Chicago

Hey, Y’all!

This Texas girl just got back from Chicago and had a blast! It was my first time ever to visit and definitely know why they call it the windy city! If you saw my post a couple of weeks ago titled, Casual Friday, then you know I was there for my second career, “A Professional Wedding Guest”. This might be my favorite job because it is such a great excuse to explore a new city and see my best friends that live elsewhere!

I was in town probably just a little over 24 hours, but tried to get in as much of the city as possible! I stayed near Michigan Ave. which was the perfect area to get some shopping done. How I wish we had a Bloomingdale’s in Houston! The weather was so nice this past weekend and the perfect time to escape the heat and humidity down here in Texas. I don’t think I have walked 7 miles a day without sweating in maybe…ever? It honestly made me forget that this past weekend was the official kick off on the calendar for summer. I forget the rest of the world isn’t on the same weather pattern as the state of Texas.

In between getting to see my beautiful friend get married and exploring the city, I got to do something I had always wanted – see The Chicago Bean! I don’t know what it is about this sculpture, but in friend’s travel pictures, it has always looked like so much fun! If you have never been to Chicago (like me) I also suggest waking up early to go see it. The Bean and the area around Millennium Park can get very crowded and hard to take good photos if you wait until the afternoon. I didn’t get a good reflection picture, but I did happen to snap a couple of outfit photos for Y’all to shop!

This black dress is from last year, but I have several linked below. For the past year or so, I have also loved wearing jean jackets. It took me a while to get back into them as it kind of reminded me of my 7th grade days, but they are so easily paired with almost any casual outfit. I also like having a jacket with me because I am ALWAYS cold and had it around my waist, which was perfect to avoid the wind in a dress! I tried to pack light and only brought my converses with me. I knew we would be doing a lot of walking and these are perfect for Chicago! Converse are kind of a no-brainer, but I haven’t been wearing mine as much since it is summer and I am all about sandals. If you don’t have a pair, I would go ahead and snag some. They are a great classic tennis shoe, and I always feel like I can’t find my size when I actually want some! We also got to explore the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and it was so cool! It was just around the corner from The Bean and can only imagine how awesome a live concert there must be. The photos below are from the walkway with these beautiful wildflowers! It was such a nice day and it was very refreshing to walk through and explore while not dying of heat!

READY. SET. SHOP.

Black Swing Dress // Black Swing Dress With Pockets // Black Swing Dress With Sleeves // Denim Jacket //

 

After exploring Millennium Park, we went to Protein Bar for breakfast. We wanted to stop somewhere that was quick and healthy and this was the perfect place. Besides, isn’t the name so clever? I was dying to go inside. I wish we had one of these in Houston! We got the Mexical Breakfast Bowl and it was the perfect little quick bite. I ate mine too fast to take a cute picture, but check out Protein Bar’s Menu.

Our next stop was exploring the Chicago River. If we had more time, I wish we could have taken a boat tour. Chris and I were told that they were very informative and a fun thing to add to your trip’s list.

Later that day we explored the park and trail by Lake Michigan. I was amazed by the lake water because it was so clear and blue!  There were a lot of people swimming in the lake, and there were lots of sand volleyball courts along the lake. I used to play volleyball when I was younger, and it made me miss playing sand volleyball in the summer with my sister and Dad! After we did some exploring we decided to grab another quick meal at Castaways. This was such a fun spot and I felt more like a local instead of a tourist. We ate outside and they even had live music playing while we ate our lunch. We wanted to squeeze in as much sightseeing as we could, so we didn’t have time to do a long lunch or brunch anywhere. So if you are in a hurry, but still want good food, I would totally recommend this place to stop. We both ordered fish tacos and it was delicious. The view from the restaurant was also so pretty! You could see the Chicago skyline in the background and the view of the Navy Pier! I was bummed we didn’t have time to see the Navy Pier, but will definitely be saving it for my next visit.

I decided to wear my fun shorts from J.crew that I featured in another post, On Saturdays We Wear Shorts. They are still available in several different colors! I think I will have to get the lilac pair for TCU events in the future. My necktie belonged to my great-grandmother. I have had it for a while and love that I can finally put it to use! They no longer have this exact one, but I have another similar one linked below. I am just loving the necktie trend! Can you tell I seriously can’t get enough of it? I also tried to pack light and throw in something easy. That is why I chose a comfortable plain white tee! I feel like you can never go wrong with a white t-shirt. I also rolled a lot of my clothes in my carry on and that saved so much room. For those of you wondering if that would wrinkle your clothes even more, trust me, it doesn’t! It is such a time saver and I have extra room for more things to bring home!  I promise I will do a post on how to pack light in the future!

READY. SET. SHOP.

White t-shirt // J.crew shorts // Liberty of London Scarf // Converse

Unfortunately, after my visit to see Lake Michigan, I had to go back to the hotel and head towards the airport. I wish I could have taken off a few more days to see more of this amazing city! One thing I must do on my next visit is The Chicago Skydeck. I have a slight fear of heights, but the views look incredible! Also, there are so many other restaurants that I wanted to try, but we will just have to put that on the list for the future! I hope you enjoyed this post! Also, if you are from Chicago or a frequent visitor, I would love to hear your recommendations for my next trip!

xo,

byrdie