Chicago. August 2025.
Given Chicago's notoriety, I was pleasantly surprised by how uniquely beautiful this city was. We predominantly toured around downtown Chicago, and what I loved most about it was the blend of bustling city life against the serene backdrop of the river and lakefront.
Favorite sights & experiences:
Riding the L train from the airport. Wicker Park. The Riverwalk. Shops along the Magnificent Mile - two of my favs were Alice & Wonder and P.O.S.H. Millenium Park & The Bean. Grant Park: Buckingham Fountain & Lakefront Trail. F1 Lego Pop-up. Water taxi ride to Chinatown. Bike riding along Lake Michigan. Fireworks show from the Navy Pier. Starbucks Reserve Roastery.
Favorite sips & eats:
Stan's Donuts. Mindy's Bakery. Coffee at: The Wormhole, Caffe Umbria, Starbucks Roastery, Ralph's, & Intelligentsia. The viral chicken caesar wrap at Little Victories. Deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's. Cookies from Chip City. Donuts at Doughnut Vault. Chinatown: Chicken fried rice & crab rangoons from MCCB & dumplings from Qing Xiang Yuan. Salt Burger. Gotham Bagels.
