "settle down". Hello all matching dishes!

After IKEA we were starving. As much as I wanted the Lingonberry sauce and meatballs from ikea's cafe, I was pretty sure that anything we got in downtown Chicago was going to be a tinsy bit better....just a tinsy bit ;)

We got to the condo which was adorable. Nancy (Caci's dad's cousin...but we'll just say Caci's aunt) has a great decorator. I scored by having the whole basement to myself which I was not expecting to have when staying with someone who lives in the city! We freshened up and walked to a new pizza joint that Nancy said was pretty popular in her hood. -warning- there was A LOT of unhealthy eating. consider this blog post as an ad for Lipitor lol. We stuffed our faces with delicious pizza and garlic monkey bread that will send you to heaven... and the couch with sweat pants.

Thankfully we did a lot of walking to work off that pizza. We got on a bus to take us to the heart of downtown so I could see "the bean". It was so cool and freezing outside. I want to go back to take a million picks with a better camera than an ipod touch, and in some daylight too....and some summer warmth. Millennium park was awesome, so many cool things all in one place.

I love how the skyline is all lit up in these pictures. Obviously the touch doesn't do it justice Curses not remembering my real camera ever.

I love the feeling of being surrounded by skyscrapers. I could totally get used to living in a huge city.

The "fountains" have random people's faces on them, and in the summer it is a fun place for kids to play around in their swim suits. There is a spout at the mouth and water comes out of it. In this pic though I was able to capture a group of Asian tourists flashing the peace sign. I think I can call my life complete now.

The sides of the fountain towers change color which made some fun pictures.
We went walking around some more while Nancy gave us the tour. We ran into this building which name I don't remember, but it is super old and famous I guess. The interesting thing about it is that the whole thing is turning into a Target! It is sad that such a beautiful building is becoming a big corporate facility, but still I would flip out if this was my Target! They aren't changing anything on the facade since it is a historical building, so I am pretty sure that this is going to be the coolest target ever.

We checked out some other touristy spots like the Macy's-which was ginormous, Chicago Theater, Marilyn Monroe statue, the river/ trump tower etcWe ended up heading back to the condo after our travels around town, and ordering delivery. Did you know you can order delivery from hundreds of restaurants on one website in Chicago? Amazing.The next morning was wonderful. I woke up when my body felt like it. I can't remember the last time that happened. Such a luxury those days were. You know you have become an adult when "sleeping in" is 8:00 am. Nancy had a "race" thing where she climbed all 95(?) floors of the John Hancock building. After she got back from that we bundled up and walked to the Bleeding Heart Bakery for brunch. OMG this place is A. effing delicious and B. effing soo bad for a girl with a sweet tooth.
I decided to go big since it isn't everyday that we go here. I got their doughnut sandwich. Don't judge! It was a small sized portion lol. Basically it was like a mc griddle but in between a doughnut. Disgustingly delicious right? I felt amazing after eating it. Not. But hey its part of the experience, and I will not be ashamed lol. After getting some goodies from their pastry window to take home to joey we headed back to the condo to get ready to go back home.

Chicago trip well done. Next time let's just find a really good salad joint ;)