Chicago Getaway

Hey, y’all! I hope everyone had a fabulous and well-rested weekend. I certainly did, I went to Chicago with my cousin and mom to hang out with my sister Lauren! Her fiancé Jordan was out of town to watch the Cleveland Indians play a few pre-season games in Arizona, so the three of us ladies decided to fly over to the Windy City to keep her - and her adorable dog Marvel - company for the few days. It was absolutely a much-needed girls’ weekend!

Normally, I have a bunch of pictures from my trips featured on my travel blog posts, usually more than enough 😂 But I honestly didn’t take that many pictures during this trip to Chicago. Mainly because I’ve been there so many times that I didn’t feel the need to take more pictures. I was also too focused on staying in the present moment and enjoying my time with my mom, sister, and cousin. Even bloggers need a social media detox every once in a while! Although I still managed to post a good amount of stuff on my Instagram stories … mostly food. But I don’t regret that even one bit, Chicago food is AMAZING!

Jenna, my cousin, hadn’t been to Chicago since we were at an appropriate age to shop at the American Girl Doll store. Ironically, that was the one thing she remembered from her first trip! So we had to show her all (or at least most) of our favorite spots in the city. We took her to the Water Tower, the Magnificent Mile, Macy’s (originally Marshall Field’s), and Lincoln Park. We also introduced her to a few of our favorite restaurants: Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, BomboBar, Foodlife, and Yolk. Something new that none of us have done before is take the Untouchable bus tour, which consists of history about Chicago gangsters (Al Capone, John Dillinger, Bugs Moran, etc.) and tour guides acting as 1920’s gangsters. They showed us the sites of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, the Biograph Theatre, and Holy Name Cathedral. It was a very intriguing tour. It was something I never thought we would ever do but I’m glad we did!

It was overall a perfect girls’ trip! What are your favorite things to do in Chicago? Comment down below and share!

I also want to say that I LOVE my outfit in the picture above! These striped wide-legged pants from Altar’d State are my current obsession. They’re so chic and so cozy, double bonus! The grey sweater I’m wearing from Jones New York used to be owned by my late grandmother, so I’m wearing it in honor of her ❤️ The two pieces, along with the military boots, gold layered necklace and silver cat eye sunglasses, match perfectly together. It was perfect to wear on the plane ride and all around Chicago, especially in the chilly weather. It’s my new go-to outfit for anything! Unfortunately, I don’t have all the available links to these fashion pieces, but you can shop a similar look down below!

SHOP MY OUTFIT

Favorite Spots in Chicago

Hello, babes!

I recently had the pleasure to visit my sister Lauren and her fiancé Jordan in Chicago to celebrate my 22nd birthday. It was so much fun and amazing, definitely one of the best birthdays yet. I can't wait to see what this year brings! I also now have an excuse to sing the song by Taylor Swift! Although I'm not a huge fan of hers, but I'm still gonna sing it whenever I'm in the mood to.

Chicago is hands down one of my favorite cities to visit. It's better than New York City in my personal opinion. It's not as crazy, it's more clean, the people are more nice, and it's a very unique place. There's so many different things to do and go to, the list is wide open with several opportunities! I got to do and see a lot of cool places during my birthday vacation, and of course I still have some favorites from previous trips. So I thought with summer coming, it would be great to make a list of some of my favorite spots in Chicago that you should check out for your next trip! 

Chicago Tourism

At the Art Institute of Chicago!

• Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise

  • I didn't think I was going to enjoy this at first, but then I loved it. Not only was it a boat ride on a warm sunny day relaxing but it was so fun to learn about Chicago's unique architecture!

• Millennium Park

  • Where else are you going to find a ginormous silver bean or crown fountains that spit out water?

• Lincoln Park Zoo

  • It's one of the coolest zoos I've ever visited. Plus, admission is free!

• Art Institute of Chicago

  • I'm a sucker for art museums. This one is definitely a must-go on your museum bucket list! Chagall's America Windows display is so beautiful and there is even a statue of LeBron James! Well, it's actually a statue of a goat, but you know what I mean ...

• Shedd Aquarium

  • It's a little expensive, but seeing all the amazing aquatic creatures from beluga whales to seals is totally worth it.

