For those of you who checked in on Friday you’ll remember one of my “Get Outa Town” travel tips was to scope out cheap airline tickets to cities close by. You’d be surprised how easy it is to find cheap (like less than $200) tickets for cities that are 3 hours or less by plane.
A few weeks ago my friend, Emily, had found $150 roundtrip flights to Chicago from Boston. Besides the great deal, the best part was that we would be able to stay and visit with our college friend, Lindsay for the whole weekend! Based on that, I knew that the half day of vacation I would need to use would be well spent, so off we went!
Our agenda for the weekend was wide open and besides a few recommendations and requests of things to do/see/eat, we were free to go at our own pace. This is honestly my favorite kind of travel. Do some research before the trip so you have a few activities in your back pocket but once you get there just let the trip create itself.
We arrived Friday afternoon and after dropping our bags and a quick freshen up, we were ready for dinner and a night on the town.
Yelp reviews brought us to The Franklin Room, a cool-vibe whiskey tasting spot with an awesome menu. The menu allows for tapas-style or individual entrees depending on your mood. Our eyes were hooked on the small plates after a quick glance so we ordered to share: cauliflower tots, roasted Brussel sprouts, burrata, and mussels. Let’s just say this, CAULIFLOWER TOTS ARE A MUST and don’t be shy to ask for more bread to dip in the mussel broth so good!
Once our bellies were happy and satisfied and we were feeling fancy so we headed over to the Trump tower to check out the roof deck bar. Overall, a cool experience and a great view. Do note that they close up earlier than other bars in Chicago.
View from Trump Tower
From the Trump tower, we headed over to a popular bar area to find a place to hang for the rest of the evening. Based on the size of the line (rather lack thereof), we chose Social 24. The live band was playing awesome jams and Emily was singing at the top of her lungs the entire time. Once the band was done for the night, we found our way to the DJ and spent what felt like hours dancing. This bar was HUGE and certainly attracted an interesting crowd of people but if you’re looking for a place with options this should be on your list.
When we woke up Saturday morning…let’s just say I was glad that we didn’t have any pressing plans to get out the door for. Instead, we took our time getting ready and then decided it was time for the infamous Chicago Deep Dish Pizza! Our restaurant of choice was Lou Malnati’s at the West Loop location. I’ll let the picture do the talking on how good the pizzas were. We ordered 3 personal sizes which was perfect to share between the 3 of us. YUM!
From Lou Malnati’s, we walked to one of Goose Island’s tap rooms which was less than a mile away. Tip – the original Goose Island brewery requires tour reservation up to a week in advance and the tours last 60-90 minutes. If you’re looking to do this call way ahead to reserve a spot. If you’re just looking to taste some brews, check out their tap rooms located throughout the city. They offered smaller pours which allows you to try out a few different offerings.
The three of us shared 5 different tastings: Goose IPA, Fulton St. Blend, 4 Star Pils, Autumn Ale, and Oktoberfest. The original Goose IPA was my favorite of the bunch, though the Autumn Ale was a crowd pleaser as well. Fun Fact: United now offers Goose IPA for purchase on all flights! Another win for the craft beer movement!
After a filling lunch and good beer, we headed back to Lindsay’s place to take a quick rest before we hit the town for another night.
Stay tuned for more Chicago adventures!
Questions of the day:
Deep dish or thin crust?
What’s your favorite Chicago tourist attraction?
No comments:
Post a Comment