Falling in Love with Chicago

It's been about two and a half months since I moved to Chicago and I finally feel like in the past few weeks the warmer temperatures have allowed me to explore some of the city I'm now calling home.

I love Memorial Day Weekend because it signals the unofficial start of summer and summer is hands down my favorite season, I mean there are so many great things to enjoy - who couldn't love summer?

I've been trying to get into the habit of becoming a more consistent runner. I mean, I am signed up for a Warrior Dash and the BIG10 10K so I guess I have to. But learning more about my neighborhood is also great motivation to get out and run a couple of mornings a week.

(And who doesn't love to see the sunrise over Lake Michigan?)

(View behind the Lincoln Park Conservatory)

(Lydia had told me about this lily pond/prairie pagoda and I made it a mission one morning to find it. So serene in the middle of the city.)

On my way home from work last weekend I decided to take a bit of a scenic route and strolled down Michigan Ave. before catching the bus. My office is in such a great location, right in the heart of so much great shopping, food and tourist traps. There was an old church that has always caught my eye on my bus ride to and from work and the weather allowed for the perfect opportunity for some exploring of it. I love that this old architecture is mixed right in with Chicago's skyscrapers.

(Can you see the little bird drinking from the fountain?)

I spent sometime meandering through Lincoln Park as well. I always knew that Lincoln Park was a gem in Chicago but didn't know much about it overall. But after doing some reading on it (#historynerd) I was so eager to see it all. You could spend a day exploring Lincoln Park and I'm not sure you would see it all. There's a zoo, a petting zoo, several ponds, beaches, restaurants, the conservatory and plenty of open green spaces and gardens just to name a few things. Plus, the views of the city were stunning.

Sunday, I talked Lydia into joining me on a trip to the Lincoln Park Conservatory. The conservatory, like everything else in Lincoln Park, is free and features four rooms of stunning exotic plants. I wish I had taken a few more pictures while we were there but I guess it means I'll just have to go back!

We explored a bit more of the park and watched what I'm sure will be stunning wedding photos be taken. As we started to walk back towards my apartment we felt the first drop of rain which very quickly turned into a torrential downpour. Lydia had the great idea to hide under the prairie pagoda I mentioned earlier to wait out the storm.

Unfortunately, the roof of the pagoda was not solid and we ended up trying to position ourselves between the slats to avoid the sheets of rain falling outside. Eventually, we gave up and made a mad dash to La Fournette Bakery & Cafe for some tea and macaroons.

So excited for more summer in Chicago adventures!

The Sun is Shining on Chicago

Yesterday was the first truly warm day of year and I celebrated it by spending the day rowing, drinking iced coffee, laying out on my Mary's roof deck, wearing shorts and sandals for the first time and drinking Oberon's outside. It was wonderful and almost made me forget the terrible, no good, very bad winter we just experienced.

Being back in the Midwest this summer there are a lot of things I'm looking forward to enjoying this summer.

Doesn't the city just look so much better with a bit of color and sun?

Washington, D.C.
I'll be visiting my friend Marissa in D.C. in June and am looking forward to recreating some of the greatness of our Boston and Cape Cod vacations last summer. (Perhaps we'll unintentionally match again?) I've never been to D.C. before and can't wait to do all of the stereotypical tourist stuff. My best friend since fifth grade lives in Baltimore and I'm also hoping to be able to meet up with her. Any suggestions on any D.C. musts? Tips for seeing the city? Any great restaurants?

Trips to Michigan
Michigan is my favorite in the summer. It truly is a hidden gem. Between the Great Lakes, all of the inland lakes, cities like Detroit, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids, and the UP, Michigan has so much to offer. I'm hoping to be able to spend some time in Grand Haven this summer and would love to plan a trip up north to either the UP or Mackinac Island since I've never been.

Lake Michigan
My new apartment in Chicago is literally blocks from the Lakeshore and I can't wait to spend my weekends sprawled out on the beach with a good book.

Summer Concerts & Events
One of the many benefits of living in a big city is the number of cultural events and concerts that take place. I'm excited to take advantage of some of these events and already have tickets to Lollapalooza in August.

Spontaneous Trips
I feel like the warm weather makes people much more inclined for adventure and spontaneity. Last year, Laurissa and I took a couple of fairly spontaneous trips to Maine and the beach and I can't wait to embark on some in the Chicago area. Whether is a quick road trip or a trip downtown, everything seems so much better in the summer.

