I recently went to Chicago to visit my brother! I had such an amazing time exploring different parts of the city and got to see a ton of my college friends.
Friends
My favorite part of my trip was spending quality time with my brother and seeing all of our college friends. A ton of my friends moved to Chicago or New York City post-grad. During my trip, I saw some people that I didn’t expect to see and I got to meet new people too. I was also able to reunite with friends who I haven’t seen in person in over a year because of the pandemic.!
Food
I have always wanted to try Philz Coffee, so I'm happy I got the chance to try it in Chicago! I got the Iced Mint Mojito - I personally love anything mint flavored and this was the perfect drink. The drink was not too minty and was even garnished with some mint leaves!
I ordered the Gruyere Burger and upgraded to sweet potato fries. My brother got a Spicy Crunchy Chicken Wrap, which came with fries. We both enjoyed our food! I liked the garlic aioli sauce my burger came with.
3) Sun Wah Bar-B-Que
My family has been raving about this place when they went a couple of weeks ago, so I knew I wanted to check it out when I came to Chicago! They open at 10 am and it's recommended to call and make a reservation. My brother and I went with our friend Alex.
We ordered a Beef Chow Fun and Peking Duck special (which comes with bao buns, duck, duck fried rice, and soup). The server cuts up a whole duck in front of you. The portions were generous and the food was amazing! Alex has never had Peking Duck or Beef Chow Fun before and enjoyed it.
This coffee shop is located inside a Plum Market. There was ample seating when I went on a Friday morning. I got the Lavender Cardamon latte with whole milk (hot) and it wasn't the best latte that I've had. However, I like the aesthetic of the coffee shop.
My brother and I both got the Breakfast Burrito ($12). The side I chose was sweet potato waffle fries and my brother got tater tots. The portions were very generous and we each had leftovers to take home. I really liked the sweet potato waffle fries I got! The Breakfast Burrito was good, but could have used some more flavor/spice.
I love the black and white aesthetic of this place. I got the Berry Calm smoothie and it was definitely an overpriced smoothie ($9.92 with tax). But I got it because I was craving a smoothie. Overall, it was a good smoothie but nothing special.
I haven't had poke since I was in Hawaii 2 months ago. The poke bowl I got was pretty good! I got a medium sized bowl with tuna and salmon as my proteins. I got all the toppings and spicy aioli sauce. The interior is also super cute! They have postcards with the menu on the back; they are legit postcards that include a spot for a stamp.
Exploring
1) Union Station
I took the Amtrak to get to Chicago and found Union Station to be quite nice. I love the natural lighting and the Greek style columns.
2) Lincoln Park
I went on a long walk by myself and checked out the Lincoln Park neighborhood and the actual park. The neighborhood is super cute with all of the townhouses and trees. I bet it’s beautiful in the fall when the leaves change colors!
The park itself is super cute and has different walking trails. It’s also located right next to the Lincoln Park Zoo.
This place is super cool! There are a ton of different food vendors. I went on a Saturday afternoon and it was definitely busy but not too busy because I was still able to find a table to sit at. You basically order food at a vendor then find a seat anywhere.
Time Out Market has 3 floors total. The first floor has the most seating available. The second floor has a few vendors and cool couches to sit out. There are actually outlets at the couches. The third floor has their cool bar that also has an outdoor rooftop area. The first and second floor has water stations with cups available. After you're done eating, you just leave your plates/trash at your table and there are workers who will clean your trash up for you.
I got a vanilla bean cheesecake ($6) from Bittersweet. It was definitely a very indulgent dessert but super yummy! I loved the crust at the bottom.
I love Starbucks so I was extremely excited to come check this place out. I've been to the Starbucks Reserve by Chelsea Market in NYC so I didn't feel the need to visit the Chicago one. But then I found out it was the world's biggest Starbucks Reserve and changed my mind. There are 4 floors and each floor had a different menu to order from. The lines were ridiculously long on each floor. I didn't get anything for that very reason. As a big Starbucks fan, I would say go for the experience but it's nothing crazy special.
I saw this place on Instagram so I was excited to finally check it out. My friends and I waited in line for about 15 minutes. The bouncer scanned our IDs and then we went up the elevator. We got drinks at the outdoor bar. There's a $25 minimum at the bar, so I recommend just buying drinks as a group and then Venmoing each other. I got the kombucha which came in a can and was an okay flavor.
There were a lot of people out and most of the chairs and seating were occupied. My friends and I found a table but were asked to move because a group had arrived for their reservation. Then we played cornhole. If you choose to play, you have to give them your ID in exchange for the bean bags. At 11 pm, they collect the bean bags for cornhole which seemed really early.....
Overall, I had a good time with my friends but the vibes were not 100% there. This was the 3rd time my brother went and he also the vibes were not there so maybe it was an off night.
I hope you enjoyed reading more about my little weekend trip to Chicago! I had a such an amazing time and am grateful that I was able to go on such a trip.