Windy City Exploration

A visit from an old friend from High School equaled another exhausting weekend in the Chi! Josh, a very good friend who now lives in LA, decided to come and visit his birth city, and the place that he lived for three weeks before his parents moved. He’d never been back to Chicago before, and I can’t imagine how odd and wondrous it must have been for him to see the house and hospital that he stayed in. I’m exhausted from all of the stuff that we did, but we had an amazing time and it was so great to explore and show him all this city has to offer.

On Thursday, Josh arrived in the loop via the Blue Line from O’Hare around noon. I met him, ate lunch at Panera Bread, and then took his stuff so he could explore the city until I got off at 4:30. During that time, he managed to walk all the way up to Navy Pier, jump on the train and check out the architecture building. After we arrived at the apartment, we all headed for some dinner at Mr. Beef – a famous Chicago Italian beef shop on the near west side. And so started my weekend of eating amazing(ly unhealthy!) food again.

Friday I had a half day of work, so Josh took off to Wrigleyville to discover where his parents lived during their time in Chicago. I met him up there at about 1:00 and we had lunch at Murphy’s Red Hots, where I had a burger and Josh, of course, had a famous Chicago hot dog (no ketchup!). After, we headed to Wrigley Field to check out where the cubs played and then made our way down to Lincoln Park where we had Molly’s cupcakes…YUM! We then stolled around Lincoln Park zoo and enjoyed the semi-nice weather and super fun animals. We grabbed Steve to go to dinner and ate some delicious pizza at Gino’s East and then went to our favorite bar – Guthrie’s for some Life, Balderdash and Scatagories.

Saturday, we went to brunch at a new place on North ave. called Elly’s. I was happy with my food, but they definitely could make some improvements on other things. Yelp review to come soon! We rode the Red line down to the Sears…pardon, Willis Tower and took in the city from 103 floors up. Steve had to go back for some studying after the tower, so Josh and I wandered down to the Museum campus to look at Soldier Field and the other beautiful buildings around there. We also got a great view of the city from the Planetarium, which extends out into the lake a bit. We rode the Red line back to Grand, where Josh and I sampled some of the local FroYo at Berry Chill. Then we headed home to get ready for dinner at the swanky new Purple Pig on Michigan and the Broadway musical, Avenue Q, with Steve and our friend Katelynn. While the restaurant left us a bit hungry and a little broke, it was fun to be somewhere on Chicago’s hot list. The play was fantastic and SO funny.

On Sunday, I was dying to check out the Celtic Fest in Millennium Park, so I took Josh with me while Steve studied and we enjoyed a few hours of Celtic music and dancing. Lunch on Sunday was at White Castle (well, Steve and Josh ate White Castle-- I had McDonalds) and then we drove around to look at Swedish Convent Hospital, where Josh was born. We drove through Devon Street to check out all the Indian restaurants, and then down to Hyde Park to show off the Law school and the UChi campus. We then decided to get in touch with our hipster side in Bucktown for dinner. We picked out Café Matou and had some fantastic French food and finished the night at the Map room, which is known for its great selection of beers.

On Monday, I went to work for another half day while Josh got to explore the Art Institute of Chicago. When he returned, we headed out for one last Chicago staple – a gyro from Five Faces ice cream by our house. I was sad as I rode down to the Blue Line with Josh to wish him well on his trip home. It’s so fun to have someone in your city to hang out with and show around. I’m so excited that he came to visit and look forward to exploring more of his city soon!

Now, Steve and I don’t have much going until my cousin Monica’s wedding in Carmel in June, so it’s back to the routine and the grind for a while. I’m excited for the next adventure!