My Weekend in Chicago: What To Do and What to Eat!

For Ke’s 30th birthday, I surprised him with a trip to Chicago!!! I chose Chicago for a few reasons. First, I wanted to bring him somewhere where we wouldn’t need a car. I didn’t have my driver’s license at the time and didn’t want to force him to drive for a weekend haha. Second, as foodies, I wanted to treat him to a good birthday dinner and a good eating experience for a weekend. Third, I wanted to go too!!! I had never been to Chicago so I was pretty stoked to do touristy things and eat good food.

Day One – Sightseeing, Pizza, and Second City

When we landed, we dropped our bags off at The Godfrey Hotel and then headed straight for some deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s.

For our first night in Chicago, I surprised Ke with tickets to Second City. The show started at 8pm but reviews suggested we get there early enough as it was first come, first serve seating. We got there around 7pm and got front row seats!!!!! I was super nervous because the last thing I wanted was to be pulled on staged or used as a prop. I’d gone to amateur improv shows before and always thought I preferred stand-up more. Boy was I wrong. Second City was hilarious and we seriously laughed non-stop throughout the 2 hour show. It was a superb show filled with just incredible talent.

Day Two – Field Museum, Hotdogs, and Alinea

We started the next day with breakfast at Yolk then headed to the Field Museum for a day of dinosaurs and vikings! I thought that we could do both the Field Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago in the same day but that just proved to be impossible.

After the Field Museum we went to get Chicago hotdogs at Devil Dawgs! I was definitely a skeptic but I can happily say I am a changed woman. I am absolutely in love with Chicago dogs now…maybe I will make one tonight!

After lunch and realizing we wouldn’t be able to squeeze in the Art Institute, we walked around Millennial Park just soaking in the beautiful architecture (and coldness). It was freezing cold but not too unbearable. Eventually your legs just go numb and you can start to enjoy yourself :P.

For the highlight of our second day in Chicago, we went to Alinea for dinner. I was able to snag tickets about 3 months in advance and surprised Ke! Let’s just say it was the best dinner ever, and I plan to write another blog post about it.

Day Three – Longman and Eagle, Art Institute, and Heading Home

On the last day in Chicago I woke up hungover thanks to Alinea. We went to Longman and Eagle for donuts, breakfast, and beer.

After breakfast, we headed to the Art Institute of Chicago and spent a good 4 hours there. It was huge and marvelous!

After a fun filled and chilly weekend, we grabbed one more Chicago dog from Portillo’s and headed to the airport. It was a quick, yet fun weekend and I can’t wait to visit again :D.