Last month, John and I celebrated our 13 year wedding anniversary in Chicago and it was the perfect getaway trip that we desperately needed. It was rainy, and kinda cold.. but we bought 2 umbrellas.. put on our walking shoes and made the best of it. If we took anything from this quick trip.. it was full bellies… lots of selfies and a desire to go back soon.
If food is your love language.. and you don’t mind walking + enjoy the beautiful scenery on Michigan Ave.. then keep reading, because I’ve got all the details.
We flew in on a Thursday.. around 7pm. Checked into The Talbott Hotel and threw our suitcases in the room and headed downstairs to get dinner.
20E Chicago is a little restaurant located in The Talbot and we surprisingly ate here twice. Both times were great! I got the Chopped Cobb salad.. and I honestly still have dreams about this salad.
It was that good, yall!
John got the Carbonara and it was pretty tasty, too.
We also ate here for breakfast one morning and I really enjoyed it.
After dinner we went upstairs.. unpacked and called it a night. John had a busy day planned for us in the morning… since it was going to start raining around noon.
Day 1
We hit the ground running and left the room around 8am. Walked across the street to grab a quick donut and then Uber’d to Michigan Ave to see the famous bean.
There was barely anyone there, so it was the perfect time to get a quick picture. I would say visiting the bean is a must on your trip.. not only is it instagram worthy, but it’s so unique and the scenery around it is gorgeous. Just go early so you can take it all in.
After the bean, we walked over to the public library so John could show me around. With him being an engineer, he always geeks out over architecture and anything with over the top finishes, but I’ll say that I was very impressed with its beauty and charm.
We walked around town some so we could take it all in before it started raining and even on a gloomy day.. it was gorgeous to look at. There were flowers everywhere, the streets were so clean and so many great shopping stores at every corner.
If you love designer items… our hotel was right by the YSL, Gucci and David Yurman store. I literally had to walk by them every day and it took all my will power to not go in them. My bank account needed a break after NYFW just two weeks prior.
Lunch was spent at Beatnik On the River and holy moly this place is gorgeous. I found it on Instagram before our trip and it was top on my list to visit. I’m so glad we did, too. Even though it had just started raining, we were able to still sit outside and take it all in. I’m going to tag their Instagram account here so you can see how stinking cute it is. With the rain, I couldn’t get the pictures I wanted, but it was nice to put down my phone and enjoy one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.
Make sure you get a drink in a coconut, too!
After lunch we headed back to the hotel to rest.. I actually took a little nap and then we walked to the movie theater close by and saw a movie. This movie theater was a little bit more than your average theater, but for good reason! Every chair was a comfy recliner and you could order good food and alcoholic drinks while you watched.
So I sipped on a drink, kicked up my feet and lived my best life! It was great.
It was around 7pm when the movie got out so we walked over to Eatly and grabbed a quick bite before walking back to the hotel.
I got the lasagna and it was okay. Not bad, but not really great either.
Day 2
Saturday was another early day, but one I was happy to wake up for. First up was donuts at Stan’s Donuts and then off to get pampered.
We scheduled a couples massage at Dita Day Spa and Oh.My.Heavens. it was the best massage we have ever had. It was only a 3 minute walk from our hotel and in a hair salon, but if I ever go back to Chicago and get a massage.. I’m skipping all the fancy places and going straight there. Never in my life have I been rubbed like that. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “hurt so good”, that was how I would explain it!!
Proof to never judge a book by its cover!
On our walk back to the hotel, we stopped at the Barbour store and bought some new jackets from the outlet store up stairs. If you’re a fan of Barbour, the outlet store upstairs has some great buys… so make sure you check it out.
Once we got back to the hotel, we got ready for the day and headed out for an adventure. It was still pretty gloomy with some light rain… so we decided to take an architecture tour and it was def something I recommend everyone do.
The pictures don’t do it justice, but it was so fun to learn about all the history during this tour.
After the tour, we walked to lunch at Sunda, and let me just say.. it did not disappoint. John got the Sumo Mary and still believes that it was the best $40 he’s ever spent. You got a taste of everything and he was full for the rest of the day.
I got sushi and it was pretty amazing, too.
With full bellies… we waddled over to Navy Pier and spent the day exploring all it’s beauty.
They were doing a diving drill when we got there, so that’s why there were so many fire trucks.
We might have indulged in a couple of alcoholic beverages… so life was good.
My feet were over all the walking, so we got an Uber to Wrigley Field so we could take it all in. Sadly, the Cubs were at an away game, so we didn’t get to go in.. but it’s located in such a neat area that you should def visit.
We ended the night with a Chicago dog… and got some much needed rest for our last day.
Day 3
There was a dumpling festival going on, so we headed back to Navy Pier and ate all the dumplings we could get our hands on.
After eating out weight in dumplings, we decided to do the Farris Wheel and while it was a little scary at first, I’m so glad we did it. It was so cool being able to see everything from so high up.
We ended the day back at the movies, and it was so nice to go with the flow and do things at our own pace. The weather was kind of a bummer, but I think we made the best of it, and I look forward to visiting again when the weather is on our side.
I packed so many cute outfits for this trip, but it was a too chilly to actually wear them.. so I’ll link some of the items here. I ordered all of it from shopbop before we left.
Free People Dress | Lounge Outfit | Madewell Sweater | AG Jeans
I hope this post helps if you have a Chicago trip planned any time soon. I can’t wait to show yall where were headed to next!
xoxo- Lauren