How long is your birthday?

Lydia said to me, "I feel like your birthday always seems to extend way more than a day." And she was right. And I am incredibly grateful for my incredible family, friends and co-workers who make it that way.

This year, my birthday kind of snuck up on me. With the craziness of moving and getting settled into a new city and routine over the past weeks, I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked at my calendar and saw that my birthday was right around the corner. I also couldn't believe that I was turning the big 25 this year. A full quarter century old!

Two weekends before my birthday, I headed home to Grand Rapids to celebrate Easter with my family. We also went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday at Bonefish Grill. I was surprised with this delicious and rich cookie pie (I don't like cake).

(Birthday dinner)

The next weekend I was back in Chicago and decided to celebrate my birthday with my friends (my real birthday fell on a Monday this year). Mary and I kicked off the weekend with a low-key dinner at Kuma's. Whenever I'm at a place with exceptionally good or unique food I always think of Laurissa and how I wish she could experience it too. I didn't inspect the menu too closely while I was there, but just from briefly skimming the burger choices I think she would've died. (They're all named after famous rock bands!)

Lydia was coming into town and she suggested we go for a birthday weekend run. I hate running but I agreed because she promised there would be treats at the end. It was perfect weather for a run, sunny with just a bit of breeze and the views from beach we ran to were spectacular. (I should clarify that this run turned into a walk.)

(Views of the Lake and the skyline deserve two thumbs up.)

Finally, we made it to Everybody's Coffee for delicious treats. This coffee house was so fun and probably my new favorite, and my iced latte was spectacular as well. While I ran to the bathroom, Lydia surprised me with this amazing cinnamon roll topped with a koala. I died.

(I LOVED this!)

Celebrations continued Saturday evening (I have such great friends!). Mary had arranged for us to head to DOC Wine Bar. It was really beautiful spot and they served flights of wine! All of the flights were named after Chicago neighborhoods, I had the Lakeview (appropriate since that's where I live). We also all shared the Grande Butcher Block which had some of the best meat and cheese you can imagine (I tried duck!) and a brie and pear bruschetta which was heaven.

(Flights of wine!)

Full of wine and cheese we headed to the J. Parker, the rooftop bar at the Lincoln Hotel. The weather was perfect for sitting outside with the fire pits and the views of the lake and the city were spectacular. The cocktails at this bar were also pretty good and I learned I actually really like dirty martinis (surprising, since I HATE olives)!

(#lemmetakeaselfie)

(Mary was in this photo, but she apparently can't handle photos.)

The night ended with Brad and Matt taking me for ice cream (perfect).

I love my friends. :)

Bye Beantown, Hello Windy City

So, the past few weeks have been crazy. Like really crazy. In less than a month, I accepted a job in Chicago, sold most of my furniture, moved out of my apartment in Boston, rented a mini-van, drove halfway across the country, moved into a studio apartment in Chicago and started work at PR agency in Chicago. My head is still spinning a little. Don't get me wrong, I loved Boston. Really loved it. (Seriously, check out all of these great memories I have there.) But I always knew I would find myself in Chicago in the next few years. Did I think 2015? No. But everything sort of just fell into place. And I'm a true believer that some things are just meant to be, and if all the signs are saying go for it - you better effing do it. So I did it.

(Home sweet home)

I've gotta give a major thanks to Babcia and Poppy because they helped so much in the moving/setting up a new apartment process. I've never lived completely by myself before. I've had a variety of unique living situations, but never completely by myself. I wasn't sure how much I would like it at first - I'm a people person, I like company and people to talk to and do stuff with. But so far, (maybe I'm jumping the gun by saying this because I've only been in the apartment for two weeks) but I LOVE it.

The space is small. Like really small. Do you know how small 350 sq ft is? Neither did I. But I sure do now. Honestly, at times it feels like a glorified dorm room. I can see my bathtub and kitchen sink all from my bed. I'm taller than my refrigerator. My bathroom may be larger than my kitchen. But it's great and it's all mine. That's what I love about it. All 350 sq ft of it are mine.

I haven't been able to do much exploring of the city yet (and haven't really wanted to since the weather has been cold, wet and windy) but I can't wait to. There's so much to do right in my neighborhood! And my commute to work is SO easy (pending traffic it can be as quick as 15 minutes door to door with about 4 minutes of walking).

I can't wait to document what my new adventures here will bring - I've already had a couple!