Every day I live in Houston I still can't believe how many people live in this city but then I visit the few other cities with even more people and I realize it's what makes these cities great. In Chicago, I really love the hustle and bustle of everyone walking around with a variety of places to see and eat and explore. My husband and I were able to take a quick weekend trip here before the start of my new job. We were lucky enough to catch up with old friends, be tourists, and of course find our own cute little gems of the city that we always love to do!
Stay:
Russell and I stayed at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel. We didn't get to do our usual Bed and Breakfast for this trip because honestly I couldn't find one I liked close enough to the city. So, this hotel is the next best thing. It was gorgeous, had a great breakfast, and most importantly perfect location to everything. We were in walking distance to every thing that we wanted to visit and there was also a metro stop right outside of the hotel for the airport or our day trip to Lincoln Park. Plus I love the pink lights for Breast Cancer Awareness month. I would definitely recommend this place if you are visiting Chicago!
Eat:
- Lou Malnati's Pizza
There are two main deep dish pizza chains throughout Chicago. This one is personally my favorite as I feel like it has the perfect amount of sauce to cheese ratio (more cheese of course). I believe pizza is one of the best things offered on the planet and when I want to splurge, it is my cheat every time. This place will satisfy your Chicago deep dish pizza fix. You can't tell me that doesn't look good.
- Portillo's Hot Dogs
Portillo's is the famous Chicago Hot Dog stop. This is a must do while in Chicago. It is usually crowded (with tourists mostly) but they have a system and move quickly and you'll be in and out with your delicious traditional Chicago dog. Remember no ketchup ;)
- RPM Italian Restaurant
RPM was my favorite restaurant in Chicago. It was so insanely delicious. Seriously, every single thing we tried was so good and I was actually sad when each dish was done. You will need to make a reservation pretty early in advance if you want a table or you can walk in and try and steal a seat in the bar area (which is what we did.) We couldn't decide what we wanted so we did more of a tapas style with a bunch of different small plates. Russell and I decided on the Truffled Garlic Bread, Prime Beef Meatballs, Zucchini Fritti, and Giuliana's Italian Salad. Then the best was yet to come with the dessert. Once again we couldn't choose just one so we split Pistachio Gelato and their special of the night which were these perfectly Fried Italian Doughnuts served with a side of Nutella. This is making my mouth water just writing this. I will go back to Chicago for this restaurant alone. Go.
- La Fournette
Russ and I have an obsession for french bakeries/macaroons/almond croissants/ basically anything french. So any city we visit, we will search out what people say is the best. And this one comes close to one of the best we had tried. The almond croissant was perfectly baked and the almond paste was extremely if not exactly similar to the way they make it in Paris. The macaroons were also delicious with a lot of fun flavors to choose from. Another bonus is this bakery is located in Old Town which is one of my favorite areas of Chicago.
