If you read my Halloween post, than you know that about a week ago, I was in Chicago. As I elaborated, Chi Town is always an adventure. Having lived the first half of my adult life in Chicago, I understandably have some places that have become my go-tos. 

Landing in Chi, was a relief. This place used to be my home and now still feels like my home away from home. It is my place to escape to when home becomes too redundant. Chicago is beautiful. If you haven’t been, you really must. It is actually one of the cheapest cities to fly too. People think it is hard to travel but I can get a round trip from Philly to Chicago for $120 on a good day. Of course, it doesn’t hurt having good friends to crash with free of charge.

Food wise, I had a couple must-eat locations to hit. Being the foody that I am, great food is always in the back of my mind.  I have to admit (and I might get a LOT of bs for this) but I think Philly has much better pizza than Chi. Settle down, It’s not that Chicago’s pizza is bad. Its just don’t try and sell me pizza, cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, bagels ect. if you are not from the North east. Just don’t do it.

Back to the point, two very special fooderies hold my heart in the South Loop. The first is Devil Dawgs. The name instantly caught my attention having a marine boyfriend and all. But this little burger and shake place was the fuel for many late night adventures and study seshs throughout my first semester of college. They have no lie, the BEST milkshakes I have ever tasted. Their fries are cheap and delicious, the perfect combo for broke college students. If you are ever in the South Loop, I suggest you stop by and order a Chocolate Monkey. By now you can probably guess that I hit up Devil Dawgs a few times on this trip.

Another favorite food location of mine is The Yolk. A charming brunch spot in the South Loop. This is the best hangover brunch your heart could ever desire. They serve huge and delicious portions and the food is aesthetic and trendy.  The first time I ever ate at Yolk, I had a stack of peanut butter, chocolate and banana pancakes. Need I say more?

I accomplished a lot in Chicago while I was there. I talked about what I did on Hallows eve & Halloween in my previous post but there are some things still worth mentioning.

On Friday afternoon, I got to do some collaborations and photo shoots for the site Nova & Cher. They are an online clothing store that sells their own creations as well as handpicked, thrifted apparel. This company is very near and dear to my heart because the creators are two of my close friends and former roommates. I also got to do a shoot for their site with one of my best buds. I am really excited to share all of the awesome content we created together! You can check out some of my shots on their instagram as well as mine. I will be posting some of the outfits we designed very soon, so keep a look out!

Saturday morning, my friends took me to the holy grail for shopaholics. Somewhere around the Addison stop (blue line) is a hidden treasure. An Urban Outfitters Surplus store actually exists and I am in love. If you don’t know, a surplus store is pretty much a gathering of left over items that didn’t sell or make it to the store. So if a particular size, or style doesn’t sell before the season is over, they ship to one of these surpluse stores. What makes these stores so amazing is that everything is so damn cheap. I usually avoid Urban Outfitters. I love their stuff but their prices are to overwhelming for me at times. Leaving this store, I knew I would never spend a ridiculous amount at Urban again.

The Sunday before I left, I wanted to add some extra sight seeing into my schedule. I hate being a tourist but there are some things you just can not pass up. Justine and I spent the day taking a mini tour around the city. We hung out at the Bean, walked the edge of Lake Michigan and ate lunch by the Magnificent Mile.

Chicago will always hold half of my heart. I have a huge appreciation for the incredible opportunity to have lived there. I also know that moving to Philadelphia was the right choice for my education and self. This trip however has made me realize that my time in Chicago is not over. I have a feeling I will live there again and possibly in the near future.

I think it could be fun to spend a summer interning in Chicago. Hmmm… With so many plans, Whats a girl to do?

XOXO