Chicago Birthday Weekend

My birthday was this past Saturday. Instead of a present, I asked Ted if we could go to Chicago for the weekend. We ended up using Priceline for our hotel and it turned out really well. We stayed at the Central Loop Hotel, which was a short walk from Michigan Avenue and everything else we wanted to do. 

We drove to Michigan City, IN and took the Southshore train the rest of the way. I started doing that on my trips to NeoCon for work a few years ago and it saves a lot of hassle with parking and driving in the city traffic. They have tons of stops downtown, so you can usually get pretty close to where you want to go. The best part is that it's only $8.15 each way! 

Next on our must do list was Giordano's pizza. It's been a tradition for me to go there almost every time I'm in the city, and Ted had never been there. Actually, he hadn't been to Chicago in years, so we had a lot of fun exploring together. And eating this...

And this...

And of course Cheesecake Factory for good measure. We definitely ate our way around, but we walked everywhere, which I think counts for something. My feet and legs were so tired by the end of the weekend I felt like a little old lady hobbling around.

Because of my design school background, I learned a lot about architecture and I even took an architectural boat tour once down the Chicago river. It's still fun to walk around and just stare at all the amazing buildings in the city. 

I would love to live near Chicago some day, but I don't know if Ted would go for it. He's more of a country boy at heart. For now I'll have to be content being three hours away. As long as I get to go at least once a year, I'm happy. And 60 degree temps with sun on November 5th? I'll take it!