First and foremost, I’m so used to taking quick trips within my home state that I’ve gotten too used to packing only basics. One thing I forgot: MY CAMERA. How does one go on a sightseeing adventure without a camera!? Thankfully smartphones are now equipped with pretty decent cameras, so the trip wasn’t ruined. I also bought a Kodak FunSaver, but ended up not using it. LOL memories!

Chicago is totally different when it’s not cold and snowy, and I enjoyed it even more than the first trip. We stayed at a super nice hotel, which always makes traveling that much better. Highlight of the hotel: morning coffee. They brought me a full coffee press! SWEET! On day one we just strolled around the Magnificent Mile. We also indulged in Giordano’s Chicago Pizza. I am not joking when I say that I’ve been craving more of this pizza since the last time I visited Chicago, and it sure didn’t disappoint!

Other highlights of the trip included the Taste of Chicago Food Festival and seeing various museums and the zoo. The Taste of Chicago was absolutely wonderful, and I am proud to say I stuffed my face. Everything was delicious. I don’t feel bad though, considering I walked at least 15 miles over the course of the weekend. Whew! We saw the Field Museum of Natural History, which I hadn’t gone into last trip. It’s really interesting. The museum spent $8.4 million on the purchase of “Sue“, the largest T-Rex ever discovered. I also got to see Buckingham Fountain in all its glory (it obviously wasn’t turned on over the winter), Navy Pier, and took a trip to the top of Willis Tower. Glad I got to see these the second time around!

Here’s some of the highlights in pictures:

Best pizza ever. Seriously.

LOVE this picture, for so many reasons. @ the Art Institute

Buckingham Fountain in the background at the super crowded Taste of Chicago

View of the skyline from Navy Pier

I stepped into the glass box 103 floors up at Willis Tower. TERRIFYING.

This is a real type of dinosaur. Who came up with this name?

It's really sad that we have to have these kinds of signs in American museums.

What visit to the zoo is complete without staring at penguins?

Of course there were also some amazing signs for me to photograph. Case in point:

This guy is my hero. He didn't want any money. He just wanted people to not be "dummies" and honor the correct day of the week.

Glad I don't live in a place that needs such signage

Gelato not good enough for you? How about some fried dough. Sounds healthy!

First Chicago Picture

I honestly am not sure quite what this is. It was all over the sidewalk next to the bus stop. My first thought was “PURPLE SNOW” but after more careful consideration I believe it’s salt to prevent people from slipping. I still have no idea why it’s purple.

I’m not sure what this is either. Giant pilgrims? That man is definitely carrying a shovel lol.

buckingham fountain

As seen in “Married with Children”, minus the water of course

closeup of the detail

my footprints in some snow

view of the city

more miscellaneous city

abe lincoln statue

Lots of Lincoln stuff since he’s from nearby

outdoor ice skating rink

And then it started snowing once I passed this

Chicago River

I absolutely LOVE this picture

alternate view

Michigan Street bridge

one more river shot

Trump Tower - does every city have one of these?

view from the Hancock Observatory

We grabbed a quick drink on the 93rd floor of this building, and the nighttime view was absolutely stunning. I love the gridlines of the city!

nighttime aerial view of Lake Michigan

more Lake Michigan

Can you tell I took this from the bathroom? LOL the wall was floor to ceiling glass. I’ve never been so distracted while waiting in line in the ladies’ room!

a little food porn

It’s official – I’m 100% obsessed with Chicago pizza. I mean LOOK at this gem. I could eat this all day, every day. SO GOOD.

snowflakes!

A picture while delayed at the gate. We had to wait for the wings to get de-iced – an amazing spectacle for those of us who had never previously witnessed this event!!

more snowflakes. goodbye for now Chicago!

One blog is enough for the day. I can say that Chicago was absolutely spectacular though. I ate too much, shopped a bit, drank a little, and saw not nearly enough. I got to wear all my warm clothes and had a great time in the freezing cold. It snowed too!

Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow and put up a picture or two. If not, Monday for sure!

My flight home was scheduled to leave Chi-town at 6:30pm on Sunday February 7.

Maybe that doesn’t mean anything to you. Or maybe you’re aware that February 7 is Superbowl Sunday, and the Big Game starts at 5pm Illinois time. So basically that means I get to the airport at 5 and watch kickoff through halftime. Then I get on a plane with no TV and no internet. I miss the second half of the game. Another way to spell this is F-A-I-L.

Epic fail.

So without a doubt this must be fixed. I mean Superbowl Sunday is like Christmas v2 to me. Sadly since I waited so long to realize this problem, I now have to leave Chicago at the ass-crack of dawn. It definitely puts a damper on the weekend and gives me half to 2/3 less of a  day to sightsee, but I think that if I didn’t do it I would be pretty upset come game time and wouldn’t enjoy myself as much. So now the mission is changed and I’m going to have to get all the sightseeing done in just 2 days. I’ve consulted my Frommer’s Guide, and I think I can do it.

Wish me luck

A friend of mine has to be out there for 2 weeks for work, so her company is paying for her hotel over the weekend in between. When she initially invited me for the weekend, I was hesitant since I’m trying to start up a savings account again. Luckily my boss gave me (another) free plane ticket anywhere in the US this year for the holidays! Free flight + free lodging = recipe for a wonderful girls trip in the Windy City!

One hitch: We’re going in February, which is notoriously frigid in Chicago. Keep in mind also that I am a cold-blooded creature, and require constant heating. I mean seriously, 55 degrees is COLD. 45 – well it might as well just snow. So looking at the weather forecast indicating temps in the high 20′s/low 30′s minus windchill, I’d bet a 30% chance I would freeze to death.

Thankfully Gap and Target exist. After scavenging eBay for days and losing on a few parkas, I decided to check gap.com. Excellent choice cuz I found this gem:

Of course the one I ordered is no longer available, but add some length to this and it’s my brand new perfect parka On sale too! It’s so cozy, and goes to my knees. It arrived yesterday, and I can only imagine what they thought when they shipped this item to my house. Or maybe they thought nothing of it cuz I live in an obscure small town. It’s not like I live in Key West, FL and ordered a parka. But whatever. Between the parka and my knee-high boots my outer layer is set!

My coworker, who is from Chicago, recommended silk long underwear. Apparently it traps moisture away from your skin so that when you sweat you don’t get cold. What a great idea. I couldn’t find inexpensive silk ones, so I went with a blend. Polyester and spandex maybe? LOL I kinda look like I should be a speed-skater, and the only long john pants available in my size were blue (+ the black top), but if they’re going to keep me warm under my clothes, who cares!!

I also stocked up on warm/tall socks, new gloves, and of course had to get myself a new hat. We all know how much I love my funky winter beanies/caps. Well I got a knit one with earflaps to add to the collection. REI.com was the lifesaver for that one!

I don’t know what exactly I’m going to do while I’m there, but I bought a guide book to hopefully help me out. My friend has been there before and has scouted out numerous places that we need to eat. Chicago deep-dish pizza? Check. Authentic Chicago hot dogs? Of course. I’m sure we’ll stop and get LOTS of other goodies along the way.

I’m super excited!!