Happy Tuesday everybody! How’s your week going so far?
I can’t believe that Memorial Day was already over a week ago, so I figured it was high time that I shared my photos from our weekend in Chicago!
**Warning: This post contains lots of pictures!**
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| I snapped this pic on a morning run I took through the city…I love running when we travel! |
We had a fabulous weekend jam-packed with family, friends, sightseeing, wedding festivities…and lots of food! (That’s pretty much a common theme when we go out of town…)
Our flight from Reno got in on Friday evening and we headed straight to dinner with some of my favorite college girlfriends–Lisa, Dana, and Alex. We ate at this trendy tapas-style place called Cafe Babareeba in Lincoln Park and the food was delicious! We must have ordered at least half of the dishes on the menu and there wasn’t one thing that I didn’t love. The atmosphere was lively, the prices were reasonable, and they had sangria! I’d highly recommend it if you’re in Chicago.
Friday night, we stayed with my friend Alex at her apartment in Lincoln Park. She has a great view of the city from the roof of her building and it was beautiful to see the city lit up at night!
We went back up to the roof in the morning, and although it was a little overcast it was neat to get the same view in the light as you could see the lake and the zoo much more clearly!
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| Sleepy heads! |
Alex and I went to high school together and were roommates freshman year in college at U of M. She is such a sweetheart, and I’m so glad we’ve remained friends over the years. It was so much fun to stay in her beautiful apartment in Lincoln Park and have her show us around!
Saturday morning, we got breakfast at a fantastic pancake place called Elly’s. The food was delicious and I loved the charming, modern ambiance of the restaurant. They had all these Edison lightbulbs (the ones that are clear glass with the bright filament <–nerd alert) hanging over the tables; I feel like I’ve noticed these lightbulbs popping up in more and more restaurants lately and I’m totally obsessed with them (and want them in my future house). Also, because it’s a fairly large restaurant we ended up only having to wait a few minutes for a table.
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| Chocolate chip pancakes are one of my FAVORITE foods |
After breakfast, we headed over to check out the nearby Farmer’s Market!
There was tons of fresh produce and beautiful flowers, and I so wish I could have bought some things to take home but unfortunately most of the items wouldn’t have traveled well.
After the Farmer’s Market, we headed down towards the Lincoln Park Zoo but decided to make a stop at the Farm first! (and I think the Farm is technically part of the Zoo…) Neither Cam nor Alex was too crazy about going to the Farm so I made them take an awkward picture in front of the sign…hehe.
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| I was loving all the educational (or should I saw egg-ucational?) exhibits…ha. |
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| So neat that they have this farm right in the middle of the city! |
The Farm is completely free, and I think it’s so neat that families who live in the city can take their kids to learn a little bit more about life in the country. Another great free thing in Chicago? The Lincoln Park Zoo! We met up with my good friend Lisa and had a great time walking around this beautiful Chicago gem.
For all the times I’ve gone to Chicago, this was actually my first visit to the Zoo. Apparently it’s one of the nation’s oldest zoos and it houses over 1200 animals–I think it’s so amazing that it’s free and people can just go enjoy it anytime. Plus, it’s located in Lincoln Park which is such a fun part of Chicago! It was also so nice to spend the afternoon with Alex and Lisa, they make me wish I lived in Chicago!
After the Zoo, Cam and I headed downtown to Hotel Allegro to get ready for Yanki and Lara’s wedding! This was the reason that we came to Chicago, and it was so wonderful to be able to celebrate with them. Lara and I were both Alpha Phis/Communication Studies Majors at Michigan, but it’s really blogging that has brought us together over the past year. And then her husband was President of the Fiji fraternity at Michigan when Cam was Vice President, so they were friends as well. The wedding was a big Michigan Greek System reunion, and we had the best time dancing the night away. I didn’t take too many photos at the wedding because I only had my phone with me but it was absolutely beautiful. I’m sure that Lara will be sharing all the details on her blog soon, but for now here are my cell phone snaps!
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| They had their ceremony in this beautiful courtyard at The Ivy Room |
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| This picture is a little blurry but I think it’s so cute! |
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| Happy couple |
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| After the ceremony, there was a nice cocktail hour in the courtyard…complete with adorable little details |
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| Cam and Corey, one of the best men and a fellow Fiji |
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| One of the only pics of Cam and I from the night |
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| Inside the reception, they had the room beautifully lit with all these yellow lights…it looked so pretty, but made it a little hard to take pictures 🙂 |
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| Delicious food |
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| The gorgeous bride and I…she put the black sash on her dress for the reception and I thought it looked so chic! Her dress was absolutely stunning. |
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| Perfect Chicago wedding favor |
Sunday morning, there was a brunch for out-of-town guests at the wedding which was so nice of them. The brunch was held at Quay, a gorgeous restaurant on the river, and the event was held in a private room with big windows. I’m remember being completely exhausted after our wedding was over, so the fact that Lara was able to show up and thank everyone for coming from out of town was so sweet of her. Also, how adorable is her dress? I absolutely loved it.
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| Married people |
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| Fraternity Bros. |
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| Brian was one of my friends from high school who was also in Cam’s fraternity and was friends with him before we met…and even though he had nothing to do with Cam and I getting together, he still takes great pride in our relationship…ha. |
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| Alpha Phis! |
After brunch, Cam and I walked through Navy Pier before going to meet up with my parents. Navy Pier reminds me so much of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Fran–lots of families, very touristy, but pretty views of the water.
After walking through Navy Pier, we met up with my parents! They drove in from Michigan to spend the rest of the weekend with us and it was so nice to see them! It was really hot on Sunday, but we managed to make a stop in Millenium Park to get some pictures by the Bean before heading back in to the AC.
Sunday night, the four of us went on an archictectural boat tour on the Chicago River. It was a great way to see a lot of the city and extremely informative. Luckily the temps cooled down in time for our cruise, and it ended up being perfect weather. It was really interesting to hear all the stories behind these massive skyscrapers and it’s so cool how all these buildings from different eras somehow fit together. I’d highly recommend the tour if you’re looking for something to do in the city!
Monday, we didn’t have a ton of time before we had to get to the airport so we decided to head north of city to check out Northwestern! It’s a school that Cam and I both considered going to, so it was kind of fun to walk around and see the campus. Evantson seemed like a nice town, the campus is right next to the lake, and it’s close to Chicago…but it was no Michigan!
Overall, it was a fantastic trip and I’m so glad we were able to spend the long weekend with family and friends. It’s always bittersweet to leave the Midwest…but we’ll be back in less than a month when we head to Michigan! Xoxo
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