Hello everyone! Today I am sharing my adventures from a weekend in Chicago! For those of you who were following along on my instagram stories you know that the hubby and I were celebrating our 11 year wedding anniversary AND you’d also be aware of what an insane mess of a day Friday ended up being! The SNOWpocalypse in Vancouver caused our flight to be CANCELLED not just delayed but CANCELLED and so we lost a whole day. Those of you who know me know that I of course had an itinerary and well that had to be adjusted. The good news is that we were able to ge a flight first thing in the morning and we were bumped up to first class!

DAY 1

Giordano’s

When we finally arrived to Chicago on Saturday the first place we hit up was Giordano’s deep dish pizza!!! It was absolutely to DIEEEEE FORRRR!! I am a CHEESE lover and Giordano’s pepperoni deep dish pizza did not disappoint! The pizza is made fresh to order so be sure to give yourselves time when visiting. The cook time was about 55mins so if you’re coming in hungry I would suggest ordering an appy first. We originally had ordered the Chicago Classic that has mushroom, pepperoni, green peppers and onions BUT the kitchen made a mistake and only put pepperoni but hey the pizza was put on the house. Not to Shabby.

Chicago Theater

Next I had to be sure to see the iconic Chicago Theater. Unfortunately since we were short on time we weren’t able to catch any shows but it was a very photo worthy place and so I couldn’t cross that off of my itinerary!

The Riverwalk

MANY, many, many, many photos later off we went to the Riverwalk. This walk is the perfect place for romantic strolls, a morning jog, or a summer walk with the kiddos. You can see from our pictures that it was POURING rain but that wasn’t going to stop us from seeing Chicago!

Yes, yes PDA..HEY its our anniversary remember! We deserve some smoochy pics 😉

SOAKING and couldn’t be happier! Wish I knew it was going to rain though, I could’ve worn my Hunter boots!

The Magnificent Mile

Several soaking minutes later we headed over to the Magnificent Mile. All the shops were already closed BUT we did visit again the next day. Calling all shopaholics, this is where you want to be. The Magnificent Mile has everything from shops, hotels, cafes and unique dining experiences. Not to mention some great architecture.

Bombobar

To warm ourselves up we got hot chocolate from Bambobar! Paul’s cousins had never actually heard of the place before so what do you know a tourist lead them to discover a new spot!

After this we were pretty exhausted and so with a whole day of travelling and site seeing under our belt we called it a night.

DAY 2

The Bean at Millennium Park

Thank the heavens we had SUNSHINE ALL DAY! The first place we visited was Millennium park home to The Bean aka Cloud Gate.

Of all the things to do on my itinerary seeing the bean was what I was looking forward to the most. Seeing it in movies and pictures is one thing but seeing it in person was surreal. I couldn’t believe I was actually there. I suggest arriving as early as you can so you can take as many picture as you like before it gets to busy. We arrived here at 8:30am Sunday morning and considering it’s winter I was surprised by how many people were up and about already. Stunning piece of artwork I think most of the photos from the trip were of the bean. It was so difficult to choose just a couple for this post!

The Field Museum

When we were finished admiring the bean we hailed a taxi and took it to The Field Museum of Natural History.

 I definitely recommend purchasing the all access pass that gets you into all the exhibits and a 3D movie of your choice. We chose Ancient Egypt Secret of the Mummies. After watching the movie “The Mummy” when I was 10 years old I became obsessed with ancient Egypt.  The all access pass is worth the $38.00. Though the unpaid exhibits did showcase good artifacts they weren’t as interesting as the paid ones. An added bonus the paid exhibits are way less crowded so you are able to take your time and enjoy all that it has to offer. My favourite exhibit was the ancient mediterranean.

Tablet that reads Cleopatra.

The remains of a mummified female.

Copper Bathtub and Wall art.

Page from a Bible.

The Field Museum has something for the entire family! We will definitely be taking our girls here the next time we visit Chicago.

The Chicago Skyline

Next up pictures on the Chicago Skyline. This is the Skyline you’ll find pretty much on every Chicago magnet. Apparently during the summer months they hold fireworks here every Wednesday and Saturday evenings!

Compared to the Seattle Skyline I have to say that the Chicago one wins! Click here to read about my travels in Seattle!

“I’m going to dip you and kiss you”

Cupcakes ATM

Afterwards Paul’s cousin took as to experience the cupcake ATM by Sprinkles! We were more excited about the atm than the cupcakes!

360 Chicago aka John Hancock Tower

My original plan was to hit up BOTH the Willis Tower (the famous glass floor pics) and John Hancock tower (360 Chicago with the tilt) but because we lost a day I had to choose just one! After doing some research on which tower offered the best views of the city we decided to go with the 360 Chicago, though we skipped the tilt as the line and wait was to long. Before buying your ticket I suggest that you look up what time sunset is and arrive 1 hour before hand. This way you will get to see the city views during day AND during night. They do sell a night and day ticket that you can use over 48 hours but doing it this way eliminates you having to come back and it’s cost effective.

Grab a drink and steal a table on the North West side of the building for some amazing views.

Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse

Last but not least our anniversary dinner. We wanted to try something that we couldn’t try here in Vancouver and Paul’s cousin recommended Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse. I have nothing but praise for this restaurant. Located on the Magnificent Mile the restaurant was classy and one of a kind. Our waiter was superb and knowledgeable on all the dishes and the food was delicious!

Garlic Bread with Blue Cheese fondue.

Front: 6oz filet and lobster tail. Back: Mashed Potato Trio

MJ’s Delmonico 16oz Prime

This concludes our anniversary weekend in Chicago. I’ve fallen in love with this city and I cannot wait to return. This time we will be going back during the summer months and taking the girls along with us. Have you been to Chicago? Where did you visit and what were your favourite food spots?

Bethaly Miro

With this blog I strive to cultivate and foster a community that encourages and empowers women from all walks of life. I am a stay at home to my three beautiful daughters and I am married to my high school sweetheart and together we have built a life we love. You can usually find me with a book in one hand and a Starbucks coffee in the other. I hope that this blog brings you comfort in knowing that you aren’t alone in whatever it is you’re growing through as a mother, a wife, a woman.

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