The hubs travels often for work, and it was great to finally have the chance to join him over Labor Day weekend plus visit my cousin at the same time. Here's a rundown of our weekend - we ate a lot and the rest was family time for me so not much touristy stuff.
Hotel
Crown Plaza Metro - W Madison & Halstead - Hubs always stays here when he has to go to his corporate office, and it really is in a great location. My favorite things about it? It's close to Greektown, right off the highway, is convenient to CTA buses, and is within walking distance of Union Station.
Restaurants
Amarit Thai & Pan Asian Cuisine - Good food, reasonable prices.
600 S. Dearborn
Blokes and Birds - Such a neat little pub-style restaurant just south of Wrigley Field. I had the lamb sandwich, which was just OK. Hubs got shepherd's pie - lamb-based. Very good! The service was fantastic! We got there about 6pm, right before the Cubs game ended, and I'm glad we got there when we did. After a Cubs game, all the bars and restaurants on Clark are flooded with everyone leaving the stadium. Also, I found this restaurant on restaurant.com and made a reservation via OpenTable.com.
3343 N. Clark St. (near the iO Improv)
Toast - Great place for breakfast/brunch. I had the Pancake Orgy and Hubs had Huevos w/ Chorizo & Cheddar. Both of our dishes were incredible! The pancakes are HUGE and surrounded by a lot of fresh berries and fruit. I have never tasted a pancake like the lemon poppyseed, and it was so different! I don't think I'd get a plate of just the lemon poppyseed, but they were a great balance to the rest of the deliciousness on my plate. I'd go back there in a heartbeat, and it was easy to get to from our hotel (take the 8 all the way up Halstead). We were absolutely stuffed for hours so it was definitely a good choice before we started shopping. I'm drooling just thinking about my pancakes!
746 W. Webster at Halstead
Tweet - Had a wonderful brunch here with my cousin and her husband who used to live in the neighborhood. They are both gluten-free and lactose intolerant, and I can see why they love this place so much! The menu is VAST, and there is about everything on it that you can possibly imagine that fits ANY diet criteria. I had the Heavenly Havarti Omelette, and I wish that I had chosen something a little different because the flavor wasn't quite there for me - too subdued, I think. I love that nearly everything on the menu is organic and/or local. Please note, they only accept cash and this place gets packed on a late Sunday morning!
5020 N Sheridan Rd
Potbelly - Small chain sandwich shop. It's a great place to stop and get a bite to eat when you are out and about in the city. We stopped for a very quick breakfast on Friday morning, and I ordered a cup of the steel cut oatmeal with apples, cranberries, walnuts, and brown sugar - so good! I may have to try this combo at home. Hubs had a breakfast sandwich that COULD sound like it came from a McDonald's menu, but trust me, it is on a different planet than the fast food giant. The bread is super fresh!
Mariano's Fresh Market - I had no other place to put this, so I'm putting this amazing fresh market here! It is right across the street from our hotel, and I didn't believe Hubs at first when he told me we should go there to get something to eat. He described it as similar to the market and cafe in Whole Foods, so I was just like, eh, whatever. We needed something to eat and had just gotten back from a few hours of shopping so we finally stopped in to grab some food. Holy smokes! I wish I had discovered this place sooner and believed him! The prepared food selection doesn't even look like something that belongs in a grocery market. The copious varieties of salad, baked items, deli selections, made-to-order pizza, sushi, hot meals, and everything else under the sun was amazing and so affordable! We grabbed a bottle of wine from the great selection and bought food to take back with us to the room. What a wonderland of quick, convenient food items!
40 S Halstead St
Things to Do
iO Improv Comedy Club - We reserved tickets online for the Saturday night show: Goldstar and The iO Musical ft The Deltones. Liked the audience participation and cabaret-style feel of the room. These people are talented and work really well together. If you are looking for a budget-friendly comedy show, this is the place for you! $14 per ticket for a Saturday night - not too shabby!
3541 N Clark St
Chicago Cultural Center - This is a free activity, great to do solo, and easy to get to. The Tiffany glass dome is the must-see area of the center, but I have to tell that was not my favorite aspect of the building. The intricate tile work blew me away! I happened to look underneath one of the stair cases, and the tile artwork and marble pattern was right there above my head. This building is truly astounding and worth a visit!
78 E Washington St at Michigan Ave
Getting Around Chicago
This is the very first time that I have ever tackled public transportation by myself so I was really nervous and wanted to be as prepared as possible. I found the Chicago Transit Authority site to be extremely helpful - even better than San Francisco's. The interactive maps gave me a good idea of where our hotel was in relation to other popular areas of the city and gave me an easy-to-view route of all buses and trains. I ordered the 3-day pass for $20 a couple weeks before leaving so that I'd have it on Friday morning. Shipped right away to my house with no shipping fee.
