Chicago: Sites and Eats

Chicago: Sites and Eats
TJ and I spent several days in Chicago last week to celebrate our 2nd anniversary, and today I’m excited to talk about some of the things we saw/ate and where we stayed while we were there. First, I have to say a HUGE thank you to the incredibly sweet Sara, who sent me an amazing email with all kinds of tips on things to see in the city. Sara – we’ve kept a list of the things we didn’t get to from your suggestions to do on our next trip!

The hotel:
Kinzie Hotel Chicago
We stayed at the Kinzie Hotel, which is where we stayed on our honeymoon, back when it was called The Amalfi. We loved it when we were there 2 years ago, but the hotel recently underwent renovations and we were even more blown away this time. The decor was lovely, and the location is perfect. The last time we were in town, we got a 3-day transportation pass, but this time we decided to walk everywhere, and it was very convenient from the hotel. The staff was also incredibly helpful and kind – they even sent up chocolate covered strawberries and a sweet card since it was our anniversary! You know how some people love going to the beach on vacation just to chill? TJ and I like to spend a nice chunk of our trips just chilling in a nice hotel room, and the Kinzie Hotel was perfect for that.

The sites:
Chicago SitesOver the course of our walks through the city, we managed to stroll around Millennium Park, go shopping on Michigan Avenue, zoom to the top of the John Hancock, and just take in the beautiful city. These are some of my favorite shots from our walks around town.
Chicago Sites

The eats:
Chicago has tons of amazing food, and we wanted to try basically everything, so TJ and I had one rule – no leftovers. We didn’t want to waste a meal eating day-old leftovers of a food we’d already tried, so we mostly ordered appetizers and meals we could share. Not only did this help save on costs, but it also helped us from completely stuffing ourselves at every meal.
Chicago Eats(from top to bottom)

1. The best grilled cheese and tomato soup from Bin 36
2. “Chicago Mix” of caramel and cheese popcorn Garrett popcorn
3. Tiramisu from Portillos
4. Cheese brat and fries from Downtown Dogs
5. Chicken quesadillas from Cantina Laredo
6. Italian beef sandwich and fries from Portillos
7. Chef salad from Mother Hubbard’s

If you’d like to see more, TJ posted a bunch of really incredible HDR pictures from the trip that he took and edited over on his blog. He’s definitely the photographer of the family, and I’m hoping that I can get him to share some of his skills here sometime soon!

Have you ever been to Chicago? What are your must see/eat places?

10 Comments
  • Jessica Shannon
    April 24, 2014

    I am super jealous of all the food, looks like you had a great time!! 🙂

    • ashleynevis
      April 29, 2014

      I seriously want to go back and eat it all over again!

  • Jamie @ The Growing Up Diaries
    April 24, 2014

    I love Chicago. This post made me super hungry now! I live about an hour & a half away from Chicago & when my fiance and I can manage to have a day off together, we’re going to head there to spend the day now that the weather is finally nice again!

    • ashleynevis
      April 29, 2014

      A hour and a half away isn’t bad! When you make it there, eat some Chicago Mix popcorn for me!

  • Laura Welch
    April 24, 2014

    I was just in Chicago in March and it snowed and never got about 27 degrees the whole time I was there. So jealous of all your exploration and beautiful photos! The place I ate that was sooooo good was Howells & Hood – they have sort of “different” pub foods and the largest selection of brews on tap this Idaho girl has ever seen!

    • ashleynevis
      April 29, 2014

      Oh no! That’s too bad about the weather. It seems like we lucked out – when we got there, our cab driver said it had just snowed a few days earlier. I’m definitely going to make a note to try out Howells & Hood the next time we’re there – pub food is my favorite!

  • Gina
    April 25, 2014

    How fun! I need to visit Chicago.

    • ashleynevis
      April 29, 2014

      You HAVE to go! Seriously, such a fun city, and the food is stellar.

  • Sara
    April 26, 2014

    I love all of this 🙂 Most importantly, you had a great time. Yay!

    So glad to hear that my email was useful!! I love Chicago and I could talk about it for days!

    • ashleynevis
      April 29, 2014

      Girl seriously, you are so awesome – thanks again for all the wonderful suggestions! TJ and I were both super grateful and we can’t wait to go back and check the things that we missed!

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