I have been pretty quiet on my Facebook Page and here because I am catching up from my weekend in Chicago. Confession time: I wasn’t a good blogger and had something ready to go. So, here we are, a day late and a dollar short.
This past weekend I went to Chicago with some of my friends from college. This city is fun and perfect for a quick weekend away. After visiting a few times I am by no means an expert but I want to share my favorite things to do in Chicago.
Every city has a street tour on one of those big buses. Not every city has a River Tour. In Chicago for the reasonable price of $35 a person (remember, there aren’t many tourist activities that are cheaper than that) you get a little over an hour architectural and historical tour of Chicago from the river. It honestly was the highlight of my first Chicago trip since childhood. But be warned, if the weather is still a little cool, it will be even cooler on the water, especially when you get out to the lake. We did it in April and it was great out on the river, March is kind of iffy depending on the weather. This tour is totally worth your time!
2. Music
Whether it is catching a concert at Wrigley Field or going to one of the many smaller bar type venues, Chicago is an amazing place for music. Regardless of the genre there is a lot of music in Chicago. This past weekend we went to a Randy Rogers Band Concert at Joe’s Bar on Weed Street and it was amazing. If you haven’t heard of the Randy Rogers Band but you like country, you need to get with the program. Whenever I go for a visit I always check to see if there are any concerts while I am there because it’s the perfect place to see one of your favorite artists or bands.
3. Shopping
The shopping is something Chicago is known for but it is not just for adults. If you have kids, you can have a blast shopping with them too. Between the American Girl store, Garrett Popcorn Shops and Dylan’s Candy Bar you should definitely budget for some kid shopping. Being from a rural area, I love that I can hit up all of my favorite stores in one day. I’m not used to that! I usually do a lot of online shopping to make up for it.
4. Food
Chicago is a blending of cultures. You have a very present Polish and Italian population just to start. With all of these amazing cultures converging you get some amazing food. There is anything you could ever imagine. We had Chicago style deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s and authentic Memphis barbecue all in the same day. I love to ask the people that work at the hotel what their favorite restaurants are or things to do are. I try to stay away from the front desk and ask people that take your bags or park your car. They are more willing to be honest about what the natives to the city do, versus pointing you to the tourist attractions.
Everyone wants to see Chicago from the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower). This lesson was learned the hard way. We walked the 1.5 miles from our hotel to get there and have a 2 hour wait to get up there. Not cool. We waited until that night and decided to try The Signature Lounge in the John Hancock Building. That ended up being a great idea! We had a little wait but it was only about 30 minutes before we were up there. You have a 360 degree view of the city at night. They have cocktails and dessert available (be warned it is not the most affordable place to drink). If you are a lady, the best view of the city is in the floor to ceiling windows that are in the bathroom. No one can watch you do your business but when you are washing your hands you can enjoy the spectacular view.
What are some of your favorite things to do in Chicago that I forgot? What do you want to do on your next trip to Chicago?
I grew up for a short time in my kindergarten years in Normal, Illinois adn haven’t been to Chicago since then! I have always wanted to go back! Thanks for sharing your adventure! Jan @ CFBP
My family took a vacation there a long time ago. It took my sister moving there for me to really go back and realize how much fun it is!