A couple weeks ago, I reunited with six of my college friends in Chicago. My friend Zoe has been going to grad school in Chicago since we graduated, and my friend Adanna recently moved there to go to business school. It wasn’t really planned at first- Audrey picked a weekend in October to visit, then Babe and Ariel bought tickets, then Emily did, and then I decided to join in on the fun!
I haven’t been to Chicago since I was about 11, so I was excited for my first visit as an adult. All I remember from previous trips to Chicago was visiting Shedd Aquarium and seeing my family that lived out in the suburbs. On this trip we had a great mix of going out to see the sights and chilling at my friend’s spacious apartment. I saw the Bean for the first time, we popped by a nice farmer’s market, had drinks at The Hancock (what a view), visited Myopic Books, went out for sushi, and walked around Promontory Point, among other things.
It was really nice to get away for the weekend and spend time with good friends. Chicago, you were pretty cool. I’d definitely like to go back!
Places Visited
– Stans Donuts: My friends took me to two donut places while I was visiting (they know me so well). These donuts were really good, but I actually think I preferred the next place.
– Glazed & Infused: In Wicker Park, these are located right across the street from each other, so it was easy to sample both. My favorite was the maple and bacon donut- it was freakin’ delicious.
– Myopic Books: Of course I’d love this place- there are shelves and shelves of used books. They also carry some new books as well.
– Chicago History Museum: Originally we popped in here to get out of the rain, but I’m glad we did. There was a cool interactive space where you could sit and read books about Chicago, or write on postcards provided by the museum. I also saw a sign advertising a silent reading party. Sounds like something I’d be into!
– The Bean: It’s a landmark and I’m glad I finally got to see it!
– Green City Market: This was a nice farmer’s market and it looked like there were lots of good food options. I also got to sample some tasty apple cider donuts and if I hadn’t been so full at that point, I would have definitely bought a full bag.
– The Signature Lounge: We had drinks here one night. The drinks were good, but really it’s all about the amazing view of Chicago (and check out the view from the women’s bathroom too)!
– Trenchermen: We had brunch here and I loved the setting. The restaurant is located in an old bathhouse and the building is so cool. The food was great here, except for the roasted cauliflower, which wasn’t really roasted.
– Big Star: Yummy yummy tacos. Zoe said that this place is consistently busy, so we decided to eat lunch at a random time so that we wouldn’t have to wait for hours. It worked and we were seated right away. I ordered the taco al pastor and the taco de pollo pibil and I was very happy with both of my choices.
![It's a very belated book haul! These are the four books I picked up on my trip to Australia back in May. Of course I had to check out some bookstores on my first trip to Sydney and I think I ended up visiting 9 in total (check out my stories to see the mini bookstore vlog I made)!
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It was so fun book shopping over there since majority of the covers are different from our US covers. I couldn't resist this pretty edition of PACHINKO, which I've already read. And when I picked up this copy of PEOPLE PERSON, I was so excited to see it because it wasn't out yet in the US at that time. I also bought two books that I hadn't heard of before I discovered them in the bookstore: IDOL and LOVE AND OTHER PUZZLES.
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Do you tend to prefer US or UK book covers?
[P.S. This is an old photo that includes a HarperCollins UK title, but please note that I support the HarperCollins Union.]
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[ID: A stack of the following books sits on top of white bedding in front of a white wall (from top to bottom): PACHINKO, IDOL, LOVE AND OTHER PUZZLES, PEOPLE PERSON.]
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#Pachinko #Idol #LoveAndOtherPuzzles #PeoplePerson #whattoread #beautifulbooks #bookhaul #booksandtravel #travelandbooks #bookishaesthetic #bookstacks #bookstacklove #ukbookcovers #ukbookhaul #newbooks #bookbuying #bookpurchases #coolgirlsread #readerslife #bookishcommunity #australiatrip #stackofbooks #bookwormlife #booksandbooks](https://starcrossedsmile.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
Sounds like it was a fun trip! I’ve never been to Chicago but definitely plan to make it there sometime in the near future, so I’ll bookmark the spots you mentioned.
It was! There was definitely much more to do and see, but we hadn’t all seen each other in a while, so we wanted to spend a good chunk of time just hanging out :)
Eek! Looks like fun! I’d love to go to Chicago in the fall someday.
Also, I think something’s up with your RSS. I haven’t been getting updates of new posts lately :(
Ahhh, thanks so much for letting me know about my RSS! Until you told me, I didn’t realize it hadn’t been updated since August. I haven’t been posting a ton, but there have definitely been some new posts since then. I think it’s fixed now, but let me know if it’s still not updating for you!
Sounds like such an amazing weekend, and it must have been so great to reconnect with your old friends while experiencing a new city.
Chic on the Cheap
It was really great! Not too much is better than spending time with old friends :)
It looks like you had a great time! I love Chicago (such a great city) and it looks like you worked in a bunch of stuff.
Courtney ~ Sartorial Sidelines
It was a lot of fun and I definitely want to go back to Chicago!
Ah this makes me want to go back to Chicago, I really love it!
It’s a great city! :)
Gorgeous photos. Looks like a perfect time.
If you would like to join our Christmas card exchange, stop by our blog and let us know.
Jessica @ Sunny Days and Starry Nights
Thank you Jessica! And thank you for letting me know about the Christmas Card Exchange! I will see if I can participate again this year :)
thank goodness for times with friends! and chicago looks beautiful this time of year :) happy weekend to you~
Thank you Jane! I hope you had a great weekend too!
What beautiful scenery, and stop it with those donuts! Ahh! lol!
Happy Thanksgiving :)
Mmmm, I could eat some more of those donuts! Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Jenmarie! :)