Chi-town!

Last weekend, we took a trip to Chicago!  I had not visited the windy city since the age of 10ish (when my dad took me to the American Girl store/tea) and Amir had never been outside of O'Hare.  So, our beloved friend Abby showed us the town!  So, here are the top 10 things we loved about Chicago (according to Faye)

#1: Delicious Pastries 
Abby took us to Bonjour Cafe in Hyde Park to get the best pastries in the area.  We walked from the cafe to the banks of Lake Michigan to enjoy the food and the view!  

 ...and of course Amir addressed the city of Chicago...

 #2: The Bean
While visiting the bean, Abby informed us that it was supposed to look like water or a raindrop or something...I had no idea, and still only see a bean.  Anyway, it was super cool and we all had fun taking reflection pictures (which is pretty much the whole purpose of the bean)

#3: Crazy Face Fountains
Just next to The Bean in Millennium Park is a crazy water fountain.  Since it was pretty hot in Chicago, we took our shoes off and splashed around with a bunch of kids.  Part way through our break from the heat, we realized that there were giant faces on the side of the fountains...they moved, blinked, smiled and even occasionally spit out water!  Crazy!

#4: Strolling down Michigan Avenue
In the heart of downtown Chicago is Michigan Ave and the Magnificent Mile.  Essentially it is a lot of stores, a lot of people with shopping bags and the occasional statues (like Marilyn Monroe with her skirt blowing up)

#5: Benito Juarez
Of course Amir spotted Benito from several blocks away!  For those of you who don't know, Benito scored naming rights for Ciudad Juarez, and served as President of Mexico from 1858-1872.  He was also the first full-blooded indigenous national to be President of Mexico.  Obviously, Amir was stoked to find a bit of Mexico in the north!

 #6 Hanging out with Rick Bayless
No, we didn't really get to hang out with him, but Fontera Grill & Topolobambo was pretty phenomenal!  For those of you not obsessed with the food network, cook books and Bravo-lebreties like we are, Rick Bayless is a famous chef, winner of Top Chef Masters, and a super white dude who loves Mexico.  We ate ceviche, tostadas and mole between Amir and I, and it was all super delicious! (obviously)

#8: Drinks atop of the City
So, the Sears Willis Tower charges a lot of money to go up to the top and simply look out over the city.  Instead, our savvy local took us to the Hancock Tower, which not only provides a free 360 degree view from the lounge, but also has adult beverages to make the view even more beautiful!  We ended up sitting next to owner of Mr. B's in Royal Oak, MI (small world)...with a couple rounds of drinks and the state capitals game (which Amir & John both believe they won) a great time was had by all!  The first photo is from where we were sitting next to the bar; the second photo is the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the lady's room...good thing we were 96 floors up so that no one could see in! 

#9: Pizza
For those of you who know me, I'm not one to turn down some delicious food (in fact, 1/3 of this blog post is about food).  Per the recommendation of our friend Seth, we headed to Giordano's Pizza for some Chicago-style pizza.  We didn't have quite enough time before meeting up with friends to order the deep dish, but the regular pizza was still pretty delicious!  Next time we're in Chicago, I think we'll schedule an hour and a half for dinner so that we can afford to wait!

#10: Memory Lane

As sappy as it may be, this last item goes out to my Dad!  When I was still playing with dolls, I LOVED American Girl!  So, one year for our "daddy-daughter date" my dad took me to Afternoon Tea at American Girl Place in Chicago.  I remembered that it was downtown, but I could tell we were getting closer and closer to the store by the increasing number of parents carrying the red bags for their daughters.  I think that it had recently opened in Chicago when I went as a tween, and I think my dad was one of the only men at high tea, but all the red bags brought back some really special memories!  (For those of you without American Girl experience, a big red bag from American Girl to a child is like a little blue bag from Tiffany to an adult)

Essentially, Chicago was an awesome trip!  The weather was beautiful throughout the weekend, and the trip even convinced Amir to move there with me someday! :)  More about the Clarke-Zhang wedding to come!