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Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
CHICAGO x PART 2
Day 2 started with us at Millennium Park and checking out The Bean.
I loved the architecture in Chicago. It's like a miniature New York City.
Descartes Cafe (327 N Michigan Ave) has these amazing gelatto and espresso shakes they make. My combination was pistachio and chocolate!
While scouring the city, we found some neat architecture to pose next to.
Although it was a bit cold, our next destination was the beach. Like an idiot, I actually brought my bikini on this trip as I had no idea what the weather would be like (which ended up being freezing cold).
Based on the recommendation of some people we met, we visited Hancock Tower on our way back around sunset to catch a glimpse of the city before it got dark.
Did you know that Chicago is "Gotham City?" They filmed Batman there. I was quite surprised! I love the way big buildings look next to each other. It makes me feel so small and fills me with wonder, knowing that the world is so large and there is so much to explore.
Of course, can't go to Chicago without trying the stuffed pizza! It was DELICIOUS! I'm already craving it now. We went to Giordano's (2855 N. Milwaukee Ave.)
After dinner, we got dressed up again...
We went to check out a bar called the Violet Hour (1520 North Damen Ave). They served the best drinks on this side of the continent, hands down! It was more of an apothecary than a bar, as the bartenders mixed magic with alcohol behind the counter. Each drink probably had 10+ ingredients, and although you can watch them make it, the intricacies and details they put into each substance is just mindblowing. The result is a wonderfully concocted alcoholic drink that set me into quite a spell. No photos were taken inside as they had weird house rules we didn't want to break. But if there's one awesome place you should check out in Chicago, it's definitely the Violet Hour!
Below are pictures I found from Google of the Violet Hour. It's a VERY interesting space with a hidden door. We walked right past it and if it weren't for the GPS on my iPhone, I would've very easily missed it for good.
Part 3 coming soon.... stay tuned!
Monday, June 7, 2010
CHICAGO x PART 1
Last month, my roommate and I took a weekend trip to the Windy City -- Chicago, Illinois!
We departed the lovely 96°F (36°C) Austin weather for the freezing 40°F (4°C) of Chicago. I left in shorts and a sweater, so needless to say, I was not properly dressed at all and had to change into pants as soon as we landed at the airport.
We stayed at the famous and historic Palmer House Hilton, located in downtown Chicago.
The back story to this hotel has an air of romance to it. Potter Palmer built this magnificent hotel as a wedding gift to his bride, Bertha. However, tragedy struck just 13 days later as it was burned down during the Great Chicago Fire. Palmer immediately worked to rebuild it, and created one of the fanciest hotels in post-fire Chicago.
Its guests have included notables like Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and Bill Clinton!
One of the first things we did was go SHOP. For fun and out of desperation, because I was in dire need of a coat. I bought this at Forever 21 on sale for only $20. Score! And ignore my awkward face. I had my roommate snap a photo because there were no mirrors and I wanted to see what it looked like on me.
We had lunch at the Atwood Cafe (1 West Washington Street), recommended to us by a random stranger on the street when we had no idea where to go eat.
We had this salad, which was a bit bland, and also the all wagyu beef patty burger (which I can't find a photo of) that was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend the burger if anyone ever goes!
After shopping and a quick power nap, we were back on the streets of Chicago in search of food. After tons of indecisiveness, we ended upchoosing Thai food at this restaurant near our hotel, Ruby of Siam (170 West Washington Street).
Egg drop soup to warm up our cold bodies from the chilly weather outside!
Crispy, crunchy, lime chicken!
The One-Bite Noodle - lettuce and rice noodle wraps with curried chicken. Yummy!
And I can never say no to this dessert... mango and sticky rice!
On the way back to the hotel, we caught the filming of the nightly news!
Later that night, we got all dressed up to check out the Chicago nightlife. And of course, took tons of photos after getting ready.
One of the clubs we went to was Level, and to our pleasant surprise, these establishments didn't close till 5 a.m.!
More to come soon!
We departed the lovely 96°F (36°C) Austin weather for the freezing 40°F (4°C) of Chicago. I left in shorts and a sweater, so needless to say, I was not properly dressed at all and had to change into pants as soon as we landed at the airport.
We stayed at the famous and historic Palmer House Hilton, located in downtown Chicago.
The back story to this hotel has an air of romance to it. Potter Palmer built this magnificent hotel as a wedding gift to his bride, Bertha. However, tragedy struck just 13 days later as it was burned down during the Great Chicago Fire. Palmer immediately worked to rebuild it, and created one of the fanciest hotels in post-fire Chicago.
Its guests have included notables like Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and Bill Clinton!
One of the first things we did was go SHOP. For fun and out of desperation, because I was in dire need of a coat. I bought this at Forever 21 on sale for only $20. Score! And ignore my awkward face. I had my roommate snap a photo because there were no mirrors and I wanted to see what it looked like on me.
We had lunch at the Atwood Cafe (1 West Washington Street), recommended to us by a random stranger on the street when we had no idea where to go eat.
We had this salad, which was a bit bland, and also the all wagyu beef patty burger (which I can't find a photo of) that was absolutely delicious! Highly recommend the burger if anyone ever goes!
After shopping and a quick power nap, we were back on the streets of Chicago in search of food. After tons of indecisiveness, we ended upchoosing Thai food at this restaurant near our hotel, Ruby of Siam (170 West Washington Street).
Egg drop soup to warm up our cold bodies from the chilly weather outside!
Crispy, crunchy, lime chicken!
The One-Bite Noodle - lettuce and rice noodle wraps with curried chicken. Yummy!
And I can never say no to this dessert... mango and sticky rice!
On the way back to the hotel, we caught the filming of the nightly news!
Later that night, we got all dressed up to check out the Chicago nightlife. And of course, took tons of photos after getting ready.
One of the clubs we went to was Level, and to our pleasant surprise, these establishments didn't close till 5 a.m.!
More to come soon!
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