Chicago Entertainment

• Howl at the Moon

  • This is definitely one of the best bars I've ever been to. Not only do they provide every kind of alcoholic drink you can imagine but all music is performed live by pianists. And if you request any song, they'll perform it right off the bat without practice!

• Chicago Theatre

  • A landmark feature and theater in the Windy City. Just to see the sign and snap a picture of it is well worth it!

Chicago Shopping

• Water Tower Place

  • I LOVE this building. Even if I'm not visiting to shop (which rarely happens), I have to stop by here just for the feel of it. This place has almost every retailer and food rest stop you can think of. They have Chicago's famous Garrett Popcorn store which has the most amazing Garrett Mix (gourmet cheddar and caramel popcorn). They also have Foodlife, a self-serve food hall with every kind of food you can imagine. Italian, Chinese, desserts, burgers, Mexican, Chicago style, they have it all!

• Macy's on State Street (Marshall Fields)

  • Fun fact: My mom worked here while she and my dad lived in Chicago in the 80s before they changed it to Macy's!

• The Magnificent Mile

  • Located on North Michigan Avenue, it is a busy and vital premier commercial district flooded with so many amazing famous shops, fashion outlets and restaurants that you can only find in big cities such as NYC, LA and of course, Chicago. From the Disney Store to Burberry, there's no great store that you cannot find. I feel cool just walking around the district and taking pictures!

Chicago Dining   

• Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba

  • My family and I have been dining here for as long as I can remember. The service and atmosphere is very delicate. Their sangria, prosciuttio, goat cheese marinara with garlic bread, buttermilk-fried chicken thighs, and fried calamari are even better!

• Labriola

  • A very delicate Italian restaurant with great pizza, spaghetti, wine, and much more. My mom and I went last fall and we had the nicest and funniest bartenders!

• Barcocina

  • Awesome Mexican restaurant in Lincoln Park with great margaritas and cheeseburger tacos, as well as a pink Instagrammable sign saying "Feed me tacos and tell me I'm pretty."

• Homeslice

  • My sister, her fiance and I went here for my 22nd birthday dinner. The thin crust pizza is so good. The interior design is all wooden, even the menus are wooden plates!

• Hampton Social

  • This is where we went to brunch for my 22nd birthday. It's a little expensive, but it's still worth the experience. It's very Instagrammable (it's where the famous sign "Rose All Day" exists that bloggers love) and cute. And it's hard to turn down a mimosa and breakfast sandwich with avocado, scrambled eggs, American cheese, bacon and arugula!

• Foodlife

  • I pretty much covered this above when talking about Water Tower, so you get the gist of it already.

• Yolk

  • You're typical breakfast restaurant with everything you can imagine. It's perfect if you're hungry for something specific, it's right on menu. They have delicious cinnamon french toast with strawberries!

• BomboBar

  • I had a "Bombolato", a donut with vanilla gelato, salted caramel icing, and fruity pebbles. It sounds like a heart attack, but the calories are "cerealisly" worth it!

• Stan's Donuts & Coffee

  • As a donut lover, this is a must-do on my Chicago list. The doughnuts are hot and fresh out of the oven, and there's so many different unique flavors to choose from. They also have great coffee that makes stopping there convenient. Coffee and donuts no doubt always make a great combination!

Chicago Instagram Hot Spots

• Hampton Social

  • Like I said above while mentioning it it in my favorite restaurants, it’s very Insta worthy for bloggers like me!

• Skydeck Chicago

  • This is a definite photograph hot spot! I haven't gone yet, but I so badly want to and get a picture standing over the glass room! This is perfect if you're a daredevil or not but looking for ways to step outside your comfort zone! The only downfall is that you do have to book tickets ahead of time or else you have to wait in line for three hours (meh).

• The Bean at Millennium Park

  • This place is a legendary icon, how could you not post a selfie reflection of yourself?

• Navy Pier

  • Get a vivid shot of the iconic ferris wheel lit up at nighttime and you're good to go!

• North Avenue Beach

  • Not only will you enjoy a pleasant walk along the shore during the summer, but you can snap some great shots of the city skyline. Thanks to Tom Haverford and Andy Dwyer taking a piggyback ride picture here in a Parks and Recreation episode, it's well worth it!

