The close proximity of the beach made me deliriously happy. The two beaches I frequented (Montrose Beach and Wilson Beach) have great sand with surprisingly clean water or at least it looks that way. I spent the first 5 months of living in Chicago not realizing how amazing the beach could be. Then I moved to an apartment only a few blocks away from the beach and AHHHHHH, heaven happened. I was hooked. It became very easy to spend a few early hours at the beach then head to work. Days like those were fantastic.
2. The flowers
Congratulations to the government agency in charge of the flowers. This picture does not do them justice but Chicago does a great job of decorating the downtown and Michigan Avenue area as well as several other parts of the city. There are seasonal flowers and current artwork.
3. Public Transportation
Chicago has fantastic public transportation. You have the option of the L trains/subways or buses. Taxis are plentiful too. Never a reason to drive drunk in Chicago. There are multiple ways to get home, trust me, I've used them.
4. Restaurants
You could easily eat out every day for a year or more and never eat at the same restaurant twice. Chicago is foodie heaven. The choices seem limitless. Italian, American, gourmet, casual, Thai, pizza, burgers, fusion, you name it, Chicago probably has it. I tried my first Thai food in Chicago as well as many other new foods. Look up, a partial list of the places I've tried is in top menu.
5. Biking
Bicycling is a very popular way to get around town. I bought a bike my first summer. Soooo came in handy. I learned quickly to get over my fear of biking on the street. Many major roads have bike lanes that look really small when you are in a car but are actually spacious (kinda) when on a bike. I loved riding my bike around on a sunny day especially to the beach then a visit to my favorite gelato shop, Paciugo.
6. Brunch
No city I've visited does brunch quite like Chicago. I never realized how big a deal brunch can be until I moved. Of course, I fell in love with the tradition. One of my favorite places serves tea in real tea cups with teapots. Isn't that the coolest? If you're in town, check out Tweet.
7. Variety
The variety of this town extends beyond the different cultures (which I loved!). There is variety in just about everything. You want a Korean grocery store? You will find it. A different activity or sport you've never tried? Chicago has it. Want to learn pole dancing or go on a hike around a new neighborhood with a guide? It's available. A different festival to go to every week? Yup, you can do it.
8. Bacon
This town loves bacon and so do I. They even have a festival dedicated to bacon called Baconfest. Chefs like to put bacon into everything. Personally, I'm fine with that concept. I've tried every bacon donut I could find. Fell in love with candied bacon and bacon flights at various brunch places. I've tried a bacon bourbon manhattan, bacon ice cream, bacon on cupcakes, bacon stuffed burgers, bacon pizza, you name it.
 |
| Bakin' & Eggs |
 |
| The Southern |
 |
| 2 Sparrows |
No comments:
Post a Comment