Weekender's Guide To Chicago, IL
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The first and last time I was in Chicago I was just eight years old. That is until Labor Day weekend 2018. My only memories from my childhood trip were the pizza and SUE the T. Rex. When a trip for work brought me to the midwest the week before Labor Day, I decided to take advantage of the circumstances and visit the city again. As if I needed more of a reason, I also have some extended family in the area. There was literally no reason not to go.
Lodging: Thompson Hotel
The Thompson Hotel is located in the Gold Coast District of Chicago, an affluent area of the city with gorgeous homes, upscale shops, and fine dining. This is not our usual scene when we travel, but we had a lovely time. The Thompson Hotel was beautiful inside and out, and definitely had an air of luxury. Our room was cozy, comfortable, and offered a great view of the city.
The Food
Across the street from our hotel was Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House. We met up with some family there for dinner. This seafood restaurant had a fun atmosphere and a diverse menu, and there was something for everyone. The food was a bit pricey, but again, we must consider the neighborhood.
Of course, you can't go to Chicago without getting Chicago style pizza. We went to Pizzeria Uno, the inventors of deep-dish pizza. If you really want to get the Chicago pizza experience, go here. Absolutely delicious. We ordered a pepperoni and sausage pizza, but I can't imagine any option being wrong here. As the OG’s of deep dish, you can imagine that they are quite popular, so you should expect a wait. Well worth it if you ask me.
One of our fanciest meals was at the top of the Hancock building in the Signature Lounge at the 96th. There is a restaurant on the 95th floor, but a reservation is required, and we did not plan that far ahead. After a brief wait in a line for the elevator, we were quickly lifted to the 96th floor. We managed to get a seat near the window, and the views were breathtaking. The lounge menu had quite a few small plate options, so ordering a few of these made a perfect meal. That, plus the cocktails made for a well rounded date night.
Fun fact: There are a bunch of spiders that live on the outside of the skyscrapers in Chicago. It's a really neat example of nature adapting to human influence, but I'll admit, it felt a little bit creepy.
Spider on the OUTSIDE of the glass.
Transportation
Chicago has a very user friendly public transportation system referred to as the “L”. It is also pretty walkable. Driving around some parts of downtown Chicago may be difficult, so I wouldn’t recommend renting a car, and if you road trip there, maybe leave your car at the hotel.
Chicago Attractions
We purchased a Chicago CityPASS so we could cram a lot into a three day weekend without spending a lot of money. If you plan to visit at least two or three of the CityPASS attractions, it’s worth the cost as it pays for itself after that. We visited Cloud Gate, the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, and Lincoln Park Zoo.
Cloud Gate, or "the bean", was crowded. I mean really crowded. It was a holiday weekend, so I shouldn't be too surprised. We got the obligatory reflection selfie, but then we got out of there. It wasn't really all it's hyped up to be in my opinion.
Being an animal lover, I was pretty excited for the Shedd Aquarium. It was a rainy day, so being inside the aquarium was perfect. Shedd is world class, with amazing exhibits and really cool animals.
Our next stop was the Field Museum, which is pretty close to Shedd. Unfortunately, SUE (the T. Rex I mentioned at the beginning of this post) was not on display when we were there. I was a little bummed about that, but there was still plenty more to see including fossils, taxidermy specimens, mummies, and more.
The Lincoln Park Zoo is a great free attraction in Chicago, and one of two zoos in the area. Again, I love animals, so this was fun for me. I have visited many zoos across the U.S., and Lincoln Park is among the best. It isn't large, but the exhibits are modern and spacious, and they have a nice variety of species.
Overall, our weekend in Chicago was a blast, despite the holiday crowds and summer heat.
