Seeing the skyline from the plane (see pics 1-3), I was immediately excited about my first visit to Chicago. Driving through the city, I could definitely feel the old soul of the city and a sense of its rich history. With names like Oprah, Bernie Mac, R. Kelly and Kanye West associated with Chicago, I was excited to see firsthand what’s so special about Chi Town.
What captivated me most was the musical energy. Maybe I was on a high from Jade’s performance (pic 8), but it is undeniable that music runs through the veins of Chi town. I got a chance to see just how serious stepping is when we caught a steppers party letting out_with couples dressed to the nines, fully decked out in furs and hats. After catching a quick glimpse during one of our nights out, I’m slightly obsessed with footworking. Going along with specific footworking songs or house remixes of popular songs, the dancers move so fast it looks like they’re in fast forward. It looks unreal. Even thought I won’t be attempting that anytime soon, I did pick up a little two step.
Like the Waffle House in Atlanta or a diner in New York, Taco Burrito King served as the perfect after party meal. One chicken and one steak (the better of the two) taco was all it took to fill me before collapsing into bed and convert me into TBK fan. Next was FlatTop, my first build-your-own-stir-fry experience (pics 9-15). After conquering an overwhelming selection of sauces and veggies to add, I was more than happy with my creation: brown and white rice, noodles, bean sprouts, one edamame (out of curiosity), red and green peppers, chopped jalapenos, soy sauce, chili sauce, Asian BBQ sauce, FlatTop sauce and chicken, all topped with the most delicious pita bread. And I can’t forget my yummy Lava Colada. Of course no visit to Chicago is complete with trying the deep dish pizza, and I think we had one of the best. Our experience at Giordano’s was unforgettable (pics 35-43). Our waiter Leo was great, the pizza was delicious, and I fell in love with my drink, The Chocolate Runway. I also finished my trip with a chicken salad sandwich from Potbelly’s, which was like all the toasted goodness of Quizno’s mixed with the personalized deli touch of peppers and seasonings added to my liking.
As a wide-eyed tourist, I got to see the Sears Tower (which is now the Willis Tower), The Bean at Millennium Park (pics 20-29) and the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue (pics 33-34). Because of the fog that covered the top of the tower (pic 31), we weren’t able to go up to the Sky Deck…next time! I also saw Navy Pier from a distance, got a recommendation for Garrett popcorn and heard good things about Flirty Girls. Of course the Oprah Store is a must see; all things on the to-do list for my next visit because this was definitely not my last.
To read about all of Miss Journey's adventures, visit Miss Journey's blog.
I saw Giordano's and knew you were talking about Chicago...cool blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteI loved my experience at Giordano's....that would definitely be one of my first stops next time, esp since it's so close to the airport...so close that a plane was coming in while we were getting out of the car and it was so close that i ducked and started running. I don't know where I was going but it was so close that it was my initial reaction. lol.