We just got back from Chicago. Tired, but oh so happy. I got a travelin' bug in me that just can't be cured. Chicago is a beautiful city. It is the lovely, unpretentious cousin to big city glitz. We enjoyed our trip a lot, despite the chilly weather. Yes, I know, we are weak, spoiled Californians... our friend met up with us in flip flops while we were shivering in gloves and boots. Very sad.
 
Even a less observant person than I would not be able to miss all the propaganda in Chicago's bid for the Olympics.
 
We ended up staying at an apartment complex on Lake Street, which was lovely. A lot of people there are actual residents, so our apartment felt more like a home-away-from-home than a hotel.

 
The awesome view from our apartment:
 
Granted you can't rival the shot from the lounge at the John Hancock building. What you don't see pictures was the toothsome tiramisu, which vanished very quickly thanks to my husband. :P
 
Our token tourist shot from the bean.
 
The inside is what I always thought a black hole would look like.
 
A definite trip highlight was the food. There's no skirting around the issue, we just ate a lot. Some friends showed us around, so we ate two dinners that first night. He insisted that we haven't tasted a real Polish dog until this place.
 
I admit, it puts Costco's to shame. :P We were also strangely addicted to Garrett's popcorn, the Mix, which is composed of cheddar and caramel. It's a bizarre combination that actually keeps you eating far longer than you otherwise would with one flavor alone. A highlight of the trip was a walking food tour. We walked through the Gold Coast, Old Town, and Lincoln Park neighborhoods sampling food from small, local stores. Who knew Germans were so serious about their tea? Our second stop was at Tea Gschwendner (try saying that!) for some Bossa Nova Oolong.
 
We also crowded inside the kitchen at the Fudge Pot and devoured some pretty good butter toffee. I just don't want to know what goes in it! This is a shot of third generation Fudge Pot owner Dave stirring some, you guessed it, fudge.

 
This is our tour guide Nikki explaining about the different spices from the back of the Spice House.

 

We saw the original Playboy mansion during our walk.
 
And finally, the king of Chicago's tasty but unhealthy specialties? The deep dish pizza.

 

We actually got it.. twice. My favorite place was on our last night at Quartino's, a very lively scene with lots of tasty tapas. This was Tony's best attempt to ignore me, he's gotten rather desensitized to my constant need to photograph what I eat.
 
The veal meatball sliders, caprese, and risotto were extremely tasty.

 

Ok, I think I ranted enough about food for one day. =)