• Chicago Riverwalk

  • There's so many different angles and poses you can do on the bridge or sideline near the river. It's definitely a great place to take pictures, even in the winter. The river also turns green for the famous Chicago St. Patrick's Day celebration which you don't want to miss out on for a cool picture. It looks slimy yet super cool!

• Chicago O'Hare International Airport

  • The third biggest airport in the USA, big enough to take some really cool pictures. This is perfect especially if you're a travel blogger, you can share some pictures of you on an adventure as you go through and explore the airport. Share your journey!

• Lincoln Park murals

  • That picture of me above? Yeah, Lincoln Park has some pretty dope graffiti walls that are worth the picture.

What's your favorite place to go in Chicago? Comment down below and share!

Chicago, Illinois

My parents and I's second summer adventure took place in the Windy City! For the Fourth of July weekend, she arranged plans to visit my sister Lauren who is working in Chicago for a summer internship at Leo Burnett. It was a very lovely weekend, especially because Chicago is one of my favorite cities in the world. I was not very thrilled about leaving California, but Independence Day Weekend made me not regret one bit!

We left early from San Diego on Friday and arrived in Chicago in mid-afternoon. The flight was a bit long due to the three hour time difference, but watching The Breakfast Club (which ironically took place in Chicago!) made it go by faster. Once we met my sister at her apartment, we got freshened up and went to Millennium Park for our first stop. I have never seen the Chicago Bean in person before, so I was very excited to finally check it out for the first time (and take reflective selfies). We also saw the Crown Fountain which is a video sculpture that spits out water into a kiddie pool. My, how technology has progressed!

We met up with one of my sister's friends and took an Uber to Wicker Park which our favorite restaurant in the city, Café Bavaria, was located. If you live or are going to Chicago sometime ever, my family and I highly recommend this restaurant. It's your usual order one meal only and pay, it's more of a pick a variety of appetizers and try them out and pay. It may not sound very filling, but I promise you it is. My favorite food plates are the prosciutto and calamari, so damn good.

The next day was pretty much a tourist kind of day. We stopped first at our favorite breakfast meal at Yolk, the best brunch you will ever experience! 

After Lauren showed us her office in Leo Burnett, we drove to the city's local zoo in Lincoln Park. We saw a Siberian tiger, seals, monkeys, zebras, kangaroos, gorillas, and many more. Of course, being in Chicago, we had to pick up some amazing cheddar and caramel popcorn from Garret's.

After a long day of touring, we topped off the night with a delicious dinner at Parlor Pizza Bar, including an amazing dessert dish of a chocolate chip cookie with a topping of soft serve vanilla ice cream! Unfortunately, the only dish picture I have is of a margherita pizza ... 

Our third day we took the Architectural Boat Tour for the first time. It's the number one attraction in the city and one of the most popular tours in the country. It was really cool to see and learn the history of the buildings and areas of Chicago, and I also find big boat rides very relaxing! 

For the most patriotic day of the year, we got four tickets to a super awesome Cubs vs. Cincinnati Reds game in Wrigley Field. Despite being from Ohio, we wanted the Cubs to win! If they were playing against the Cleveland Indians, however, that would be a bit of a complicated decision. 

The temperature was not very balmy to sit in for two hours, but we managed to luck out with some great seats behind home plate! Hopefully we brought luck to the team, because they WON! 

The coolest part about the game was my dad pointed out famous comedian Jeff Garlin sitting two rows in front of us! My mom, sister, and I at first had no idea who he was. My dad recognized him from sitcoms like Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Golbergs, and even as the voice of some characters from Pixar movies. Unfortunately, we didn't get to take a picture with him. But it was cool to exist two rows behind him!

After the game, we took a subway back to downtown and got freshened up for our Fourth of July and last night meal. Lauren and I got to wear our new outfits that we recently bought from Anthropologie and had a very nice steak dinner at Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse. We topped off the night by watching the Navy Pier fireworks from our hotel room, and even from afar it was still magical. 

I wouldn't have wished to spent one of my favorite holidays in a different place! Not only happy that I got to explore one of my favorite cities, but I got to explore it with the three most important people in my life. Thank you to my familia for an amazing weekend, and I can't wait for our next adventure!