It was August 6, only three days away from Ted’s FORTIETH birthday and I was feeling guilty that my mind had been on every other detail of our lives except his big day!
I’m not one of those people who loves planning celebrations. It overwhelms me. However, there are people who LOVE it and are GOOD at it – my sister Krista is one of those people. (If you have a big celebration to plan and don’t know what to do, FIND a person who loves this stuff! It’s SO amazing at the creativity people like my sister have!)
When I told Krista that I didn’t have much planned for Ted‘s birthday, she went into ‘overdrive.’ She suggested so many amazing ideas. Most needed more than three days to come together – but we were able to come up with a perfect day in Chicago for him – including an overnight stay at her friends gorgeous Chicago lakefront condo!
So, we scheduled family and babysitters to watch our kids, and on Ted’s 40th birthday, we headed into the City.
My sister, Krista, and me! Look at that amazing view from the condo!
First, we just took some time to enjoy the fabulous condo, then went to explore the beautiful city.
We started near Soldier field …then walked around
Buckingham Fountain…
the Crown Fountain…
and the Bean…
By this time, we needed some food. There was a hotdog stand close to the Bean, but they were all out of Chicago dogs. When in Chicago, you must try a Chicago dog!!!
We walked into Garrett’s to try some of their amazing popcorn – a Chicago favorite!
We kept walking all the way down Michigan Avenue, until we reached Sprinkles cupcakes. Sprinkles makes the world’s best cupcakes!
Krista says that Sprinkles cupcakes are proof that God loves us.
After enjoying every single bite of those cupcakes, we walked along Lake Shore drive.
After walking a few minutes, we found DIVVY Bikes to rent and road all the way back to where we were staying near Soldier field. It.was.BEAUTIFUL! We stopped riding for a few minutes when we reached Adler planetarium because from this spot, we could watch the glorious sunset over the City and Lake Michigan.
With Divvy Bikes, you can pick them up and drop them off at any of their locations around the city, so we parked them in a spot near our condo and went for a swim in the pool. Then we got ready for dinner.
For one of the BEST meals you’ll ever eat in Chicago (and quite possibly the best meal you’ll ever eat anywhere), go to Girl and the Goat. I love eating with Nate And Krista because they love food like I do! The dishes at Girl in the Goat are small, so that allowed us to order more than one dish per person – so between the four of us, we ordered a LOT of food!! Every dish, every bite, was delicious! My top 5 favs were the halibut, the chickpea fritters, the pork shank, the “pig face” and the goat loin. Oooh sooo good!!!
The chef/owner of “Girl and the Goat” (Stephanie Izard) was the first female winner on Top Chef and has two other restaurants that I now want to try – The Little Goat and an Asian restaurant called Duck, Duck Goat.
After dinner, we went back to the condo and spent the night in our room that had floor-to-ceiling windows of the city! Uh-mazing!
It was a perfect day in Chicago husband, sister and brother-in-law!
We continued the celebration the next evening with dinner at The Turf Room (one of our favorite restaurants in the Chicago Suburbs) with some dear friends!
Dinner at The Turf Room. I’m holding a gift that my friend Lisa made for our new home.
PS – If you are going to Chicago and have more than one day to spend in the city, here are some additional ‘bucket list items’ I would recommend:
- get a Chicago stuffed pizza from Giordano’s!
- go see a Chicago Cubs game in the historic Wrigley field
- go to Soldier field for a concert or football game
- Take a ride on the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier
- Take an architectural tour by boat through the city
- Visit the Sky Deck
- Drive north along Lake Shore Drive and Sheridan to Evanston for a gorgeous view of the lake on one side and stunning old homes on the other. Explore Northwestern University. You can even continue driving north on Sheridan into the quaint town of Winnetka to see the Home Alone house.
Leave me a comment with your Chicago recommendations!
View Comments (2)
I love that piece of art! So beautiful. Wish I had one of those for our moves over the years.
It's so special! It was a nice gift!