Chicago

Dear Dave Ramsey,

I’m sorry for what I’m about to post.  Well, kind of…it was totally worth it.

Your friend and semi-follower,

Megan

 

We just returned from a weekend in Chicago.  It was a relaxing weekend without a schedule or an agenda.  Here are some of the highlights which we highly recommend.

Saturday we started our morning at the Original Pancake House.  The line was out the door the whole time we were there and we soon understood why. The food was great, but the restaurant was teeny tiny.  They pack people in and with a quick turn around.  In fact, we sat at a six person table with four strangers. We had the middle seats too.  It was interesting to say the least. 
We visited the apple store which, believe it or not, was the only shopping we did on the Magnificent Mile the whole weekend. It’s a huge store and even has an area on the second floor with theatre seating where classes are taught. 
We met my brother and his girlfriend for lunch at Giordano’s.  It was arguably some of the best pizza we’ve ever had. We waited over an hour for a table, but it was well worth the wait.  We were entertained by the pizza dough throwing while we waited.
 
We had the deep dish stuffed with spinach and tomatoes. A…mazing!
 
The four of us walked to Millennium Park to check out cloud gate, aka “the bean”.


 
Saturday night we enjoyed that best sushi we’ve ever had at, Friends Sushi on N. Rush Street. (picture from Friends Sushi facebook page). The atmosphere was modern yet cozy and the prices were quite reasonable for sushi in Chicago.  
The “guy in charge” happened to be our waiter as they were short staffed.  We took all his recommendations and he didn’t steer us wrong.  The umi roll was our favorite: shrimp tempura, cream cheese, avocado topped with spicy tuna, tempura crumb, and unagi glaze (picture from Friends Sushi facebook page). 
Sunday, we headed to the Maxwell Street Market.  Note to self…read more than 1 review of a city market or ask a local about the market before you go.  It wasn’t the city market with fresh flowers, produce and homemade bread that I was expecting. There were 500 vendors, many of which appeared to be living out of the vans that hauled their goods.  I have no pictures because quite frankly, I was afraid to take my camera out of my bag.  I don’t think that would have gone over well.  There were lots of used power tools and electronics.  I said, “If I lived in Chicago and was robbed, I’d come here to look for my stuff!” I did some research and it appears as though the Maxwell Market has quite a rich history and has changed drastically from the 50s when 50,000 people would crowd Maxwell every Sunday.  We did stop long enough to enjoy excellent and authentic quesadillas, with sweet peppers and refried beans.  The visit was complete with a churro from the churro truck for only $1.25.  This was without a doubt the most economical food purchase we made and it was delicious! 

After spending much less time at the market than we had anticipated we made a last minute decision to visit the Museum of Science and Industry. The highlight was taking a tour of the Smart Home, a current exhibit right outside the museum.  It is eco friendly in every way and has a simplicity about it that we both liked.  We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, but here are a couple of the outside.  This exhibit will be even better once spring is in full swing and all the gardens are in bloom.  Visit the architect's blog here for some great pictures of the inside and all the green information about this house.