The Windy City

For the past couple weeks J and I have taken one day here and two days there to explore our latest go-to place: the fast-paced and history-laden city of Chicago.

One Sunday we walked up and down the Magnificent Mile, taking in the fantastic shopping and beautiful views right there in the heart of the city.

I couldn't believe how cold it was- at one point we stopped in a cafe for hot cocoa, right on the brink of June!

That same day we found ourselves in the Flat Iron district. I'd researched the best-rated Chicago-style pizza and my findings led us to Piece, a cute little place buried in Wicker Park.

The food reviewer recommended white pizza with artichoke hearts so we ordered a large and got to work. I couldn't believe how much I liked it, but we devoured the entire thing!

I fell in love with these beautiful apartments, imagining my life in such a historic area with the cutest doors ever.

NBC

A few days later we returned to the city for another pizza trip accompanied by a jaunt in Lincoln Park. :)

I don't really know why Lincoln isn't in Lincoln Park...

Since temperatures were much higher than the previous week, our trip to the beach was really pleasant! The sun was preparing to set and people layed in the sand soaking up the rays.

The water was freeeeezzzing so I didn't get in much further than this.

As we wandered North Ave beach we found an amazing view of the city but it was so windy it was hard to take pics!

We finally got a good one. :)

In addition to Piece, Great Lake was one of the top-rated pizza places in town. According to the Huffington Post Great Lake was rated number one and Piece was number two, so I was excited to see what it was all about. Sandwiched between two shops and not very flashy, I'm sure I would have passed it up if we weren't led directly there by the GPS.

The shop was so tiny only three tables fit inside; reminding me of the little hole-in-the-wall restaurants in NYC. Even well-known chef/owner Nick Lessins was packed in there whom I was excited to see. Apparently he's a favorite of GQ, Food & Wine and The New York Times, giving reviews such as this one:

"The creations [Lessins] shapes so meticulously at his 12-seat BYO are launching pads to remarkable galaxies of flavor that no other Chicago pizzamaker comes close to matching. In his inspired combinations (only three options a night, depending on how Lessins feels and what he finds at the market), smoked bacon may dance with viscous crème fraîche and chives; roasted sunchokes might whisper sweet nothings to sheep’s milk cheese. His latest beauty has a legion of thin, black-peppery cremini mushrooms sinking into decadent aged Dante cheese on a dynamic, bulbous crust. The bread’s collar emphasizes a minuscule crispy exterior embedded with sea salt; its interior is impossibly airy. How Lessins coaxes such miracles from his tiny Montague HearthBake gas oven is one of Chicago’s great mysteries and treasures."

We were a little wary of the onion pizza we seem to have ordered, but once again we inhaled the entire pie, raving about it afterward. I wish I would have introduced myself to the chef!

On our third trip into the city we used the Grayline bus tour tickets I'd scored via Travelzoo. We'd taken a tour like this in NYC so we knew what to expect, but you forget just how much you learn about these cities until you take the tour.

 We stopped at the Rockefeller Memorial Church at one point, basking in its' intricate beauty and history.

For an hour following our stop at the church J read rumor after rumor about the Illuminati on his phone. I guess I don't blame him though, stepping into the cathedral felt like a trip to the Vatican.

This was the location of the very first Universal Studios years and years ago!

Back behind those trees is an Ace Hardware that we didn't see in person, but our tour guide said houses an old stage where the one and only Louis Armstrong once performed.

We did see the Ferris Bueller house though! I had to look it up on the internet, but sure enough this is where the car was kept in the movie. Cool!

Muhammad Ali's former home.

Obama's home- not worth a better pic than this. :P

Check out these mansions though! I would LOVE to live here!

In the midst of reading about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, I got to see the last freestanding building from the fair itself. Apparently Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, brownies and Cheerios came out of the success of the fair, as did the following statue.

The Statue of the Republic, which I've learned was an attempt by Daniel Burnham and his team of architects to out-eiffel Eiffel after he designed the Eiffel Tower in France. Oh wait I'm getting mixed up. The Ferris Wheel was the "out-eiffeling" attempt. George Washington Gale Ferris designed the landmark which later became known as the Ferris Wheel.

Oh check this out. Apparently this is the second-largest interstate. The same weekend we were touring, city officials closed down the interstate as well as a number of streets for the NATO summit. I'll go into all that fun later.

I've also learned a lot about Frank Lloyd Wright- an incredible architect of his time. We stopped by his Robie House, but due to NATO tours were canceled for the day. :(

Can you see the face on this campus?

Chinatown

One of the only buildings in the downtown loop to survive the Great Chicago Fire. If I remember right this building purified the city's water supply later on.

Coolest water fountain ever for humans, horses and doggies!

The tour stopped at the Lincoln Park Zoo for a few minutes so we checked out the beautiful and historic lion house.

So I've always thought the Bean was cool, but after The Vow I pretty much had to see it for myself right??

So fun!

We finished the night with an obligatory trip to Margaritaville at Navy Pier.

Jason's old mission companion Dusty (also working in our office) met us for volcano nachos and BLTs.

Now about NATO. Ohmygosh. What a pain! Like I mentioned city officials had so many streets blocked off. Huge blue dump trucks lined streets and hundreds of cops posted up around the city watching for any suspicious behavior.

We parked right by these guys and for a bit I was kinda worried about the well-being of our car! But it was more than okay all day. In fact we parked in two-hours and under parking and three times we were late getting back to it! Usually they'd ticket or tow your car no problem, but even after being 15 minutes late after our first tour, thirty minutes late after our second tour, and a whole forty-five minutes late after dinner we never got a ticket!! We didn't mean to be so late but it just happened that way and we got off scott-free! For the first time all day I was saying thank you NATO!

So as we headed out of the city we got caught in this bridge where twenty or so brand new Cadillacs and white vans were parked every other one complete with officers in berets and badges. In fact on the way home one of those black caddies zoomed up behind us so fast J promptly got out of the way. The car immediately passed us and sped ahead, cutting off three or four cars so closely I thought for sure they'd collide. Having just watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith it reminded me of the action scene in the movie. I wonder where he was going!

Anyways that about sums up our trips to Chicago. I really love the city, it's definitely a melting pot of diversity and personality, with so much beautiful architecture and history. Next time I'll be sure to take their riverboat architecture cruise!