23 Inside My Fantasy

Hi friends!

Coming to you all from old lady land as I am officially 23😊 I’m sure there are a wide range of people in my life who are rolling their eyes as they read, and while I do acknowledge the hyperbole of calling myself old at only 23 years old, I swear to you all that the gray hairs and wrinkles are going to be here soon enough. 22= young. 23= being a fiscally responsible adult?!? I’ve been doing that for the last two years though, so not much should change except my internal panic setting in.

It was my first birthday spent in Illinois since 2022 and more importantly, my first birthday in Illinois that I was old enough to drink for.  As a reminder to all my new readers, I moved for work at the age of 20, one month shy of my 21st birthday. I then spent my 21st and 22nd birthdays in Seattle, dealing with somewhat moldy apartments and long distance facetiming some of my best friends. And while I’m now missing celebrating with my Seattle friends (you really can’t win), I’m SO glad I got to enjoy this birthday with my family and besties again!

So here’s all the super fun things I did for my birthday in downtown Chicago – or more accurately, my birthday weekend. Cause come on, I am SUCH a Leo😊

1.)    Got all my birthday freebies in Wicker Park

Let me know if you guys want to see a full list, but there are so many free treats you can get either on your day of birth or within the whole birthmonth! I’ve always had this aspiration to see how many freebies I could pick up at once, so three days before my birthday, I downloaded perhaps every retailer app and subscribed to all their loyalty programs so I wouldn’t miss out. Pro tip: do this within two weeks of your birthday, because a lot of mine didn’t update with the rewards because I had done it so recently. It’s okay though – if you come up to any store and say its your birthday (bring your ID in case they ask for proof) and show them the app, you’ll get the free treat. Some of the ones I spoiled myself with were a free cookie from Crumbl, a free smoothie from Tropical Smoothie Café, a free scoop of ice cream from Baskin Robbins and Jeni’s Ice creams, and a free makeup gift from both Sephora and Ulta! There are about a million others and I’ve seen people on TikTok eat all three of their meals with food freebies on their birthdays, so that’s the future goal, I guess.

2.)    Celebrated with Family at Raiz Kitchen + Sushi and Harry Caray’s

Since my birthday weekend was also my sister’s college move-in weekend (yay Daniella!), we celebrated early with my family at Raiz Kitchen + Sushi! This place is so cute, with a very aesthetic patio. With the very almost-Fall like weather we’ve been having, we loved the ambience of sitting outside and feasting on some truly delicious sushi – highly recommend! I actually got to see my family on my birthday too, as we spent some time at Harry Caray’s in River North, meeting my sister’s roommates family. It’s so nice not being thousands of miles away from my family, so I’m cherishing these moments a lot.

3.)    Got some rejuvenation in at Aire Baths Chicago

Possibly the one I’m most excited about on this list, I splurged big time and got myself a massage and baths spa experience at Aire Baths Chicago, and it was worth every single penny. One of the most incredible days of my entire study abroad experience was the girls weekend I shared with three of my best friends where we took the short train ride to Bath, UK and did an overnight there. Since then, I’ve looked everywhere for a spa experience that makes me feel as in-the-moment as that one, and while nothing beats that day, Aire Baths is the closest thing I’ve found. I got to unwind through the best massage I’ve ever had, but most of all, I loved the baths. There were about 6 different temperature baths, all natural, with different benefits and therapeutic scents. Everything down there was lit with real candles, so it truly felt out of a storybook. They even had juices for a cleanse post-spa and Dysons to style your hair after it was wet. Where else are there Dysons to make you hot to go?

4.)    Ate my heart out at Pizza Portofino with my best friends

For dinner on my birthday, my friends and I devoured the delicious pizzas and appetizers at Pizza Portofino. I can’t recommend this spot enough – it’s right on the water so you get the gorgeous riverfront, and you can even book the patio so you are as close as possible to the incredible views. Regardless what you choose, you can’t go wrong, especially with their amazing cocktails that include the Portofino Purse, which you can share amongst four friends. I enjoyed the Pepperoni Hot Honey Pizza and their River North with a View cocktail, and they even brought out profiteroles with sparklers at the end of the night to celebrate!

5.)    Danced the night away at Good Night John Boy

After stuffing ourselves at Pizza Portofino, we headed to West Loop to enjoy the super fun, almost Disco vibe at Good Night John Boy. There was quite the line when we got there, but it was well worth how fun it was. As not a huge fan of going out, I can always appreciate throwback music, and this bar specializes in it! They also do late night freebies and I loved the dance floor vibe most of all!

6.)    Saw It Ends With Us at the movies

This is going to sound like a weird birthday weekend activity, but I did see It Ends With Us at Regal City North, a, movie I was particularly excited to see because of the impact that the book made on me. One of the first movies in a while to make me bawl right at the theatre, and it was every bit as good as I had anticipated. Blake Lively and the rest of the cast were absolutely mesmorizing. I know this movie’s got into some scrutiny since it launched, but please don’t let that stop you from going to see it. As long as you know the premise of the move and have done your research on what to expect, it’s a really touching, empowering story that is honestly and very much in my opinion a brilliant translation from book to movie.

7.)    Went to a Bunny Café

This was actually something I did two days ago, not on my birthday weekend, but I’m including in the list because it was planned to celebrate our birthday season with my fellow Leo friend. That and it was SO MUCH FUN. The place is called Cuddle Bunny, and its in Lakeview. It features a little bunny gift shop as well as a play area where you can reserve a one hour slot to hang out with, feed, and pet some pretty adorable bunnies. The staff is amazing and the bunnies are given so much care and attention. I highly recommend checking it out and you will even be able to start a punch card for one free hour playing with the bunnies. So it’s practically free – girlmath😉 We finished out the night with dinner at Del Seoul, a delicious restaurant in the neighborhood that specializes in Korean fusion.

8.)    Hosted a 1920’s Murder Mystery Potluck birthday

My incredible best friend and roommate put together a full Roaring twenties themed murder mystery storyline that you would have thought she found online, it was really that good. We had 16 guests and turned our apartment into a speakeasy cocktail party, complete with fun Jazz music, costumes, and characters with complicated relationships and motives. Over the next three hours, we enjoyed delicious potluck foods and stepped into the 1920s, solving a murder (we actually solved it!) along the way! I’ve been dreaming of doing this for at least five years and the night was honestly SUCH a success!

9.)    Reflected on Turning Another Year Older

One of the things I always do on my birthday which I honestly totally recommend if you feel like you need to add more reflection into your life is writing  a letter to a one-year-older version of myself. I began doing this on my 16th birthday, where I had a scrapbook activity and a photobooth, so my guests took a picture along with some advice or a cute note they left me. I took a photo of myself there and decided to write myself a note jotting down what I was proud of from being 15 and what I hoped 16 would bring me. Fast forward 8 years later (yikes) and I’ve done it every single year. It really helps me put in perspective all the little things I’ve experienced and what I need to do to grow some more in the coming year. With how fast the years seem to be flying by, sometimes keeping a reflection that you can read the last one back and look forward to what’s next gives you a little control over the pace life is moving at.

10.)  Appreciated my amazing loved ones😊

To end it off, a big part of this year was reflecting on the community I have around me now that I’m back in Chicago and how lucky I am to keep these guys so close to my heart. I appreciate them all and if you reached out to me or I got to see you during any part of this list, you know who you are.

My life wouldn’t be the same without you guys. And my life wouldn’t be the same without you, dear blog readers! I’ll see you soon!<3

Sincerely,

Sharon