The Ultimate Guide To Chicago!

Last Updated on May 3, 2022 by christinabtv

Chicago Trip

I took a trip to Chicago for my birthday. It’s kind of become somewhat of a tradition. My husband and I love visiting Chicago. Chicago is lovely in Spring. It’s the perfect sweater weather and all the beautiful flowers are blooming. It’s a nice little break from the South Florida heat.

We flew into Chicago and stayed on Michigan Ave. It’s a great location with upscale shopping and trendy dining. It’s easy to uber to other parts of the city (the Uber’s are super fast).

I have my travel guide from last year if you haven’t read it. This year, I tried a lot of new restaurants and have a lot of new experiences to share with you!

Places to stay in Chicago

I stayed a few night at the Omni Chicago and my birthday night at The Peninsula. The reason being is that The Peninsula is five star hotel so I wanted something special for my birthday. It’s expensive so I didn’t want to spend all of my time there.

The Omni is a beautiful hotel and reasonably priced. I have stayed at The Omni in other cities like Dallas and Austin and have always had good experiences.

If you are going to Chicago for a special event (like your birthday) than consider splurging on The Peninsula. Or at least stop by for Afternoon Tea at The Lobby.

Click the photos to shop this outfit

Where to Eat in Chicago

So many good places! I had some amazing cuisine on my last trip to Chicago, but wanted to try some new places this time. Chicago has some of the best food in the Country! You will not be disappointed.

Summer House Santa Monica

I love the ambiance, the food, the rose, and the cookie bakery! I had so much fun here! They have rose on tap (as well as tons of options for other Rose’s).

I ordered the tuna poke bowl and it was delicious! I also took a sea salt chocolate chip cookie back to my hotel. Also, delicious. I’m a sucker for freshly baked goods, especially warm baked chocolate chip cookies! Yum!

Click the photos to shop this outfit

The Hampton Social

It looks like rose is a common theme in Chicago! This place was really cute and the food was also great! This was more upscale bar food (I ordered the grilled cheese and tomato soup). I had a lot of fun with my friends and husband. Would recommend going with a fun group of friends!

Click the photos to shop this outfit

Labriola

My husband and I planned to go to Lou Malnati’s pizzeria because we are obsessed. However, the sales guy at Nordstrom told us we had to try this place. So we did. The pizza was really good! My husband and I agreed that Lou’s tomato sauce is better but Labriola’s pizza crust is better. Fantastic, whichever you choose!

Pierrot Gourmet

Hands down, our favorite breakfast spot. We went here last year and we will probably go every year. We tried Yolk and were not impressed. Yolk was the only foodie spot we didn’t really enjoy. Probably because Pierrot Gourmet is so refined and lovely it’s hard to compare it to other breakfast places.

I’ve tried almost everything on their menu and everything is delicious. I recommend the almond croissant, spinach quiche, and toasted almond mocha. Those are my favorite dishes!

Jeni’s Ice Cream

Blown away by the flavors! They are so unique and very delicious. This place is so cute and it’s located in Lincoln Park which is a really beautiful area of Chicago. Such a cute place to grab your ice cream and walk around the cute little shops or look at the beautiful historic town homes.

Shopping in Chicago

Alright, so clearly I bought something from Louis Vuitton. However, what I was most excited about was that there was a Louis Vuitton located inside of Nordstrom. Why is this exciting? Because you can use Nordstrom gift cards and Nordies Notes! I was able to get $550 off of my Louis Vuitton handbag by doing this! Incredible!!

Click the photos to shop this outfit

I love shopping on Michigan Ave and think it would be a great place to visit during the Holiday’s. I’m sure the stores and streets are decorated just like New York.

Click the photos to shop this outfit

Chicago Trip: Wine Fest & Snow

My best friend drove from Indiana to Chicago to surprise me! It was so sweet! She also surprised me with tickets to the Chicago wine fest! It was a ton of fun.

I couldn’t believe it, there was snow on my birthday!! Like my niece said, it was my birthday confetti! I haven’t seen snow in a few years so it was such a fun little gift. I’m sure people who live in Chicago were super over it, because at the end of April the last thing you want is snow.