Chicago Recs Welcome!

July 16, 2012 by Laura

I’m so excited, Conner and I are headed to Chicago in September!

I’ve been before but was pretty young and Conner has never been before. SO…I would love your recommendations for places to eat, places to see and places to shop. What’s your must-see and what’s your must-avoid?

Oh, and what are the chances I’ll get to see Nate Berkus while I’m there? A girl can dream…

Posted in Vacations | Tagged Life, Vacation | 9 Comments

9 Responses

on July 16, 2012 at 9:45 am Anonymous

When my mom and I went we did a food walking tour – absolutely fabulous!! We would definitely do it again if we went! It was a great way to eat at “off-the-beaten-path” places that you would never know about otherwise, and the tour guides give lots of fun facts about the city on the walk. Here is the link for the company:
http://www.chicagofoodplanet.com/#
We did the Near North tour. Have fun!!!
on July 16, 2012 at 1:29 pm Kelsey Poe

Make sure you go see Wrigley Field. They offer tours that are pretty cool. Our favorite restaurant is The Purple Pig. Make sure you get a bloody mary and the feta and cucumber dip! Book a reservation at RPM Italian NOW if you want to get in. Other fun things: Navy Pier, Museum of Modern Art, the Field Museum, a river boat tour or river taxi, Evanston IL (a short train ride), Second City, the Sky Deck at Sears Tower. For shopping, OF COURSE hit up Michigan Ave, but there are also some great stores off Michigan in the neighborhoods… in the State St. area. Walk through and check out the brownstones and the breakfast places. Love it so much! Have fun!
on July 16, 2012 at 2:26 pm emily e

I HIGHLY recommend Southport Grocery (http://www.southportgrocery.com/)! It’s close to Wrigley and there’s lots of fun shopping nearby.
on July 16, 2012 at 2:28 pm Sara

You HAVE to do Saturday brunch at Rick Bayless’ restaurant, Frontera Grill. Get there early to beat the line. Wish we would have eaten there more than once when we went to Chicago a few years ago.
on July 16, 2012 at 2:30 pm Sara

Also, we really enjoyed taking the Architecture River Cruise. http://www.architecture.org/tours/
And we went to a Cubs game at Wrigley which was really fun!
on July 16, 2012 at 8:57 pm Sarah Vendittelli

We’re going in October and I’ve heard The Girl and the Goat is awesome but you need to make reservations a month out.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/girl-and-the-goat-chicago
on July 17, 2012 at 1:00 pm Sara

The cocktail evening architecture tour is awesome. You get to see the city in the day and night. Eat at Gibsons. If you like steak it is the best place! They are the only restaurant in the country that has their own grade of meat. Go for drinks at the top of the John Hancock tower.
on July 18, 2012 at 8:11 pm Laura @ The Steen Style

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!!! We are so excited to go. I’ll let you know what we try.
on July 19, 2012 at 8:28 am Kelsey Poe

I meant the John Hancock tower not the Sears tower. And a guy I graduated HS with a McGuinness is opening a new restaurant in August, might be worth checking out: http://www.redeyechicago.com/entertainment/restaurants-bars/redeye-baume-brix-opening-in-river-north-in-august-20120716,0,5987702.story