seekingmygreaterperhaps

I’m currently watching the second season of Schmigadoon on AppleTV, so I need you to read this title as Schmicagooooo.

I love having this travel blog. It can sometimes feel like a chore to keep up, but it has been such a blessing to be able to go back and see where I have been. A lot of the times I am writing just about travels outside of the United States, which feels more glamorous to my midwestern heart. But this summer I spent a few weeks at home, and I need to memorialize this trip to Chicago with my bestie Chelsea.

Chelsea currently lives outside of Washington DC where I moved to Brazil from, but we mutually decided to meet up in Chicago for the coolest friend hang out ever. (Plus direct flights were cheaper.) The main purpose of this gathering was to spend time together. I talk to Chelsea every day in some form, and it was so good to see her again. She had never been to Chicago, and growing up in the Midwest I naturally believe that Chicago is the best major city in the US. It was my duty to show her why.

Our first stop: Oak Park to see the home(s) and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Michaella, why did you take Chelsea to a suburb as the first stop? Good question… Chelsea actually took me here. She is a guide at Woodlawn and Pope Leighey and knows all sorts about Frank Lloyd Wright. So we went full nerd and did the walking tour around the neighborhoods and everything. I learned that I am not a big FLW architecture fan, I kept liking the Queen Anne’s style of architecture more. FLW is into very much flat lines and no angles, which isn’t very practical. Hey, it’s cool- he figured out a style that works for him.

That evening we went to Osteria Del Pastaio for dinner to have their famous cheese wheel pasta. They make a huge deal out of “the show” and then when it was our turn to see them make our pasta it was a kid who was probably still in high school making the dish. We were both like… wait. The pasta was alright, it was good, but I am slowly learning that I am an incredible food snob. I’ll eat street food to my delight, but I am pretty serious about my flavors. The experience was unique, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend going there.

The next day was HYPE. I was so excited for what we had planned.

You can’t see Chicago without seeing the Bean.

Nothing says summer in Chicago like 1000000 degree heat in the middle of the day. Lucky for us, we ducked into the Chicago Cultural Center that is right across the street from the Bean, and I was taken aback by how beautiful this building is! How had I never been inside? The mosaics were amazing, and the dome was epic. We ambled around a little bit and enjoyed being out of the heat.

My highlight and chosen activity was the Museum of Ice Cream. This is a pop-up museum centered around ice cream. Definitely made for instagram influencers and selfies, there is not so much “museum” as “experience” but it was still a great time. We got to sample 5 different kinds of ice cream, play mini golf, win bingo to “win” a shot of sprinkle vodka, make magnet poetry about friendship and ice cream, and jump into a pool of giant plastic sprinkles. I mean, what more could you ask for?

For dinner we met up with my high school friend Hayley and dined on Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizza. A classic.

Our other big ticket tourist item was an architecture river cruise, and we tackled that on our last full day.

We had absolutely perfect weather for this cruise. Our guide was great, and I loved seeing all the buildings from the water, it gave a really unique perspective, and we got to see more of the city than I think I ever had.

Chicago has grown a lot since I was last there, and I loved seeing how the glass of the buildings reflected the sky and the river.

Possibly the most fun meal of our Chicago trip was the French Market. This is my favorite kind of place to eat because there are tons of different types of stalls that sell all kind of food. We split all different kinds of food including: a prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich, bao, dumplings, jianbing, bahn mi, and a macaroon.

Chelsea studied history, so we stopped at the Haymarket memorial, and right around the corner was a used book store. Win win.

This year in Brazil I went to my first Michelin Star restaurant. It was really fun, so I convinced Chelsea to have a fancy meal with me. The tasting menu at Galit is ~$89 a person. While it is expensive… we were spending $50 at a crap pasta joint anyways, so why not? Galit is Mediterranean cuisine and absolutely delicious. We sat so we could watch the kitchen, and it was scrumptious.

Apparently we are going in reverse order, and I am too tired to fix it… so feast your eyes.

This day was essentially perfect, and it would be hard to top. Our last day… did not top it. Thankfully we had seen what we wanted to see. I was very tired, and we were both a little sad. Chicago was sad with us and it poured rain the whole day. We went and got Stan’s donuts and tried to kill time, then we went up to the Lego store which was next to the American Girl store. They just released a 1990s historical doll, and we stood in front of the display in utter shock and awe that our childhoods would be memorialized like that.

We said our goodbyes and made it to our perspective modes of transportation home. Chelsea got a little stuck in the airport because of the tornado touching down near O’Hare. I almost missed my bus because I underestimated the wait time between trains on the subway and ended up running (but not really because of injury and a wheelie suitcase) to the Greyhound station. Thank goodness they were running behind.

When all is said and done, we had an excellent trip in Chicago, and I am so glad I was able to spend quality time with my best friend.