Chica-go Have Fun in the Best City Ever!

Hi all! Sorry for the delay, but I’ve been busy showing yet another friend around Seattle and am ready to get back into the swing of things. Hope everyone is enjoying the longer days! It’s been surprisingly warm and raining less than usual over on the west coast, so I’m definitely trying to take advantage of that and get out more- gotta keep that February seasonal depression far away. Speaking of which, happy almost valentines day<3

Today’s entry is a request from a friend/coworker who recently moved out to the windy city aka my favorite midwestern home of Chicago, IL. Even though I personally don’t reside in the city, I’ve come up with a list of fun things to do in and around the city for everyone’s entertainment. Next week’s entry will be a breakdown of the ten best rom coms on Netflix, though, so if you’re not from Chicago and have no reason to ever travel there, hold your horses- I promise the blogs will continue to heat up as we go along. But if you are from the cornfields of Illinois or the narrow downtown streets- this one is for you!

What to do if you’re cold, broke, new, or confused in Chicago:

· Go ice skating! Okay, maybe not the first thing that comes to mind, but Chicago is usually frigid during the winter, so I like to get one step ahead and go for a twirl around the Rosemont arena or the super fancy one in Millennium Park

· Go to Wrigley Field and watch a game! I can’t wait to do this when I move back and I’ve heard this is simply a must if you live in Chicago

· Take selfies like the millennial you are in front of the bean (AKA Cloud Gate)

· Try a Chicago dog. Ah, perhaps my favorite thing about Chicago is that we eat hot dogs the correct way- NO ketchup, just like it should be. Whether you have one of these at Wrigley field while watching a game or are witness to it at the fine dining that is Portillos, I promise this will make a good impression. Or at the very least, a better impression than the “Seattle Dog” had on me…all I can say is cream cheese and sausages do NOT go well together.

· Go on a Wrigleyville bar crawl! Not only does Wrigleyville have some super cool restaurants and bars, but it has SUCH a cool array of holiday bars too- featuring a Hannukah bar and a Santa Baby bar too. And if bars aren’t your thing, there are even Wrigleyville food crawls- $10 to try a bunch of Mac and Cheese sounds like a pretty good deal to me, so check out Eventbrite for everything fun that’s going on

· Navy Pier- especially during the summertime, navy pier is a beautiful place to go waste your money while immersing yourself in the local downtown culture. And in between riding the overexpensive Ferris wheel and trying a slice of Giordano’s deep dish pizza, you can do even do a fun escape room like the super fun “The Escape Game”

· Window shop on Michigan avenue- what trip to Chicago would be complete without the necessary shame walk to see all the expensive department stores and designers of the city?

· Try out my personal favorite bakery: The Goddess and the Baker for the best pastries and breakfast I’ve ever had

· See a musical! The theatres in Chicago are my absolute favorite thing about Chicago and the thing I miss the most. Broadway in Chicago is worth every terrible parallel parking my future holds and I really cannot recommend booking a show enough

· Do the touristy thing and check out the Starbucks reserve roastery

· Lounge out at the beach- a super fun and relaxing summer tradition!

· Go see the Home Alone house and other movie sites- if you’d like to hazard a trip to Winnetka, IL, you can see the lovely home of Kevin McCallister for yourself. Still on my bucket list

· Go on a stroll around Northwestern University- even though there are plenty of other schools closer to the downtown area, Northwestern is by far the most well known and has a stunning campus as well as an incredible Insomnia cookies. 12/10 recommend

· Enjoy a sightseeing boat store of Lake Michigan- I agree that this is not something we all can afford (but thanks Stevenson high school for raising my standards so high), but it is well worth it in the summertime.

· Or do the more affordable, more worth it thing (in my opinion), and reserve the Chicago River’s architecture cruise that I cannot recommend enough. Seriously, go do it.

· Lollapalooza at Grant Park (or other events, like Taste of Chicago) during the summer months

· Ravinia in Highland Park! Again, not exactly in the city itself, but a short drive away. You can check out their website to see their summer schedule- they host different performers, from musical theatre composers to Pitbull last year, every night and you can bring a picnic and enjoy it from an expansive lawn in front of the stage. Some of my favorite memories are from this spot

· Do the other overhyped touristy thing and do the 360 Chicago experience, TILT, on the 94th floor of the John Hancock building. Or go to the Willis Tower Skydeck! Not worth it in my opinion, but it’s kinda like the Eiffel Tower or the London Eye- you have to do it once.

· If you’re a Harry Potter fan and cannot afford to head to London, join the “Harry Potter: Magic at Play!” experience

· Enjoy a stroll in the Chicago botanic garden- hey, don’t judge me. I think this is cool.

· Or, go to Lincoln Park Zoo- and check out the zoolights during the holiday season while you’re at it!

· Go on a dedicated dessert tour of the West Loop! I just discovered this, so I’ll see you there.

· Kayak along the Chicago River- book a tour and choose from solo or tandem kayaks too😊

· Go on a Chicago art tour and see some of the most beautiful street designs

· Go to a museum! Not everyone’s cup of tea but if it is, there’s no shortage of them to choose from here: check out the Field museum, children’s museum, the Art Institute, or my personal favorite, the science and industry museum! There’s ALSO an ice cream museum and the WNDR museum, if you’re into taking a scary amount of pictures

· Go indoor skydiving with iFLY Chicago, if you are more of a risktaker than I am

· Go to Six Flags Great America!! You can’t come to Chicago and not visit Gurnee, which is home to the coolest amusement park ever! And please ride the Raging Bull, my personal favorite ride

· Witness the wonderful weirdness of the Blue Man Show – not sure this made much sense to me personally, but hey, maybe you’ll get it

· Check out the staple Time Out Market

· Many, many more, and just a few can be found at https://tourscanner.com/blog/fun-things-to-do-in-chicago/ .

Without further do, I find myself craving a Chicago hot dog and a trip to the premier American Girl Doll store (oops, did I mention this yet?), so I’m going to sign off for now and I’ll talk to you guys soon!