Chicago, IL
This past week we had the pleasure to sneak away from Charleston to visit the US’s 3rd highest populated city—Chicago. Our trip however brief was still memorable and we’re looking forward to our next excuse to visit again.
Our first stop, after dealing with the hotel room debacle was of course going to be where ever my cousin ended up after her double shift— City Nikki’s. We soon learned that this bar houses a plethora of industry workers after they get out of work, giving them all somewhere they can relax and be waited on themselves.
“I give you Chicago. It is not London and Harvard. It is not Paris and buttermilk. It is American in every chitling and sparerib. It is alive from snout to tail.”
-Henry Mencken
Above, a shot of the Windy City from one of the crosswalks along the Chicago River.
When we arrived, the clouds above the city were swallowing the tops of the buildings. Incredible to see so many skyscrapers with unique architecture. almost every building in the city featured unique characteristics different from the ones around it. It began to make too much sense as to why my cousin moved here from Berkley, CA this past year.
Sunday morning, we met up at Bub City for not only the company of the bartender we had met at Nikki’s the night before, but their $6 Sunday morning espresso martinis. Wow, how can you turn down that kinda start to the day?
Their menu features BBQ classics and bar room staples— from smoked meats, to mac&cheese and nachos, they have you covered.
Wrigley Field
Created in 1914, Wrigley Field is home to the Chicago Cubs
Can you go watch a baseball game without a hot dog? ‘Cause I can’t… and Wrigley Field was the perfect place to try a Chicago Dog!
The Chicago style hot dog is dragged through the garden, featuring all the good stuff… tomatoes, onions, relish, pickled peppers, a dill pickle spear and yellow mustard. Not being as big a fan of mustard as I am the Red Sox, I ended up omitting it for ketchup. But it left me wondering why more places don’t offer their dogs dragged through the garden as well—this one hot dog was more filling with more toppings, it felt similar to having a burger.
I’m grateful we got to make it to Wrigley during our stay, and it was even sweeter that they were playing the Red Sox while we were visiting. And in true Red Sox underdog fashion, we ended up winning 6-1 after loosing the first two games in this series.
After the game, we stopped at Home Away From Home, a sports bar up the street from Wrigley that allows the opposing team’s fans to congregate before or after the game. Swinging in on a post-win high for a few celebration beers before dinner was ideal.
Firecakes Craft Donuts
Buttermilk Old Fashioned, Raspberry Cake, an Americano and a Cafe Au Lait
Chicago is such a walk-able city, we ended up bouncing around for a few hours each morning before meeting back up with my cousin for lunch. We tried a different coffee shop each morning and walked around taking in the beautiful buildings and river around us.
Day One, kept it basic—we walked to one of the local spots closest to the hotel. Ordered our usual coffee order and split some of their delicious pastries.
Caffeé Umbria, 346 N Clark St
Day Two, we had passed this shop while walking to dinner after the game the night before and decided to head back to try it out. The market was adorable and curated to match a theme. I tried their cookie top latte (which indeed had a cookie the straw was through instead of a lid).
Foxtrot Market, 401 N Wells St
Day Three, again a place we had passed walking the night before. The doughnuts looked too good to pass up and we figured it’d be the best choice to cap our trip off with them for breakfast. Pictured above with our order from that morning, Firecakes took the cake of all three and will definitely be a coffee place we return to
Firecakes Craft Donuts, 68 W Hubbard St
The Smith
rigatoni alla vodka
tomato, stracciatella cheese, crème fraîche, sesame
At 400 N Clark St, The Smith was home to my cousin for almost the full first year she has lived in Chicago. Even with her leaving this restaurant soon for another, we had to stop in for dinner one night. I needed to see the place and try the food I’d been hearing so much about for the last year.
And let me tell you, it was. worth the hype.
The Smith was visually clean and classic. Their menu had so many great options it was difficult to pick just one, knowing it would be a while before I’d be back in Chicago to try them out again. So we each ordered something different and played a wonderful game of pass your plate to the left…
Architecture
Everywhere we looked, the buildings had interesting features. No two looked the same.
Chicago! As a whole, this city was incredible. For the size; and of all the places I’ve had the pleasure of traveling—we were both very impressed as to how clean, un-congested and walkable it is. Around every corner and every turn was an opportunity to be amazed and awed. The city is very photogenic and now holds a very special place in my heart. We’ll be eagerly returning; excited to meet more people, try more restaurants, and explore more as we began to get a grasp on how the city was set up.
Chicago’s best deep dish since 1971
Did somebody say deep dish? We asked and Lou delivered. My cousin took us, hungover after the game, for some very necessary Chicago deep dish to soak everything up. Luckily it worked! Lou’s offered two different styles of Chicago pizza— their famous deep dish and a buttery thin crust.
As long as you know what to expect going in, it’s hard to be disappointed with the results. Deep dish pizza eats more like a pie having high crust on the sides and a center full of mozzarella cheese (then toppings) and finally chunky sauce on the top. To me, it was like eating a pizza upside-down.
439 N Wells St, Lou Malnatui’s Pizzaria
Cloud Gate
A.K.A. The Chicago Bean
Located in Millennium Park, the “Bean” reflects the entire Chicago Skyline. It was definitely a must see for us (and many others), as honestly it was one of the only things I knew existed in the city before visiting.
Other than our trip to the baseball game, visiting Cloud Gate was the most people I feel we saw in one area. It was a big destination for any of the other tourists traveling to Chicago that weekend.
Lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba!
Tapas, Pintxos and Sangrias!
During our second day of the trip, we visited several different places—bar and snack hopping through Chicago. Starting at Havana— a Cuban restaurant in River North, self-proclaimed with the best Mojitos in Chicago. And I can’t help but agree after trying their guava mojitos—yum! Havana also has an incredible selection of tequila, margaritas and Latin Cuisine.
Lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba was the next stop located at 441 N Clark St, here we sampled their famous sangrias, featuring a new one daily in addition to red, white & sparkling (and for just $5 during happy hour, how can you go wrong?). We ordered some chorizo-wrapped, manchego-stuffed dates to snack on which were just as heavenly as they sound.
Post-date snack, we took the river taxi to Chinatown and sampled some of their dumplings and shops, landing at a dim sum restaurant to cap off the snacking portion of the evening; MingHin Cuisine, here you check off boxes on a picture menu, and just like magic everything starts rolling towards your chopsticks.
Our last stop of the night was closer to my cousin’s part of town, the Black Hole Bar. And with a name like that, you guessed it—the perfect Chicago dive. They’re always one of our favorite type of places to end the evening. Black Hole Bar displays a pool table right up front, interesting art pieces, exposed brick and stellar dim red lighting.
Jibaritos
A sandwich made between two fried plantains; topped with choice of protein, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, cheese and mayo.
Papa’s Cache Sabroso, the first place my cousin tried when she moved to Chicago and the last place she took us before we traveled back home to Charleston. They have been voted best Jibarito in Chicago, and as I learned upon visiting, this is a sandwich that originated in this particular neighborhood.
Chicago left us wanting more and plotting a second trip before my cousin inevitably moves on to her next city. And even with enjoying everything about this beautiful, bustling city… It’s still good to be back home.