Hotel
Crown Plaza Metro - W Madison & Halstead - Hubs always stays here when he has to go to his corporate office, and it really is in a great location. My favorite things about it? It's close to Greektown, right off the highway, is convenient to CTA buses, and is within walking distance of Union Station.
Restaurants
Amarit Thai & Pan Asian Cuisine - Good food, reasonable prices.
600 S. Dearborn
Blokes and Birds - Such a neat little pub-style restaurant just south of Wrigley Field. I had the lamb sandwich, which was just OK. Hubs got shepherd's pie - lamb-based. Very good! The service was fantastic! We got there about 6pm, right before the Cubs game ended, and I'm glad we got there when we did. After a Cubs game, all the bars and restaurants on Clark are flooded with everyone leaving the stadium. Also, I found this restaurant on restaurant.com and made a reservation via OpenTable.com.
3343 N. Clark St. (near the iO Improv)
Toast - Great place for breakfast/brunch. I had the Pancake Orgy and Hubs had Huevos w/ Chorizo & Cheddar. Both of our dishes were incredible! The pancakes are HUGE and surrounded by a lot of fresh berries and fruit. I have never tasted a pancake like the lemon poppyseed, and it was so different! I don't think I'd get a plate of just the lemon poppyseed, but they were a great balance to the rest of the deliciousness on my plate. I'd go back there in a heartbeat, and it was easy to get to from our hotel (take the 8 all the way up Halstead). We were absolutely stuffed for hours so it was definitely a good choice before we started shopping. I'm drooling just thinking about my pancakes!
746 W. Webster at Halstead
 |
| Pancake Orgy at Toast |
Tweet - Had a wonderful brunch here with my cousin and her husband who used to live in the neighborhood. They are both gluten-free and lactose intolerant, and I can see why they love this place so much! The menu is VAST, and there is about everything on it that you can possibly imagine that fits ANY diet criteria. I had the Heavenly Havarti Omelette, and I wish that I had chosen something a little different because the flavor wasn't quite there for me - too subdued, I think. I love that nearly everything on the menu is organic and/or local. Please note, they only accept cash and this place gets packed on a late Sunday morning!
5020 N Sheridan Rd
Potbelly - Small chain sandwich shop. It's a great place to stop and get a bite to eat when you are out and about in the city. We stopped for a very quick breakfast on Friday morning, and I ordered a cup of the steel cut oatmeal with apples, cranberries, walnuts, and brown sugar - so good! I may have to try this combo at home. Hubs had a breakfast sandwich that COULD sound like it came from a McDonald's menu, but trust me, it is on a different planet than the fast food giant. The bread is super fresh!
Mariano's Fresh Market - I had no other place to put this, so I'm putting this amazing fresh market here! It is right across the street from our hotel, and I didn't believe Hubs at first when he told me we should go there to get something to eat. He described it as similar to the market and cafe in Whole Foods, so I was just like, eh, whatever. We needed something to eat and had just gotten back from a few hours of shopping so we finally stopped in to grab some food. Holy smokes! I wish I had discovered this place sooner and believed him! The prepared food selection doesn't even look like something that belongs in a grocery market. The copious varieties of salad, baked items, deli selections, made-to-order pizza, sushi, hot meals, and everything else under the sun was amazing and so affordable! We grabbed a bottle of wine from the great selection and bought food to take back with us to the room. What a wonderland of quick, convenient food items!
40 S Halstead St
Things to Do
iO Improv Comedy Club - We reserved tickets online for the Saturday night show: Goldstar and The iO Musical ft The Deltones. Liked the audience participation and cabaret-style feel of the room. These people are talented and work really well together. If you are looking for a budget-friendly comedy show, this is the place for you! $14 per ticket for a Saturday night - not too shabby!
3541 N Clark St
Chicago Cultural Center - This is a free activity, great to do solo, and easy to get to. The Tiffany glass dome is the must-see area of the center, but I have to tell that was not my favorite aspect of the building. The intricate tile work blew me away! I happened to look underneath one of the stair cases, and the tile artwork and marble pattern was right there above my head. This building is truly astounding and worth a visit!
78 E Washington St at Michigan Ave
Getting Around Chicago
This is the very first time that I have ever tackled public transportation by myself so I was really nervous and wanted to be as prepared as possible. I found the Chicago Transit Authority site to be extremely helpful - even better than San Francisco's. The interactive maps gave me a good idea of where our hotel was in relation to other popular areas of the city and gave me an easy-to-view route of all buses and trains. I ordered the 3-day pass for $20 a couple weeks before leaving so that I'd have it on Friday morning. Shipped right away to my house with no shipping fee.
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