Big Chicago Finish! — Patti Part Two

Instead of slowing down activities as I wound up my visit to Chicago - I went into overdrive! Three good friends from KC - well one lives in Des Moines now but we all know each other from KC - flew up on Thursday morning and the next two and a half days were action packed. We kept track of our steps and had a wager on what our total would be. No one won because we exceeded all our predictions- so I guess you could say we all won. We logged over 30 miles and not a single complaint. You ladies were awesome! So here goes - 3 Blonds and a Brunette!

We booked an AirBnb in one of my favorite neighborhoods - Old Town. So close to everything but a real neighborhood feel. We had the coach house behind a beautiful brownstone on N. Hudson.

The door to our coach house just behind the brownstone. It was perfect for us! Two bedrooms, living room and kitchen - very nicely decorated and clean.

Time for lunch since we couldn’t check into the coachhouse till 4. We stayed in the area and had a great lunch at a place called the Summer House. Very open and fun inside and the food was very good. As soon as you walk in you see an amazing display of cookies. That got my interest for sure.

Kicking off a fun weekend with wine! And a cookie!

We browsed the shops on Webster and Armitage until we could get in to the AirBnb - and then headed there to get settled in and change for a fun night. When in Chicago one must eat pizza so we headed to one of my old favorites, Ranalli’s on Lincoln Ave.

Garlic knots, salad and a sausage pizza.

Then we headed to the famous Second City!! The vast majority of Saturday Night Live cast past and present have come through Second City so to say its famous in the comedy world is an understatement. And it’s easy to buy the tickets in advance on the Internet. No reserved seats so the show starts at 8 but it’s best to get there between 7:15 and 7:30. We did and got seated in the second row!

We all had a great time and thought the show was very funny. And almost 3 hours long! The third act is all improv which is really fun.

Keeping an eye on the cast to see if any make it to NYC!

Friday morning we headed out to Nookies for breakfast. It’s right on Wells and is legendary.

Everyone had on comfortable shoes because the extreme walking began. Off through Lincoln Park heading for shopping on Michigan Ave.

Ready to shop on a beautiful day in Chicago!

There is a special art exhibit on display on Michigan Ave called Lighthouses on the Mag Mile. Reminiscent of the famous painted cows only lighthouses because the organization putting it on is the Chicago Lighthouse - a world renowned social service organization serving the blind, disabled, visually impaired and Veteran communities. The lighthouses will be auctioned off to benefit the group. There are 51 total and I think we saw about 40 of them. Very cool!

Shopping! My two favorite stores - UNIQLO and Zara. Great prices and fun clothing. There is a possibility we all bought the same shirt - just in a different color😉

We made a stop at Eataly which is just east of Michigan Ave on Ohio. Combo restaurants and shopping. All Italian and all delicious! We were going to get a bite there but it was pretty crowded and we didn’t have a lot of time. Shake Shack was right across the street and getting a burger to eat on the go seemed like a better idea. Shake Shack has wonderful burgers, fries, shakes etc. Maybe coming to your town soon. It started with one location in NYC in a park and has exploded all over the country. The one in KC is under construction and will hopefully open in the fall.

I don’t eat many burgers but this one is great. I also love the black and white shake but used restraint.

We needed to head back to the coachhouse to get ready for our evening, but passed through Rush St on the way. So many memories! The Lodge! Butch McGuires! Shenanigans! That was the place to be when I got out of college. Not sure it still is but it’s there and looking great.

The ladies impressed me with their ability to get ready fast, and when our Uber arrived we headed out for our big night. First stop was dinner at Volare. An Italian restaurant in the Streeterville area that has been there for over 20 years. The food is always great and for Chicago it’s not too expensive.

A great salad and half order of risotto with chicken and peas. Glad I didn’t order a full order!

Now time to head to Hamilton!! So excited to finally see it. I was worried that with all the hype I would be disappointed but not in the least. The minute it ended I said to myself, I want to see it again! Everyone loved it and we couldn’t stop talking about it. Definitely a trip highlight for me.

We walked back up Michigan Ave and treated ourselves to a couple of pieces of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory to share. What a fun day!

One more day and still lots we want to do. Up early and heading for breakfast. Along the way guess what we see??

I have heard so much about the 3 Arts Cafe on Dearborn so was glad the girls were up for trying it. It’s located in a beautiful building that also houses the Restoration Hardware Store. They don’t take reservations and I was told to get there before they open if you don’t want a long wait so that’s what we did. There were probably 30 people in line ahead of us when we got there about 9:45 for the 10 AM opening, but when they opened we were In the first group seated.

Not sure why the flowery head wreath but it fit in perfectly so I had to take her picture. Bridal brunch maybe?

The food was very good but it’s really the venue that is the draw. I am not a bacon fan but we all shared an order and it was really excellent.

Eggs with creme fraiche and avocado. And a donut to share for dessert!

Now we are off for a lake walk to Navy Pier. A must if you visit Chicago. A ride on the big Ferris wheel!

Next up water taxi ride. Since I did the Architectural Boat Tour the week before we decided just to take the water taxi from Navy Pier to downtown and I could narrate what I remembered. Pretty sure I didn’t do that great of a job but it’s fun to see the buildings from the water, and it got us downtown fast.

It’s happy hour so we head off to Cindy’s in the Chicago Athletic Club Hotel. They have a wonderful rooftop bar with a great view of Millenium Park and the Art Institute.

Top left picture - you can see the rooftop bar! It was crowded but people were very nice.

It was too crowded and busy to get a bite to eat so we went a few doors down to the Gage. I had eaten there the week before with Sue and thought the food was good. We got seated right away and had a nice early dinner since we hadn’t eaten since brunch.

Cheeses, wedge salad, burger and fries. We shared them all.

Another trip over to Millenium Park.

We had tentatively planned to go to hear the Chicago Symphony play in Grant Park and then catch the fireworks on Navy Pier but we were running out of gas. So instead we walked up Michigan Ave and stopped at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Store in the Wrigley building and got some ice cream - and free chocolate! There are two stores in Chicago both on Michigan Ave. The other is up by Water Tower and we might have hit each store twice! Yumm!

Our last stop was at the John Hancock Building to go up to the Signature Room on the 95th floor for a drink. And to enjoy the spectacular view of the city at night. Much better to go up and buy a drink then pay to go to the Observation Deck on the 94th floor and get no drink. Totally a tourist thing to do but fun anyway.

Look closely at the lower right picture and you can see the swimming pools on the roofs of the buildings!

We Ubered back to the coachhouse and fell into bed. Sunday breakfast with Keeley and Matt at Spinning J and we said goodbye to Chicago. Such a fun time with good friends. Great travel partners - can’t wait to plan another trip together!

Next post will be the long promised and much requested packing list. Check back soon and I hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of summer!