VISITING CHICAGO IN 2020!

In February of 2020, me and my friends took a girls trip to Chicago! Needless to say it was full of fun adventures and endless laughs! We visited so many tourist attractions and ate many many delicious foods, including deep dish pizza! Keep reading to view the breakdown! 

TOURISM SPOTS

DOWNTOWN CHICAGO + THE CHICAGO THEATRE 

After brunch, we decided to walk off some of our food and explore the downtown area! We walked past The Historic Chicago Theatre, which was the first large and luxurious movie theatre and served as an example for others that came after! Then we opted to do some shopping! We headed straight for Ulta and Target, we grabbed some groceries, goodies, and everything in between then headed back home to get ready for a night out! 

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THE BEAN 

The next day, we headed out early to visit a few tourist attractions, the first stop was the infamous bean! This can also be referred to as Cloud Gate, it is located in Millennium Park, and is absolutely beautiful! It is simplistic yet intricate, it was inspired by liquid mercy, and really does have the properties that mimic that, it is shiny and reflective, and you are able to see the surrounding park and skyline in its reflection! You are able to walk around, through and inside to truly have an all around view! 

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MILLENNIUM PARK

Aside from The Bean, there are some really pretty spots at Millennium Park! Due to it being NBA all-star weekend, there were some free events and activities happening in the park, like free hot chocolate, basketball arcade games and much more! There are also really nice spots for photos and views of the city! 

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SKYDECK AT WILLIS TOWERS

When we visited Chicago in February there was a fair amount of rain, on the day we decided to visit it was really cloudy and we weren’t able to see much of a view but we were able to get some really cool photos that made us look like we were standing on clouds, and taking the elevator up was a really great experience! I will definitely visit again on a clear day!  

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NAVY PIER + CENTENNIAL FERRIS WHEEL

This spot is a must see when visiting Chicago, it is located right on the shore of Lake Michigan, there is an array of different things to eat from fast food to restaurants! There are many different souvenir shops, I found a lot of great things to take home for my family here! There is also a gorgeous ferris wheel, called the Centennial Wheel, it was all decked out for the NBA all-stars weekend, and we were able to take a ride during sunset which was such a highlight, it was so beautiful to see the Chicago skyline during this time! 

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CHICAGO SPORTS MUSEUM 

Being that it was NBA all star weekend there was no better time to visit a sports museum! It was located in the Water Tower, and wasn’t too busy during the mid-day time that we decided to visit! There were so many fun and interactive games, as well as a bunch of memorabilia to marvel at! 

GOOD EATS

BAR LOUIE

We had a really early flight and because it was NBA all-star weekend, the downtown area was very busy! It took us a little while to get settled and catch up with our friend that lives there! As soon as we rested up for an hour or two, we went to a bottomless mimosa brunch spot! There was chicken and churros which was a twist on chicken and waffles, classic breakfast food like eggs, toast, as well as flatbreads, bruschetta and much more! 

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GIORDANOS

This restaurant was located at Navy Pier, and was definitely busy for a reason! This city and restaurants are famous for their deep dish pizza! At first, I was a little apprehensive at first, as I am a thin crust pizza kinda girl, but this honestly was a great experience! We got the classic cheese deep dish pizza, and it was like a cheese overload! It was really delicious, and filling! I could literally only eat one slice! I also had a margarita that topped off the meal perfectly!

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STARBUCKS RESERVE

Everyone who knows me, knows that I am obsessed with Starbucks, so when I heard that the largest Starbucks in the world opened in Downtown Chicago I had to go! There are multiple floors that are all unique and beautiful! The first floor has mostly souvenir and take home items, like, cups, mugs, tumblers, etc. as well as grab and go items, the elevator circles around the huge 56-foot cask, as you ride the elevator you can see the coffee beans being moved around in different directions through the different tubes. The second floor has a lot of different specialty drinks, and bakery items as well as pizza! My favourite thing here was by far the funghi (mushroom) pizza, it was so light and airy! On the 3rd floor they offer coffee flights at the Experiential Coffee Bar, you can experience a tasting of the different variations of coffee that they offer! The fourth floor has an amazing cocktail bar that incorporates exclusive and signature cocktails, the best part is one you get your cocktail you can stay and enjoy it in the bar area or make your way to the fifth floor rooftop patio! 

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I hope you found some great spots to visit and eat at on your next visit to Chicago! I know I cant wait to return and see even more sights and eat even more food!

Sincerely, Celine!