Day Tripping: Chicago

 I live in the country surrounded by asparagus fields, livestock and single lane roads. I love it but when I find myself driving through Chicago on the way to a wedding with a free day after, you better believe I'm heading into the city of pavement, cars, energy and people! There's something about exploring, finding new things around every corner and people watching that makes me excited. Chicago has been my go-to city for most of my life; shows at the theaters, weekend getaways, school field trips and lots museum visits! However, it was the first time to hit the Windy City with my hubs. We only had a few hours so we bypassed the museums and opted for a day on foot.

We started at Navy Pier and rode the Ferris wheel for the first time! It was a beautiful day and there were views for miles. After exploring the pier we walked into the city and strolled the Magnificent Mile, shopping (hello H&M and Forever 21!), sipping coffee and chatting.

You gotta grab Chicago style pizza so we tried out Lou Malnati's for some cheesy, gooey pizza. Apparently it was so good I didn't even take pictures!

We ended our day by walking down to the Bean and doing the typical touristy thing, taking pictures and making faces. After that we jumped a water taxi and rode back to Navy Pier, another first!

 I'm not an expert but here's a few things I've learned from my Chicago explorations if it's your first time!

• Check out the Food Court in the Water Tower Place mall for a lot of fresh options and choices. I even met a Backstreet Boy there once :) 
• Don't miss Chicago style pizza! We did Lou Malnati's this time but I like Gino's and Giordano's better. 
• Stop into the Ghiradelli chocolate store, they are always passing out free samples. 
• The water taxi was fun and pretty cheap but don't take the last one of the night, we got dropped off early. 
• Look for fun statues and hidden gems, you never know what you may see!