A Day Trip to the Windy City, Chicago, IL. During the Pandemic

1/31/2021

My day trip to Chicago with my best friend Sarah Cotterman was magical! A little background with Sarah is that she and I went to study abroad in Spain last Spring, so traveling is like our tradition. I am beyond grateful for Sarah because she is an amazing gal to travel with. To put this trip into perspective, we visited Chicago during the pandemic and on Thursday so it was not hectic and very peaceful unlike before. We went to several places in downtown Chicago.

First up, we went to Lotus Bahn Mi for lunch and ate Pho. The restaurant was empty, but it was open for dine in. The price for Pho was around $9. After lunch, we walked along the Michigan Ave. where the Magnificent Mile is located. The Magnificent mile is where upscale shops, boutiques, Starbucks Reserve Roastery Chicago (the biggest Starbucks in the world), Willis Tower (tallest tower in Chicago), luxe fashion outlets, restaurants, and historic buildings are located. ​

As we reached the end of the Magnificent Mile, we turned around to head to the Maggie Daley Skating Ribbon for ice skating. On the way back, we found a cute Nutella cafe and decided to head inside to warm up and eat something delicious.

Sarah and I both ordered Crepes with Nutella. I asked for a strawberry toppings which turns out to be a great choice. It was a little expensive but the experience and the foods matched the price. The total for the crepes and a water bottled totaled up to about $11. ​

After skating, it was time for dinner! We found a place called Eataly beforehand, but we found out that it was not available for dine in. We were both a little disappointed because the restaurant was super fancy. But to our luck, we found an Italian place next door called Pizzeria Uno. It was small but cozy. And plus, the waiter was super friendly. We ate deep dish pizzas which I absolutely recommend if you do go to Chicago because it is a must! If you don't know any place in Chicago for deep dish pizzas, check out Pizzeria Uno for sure! They won't disappoint! And it has a bar in the restaurant as well. ​

As the evening comes to an end, we got some gelato from Eataly. The gelato were delicious and reminded us of gelatos in Spain. As we headed back, we walked along the Magnificent Mile again and the city lights were stunning!

Overall, our day trip to Chicago was perfect! We experienced Chicago during a pandemic and I actually like it better. But the bustling streets of Chicago was missed. Thank you January for the precious memories that I will forever keep as my jewels for a lifetime. And thank you readers if you're still reading this till the end.