Chicago Trip 2017 Highlights
Last week feels a little bit like a whirlwind! The weekend ended with us traveling to Chicago for a destination engagement session we had been planning for a while now which was SO fun!
Our couple, Miles&Bailee had just moved to Chicago not too long ago for Bailee's medical rotation and will be getting married in California right before Christmas this year. When planning their engagement session, it worked out better for us to come them. Stephen grew up in Illinois and 0nly moved to California in high school. He jokes that although he remembers parts of Chicago, he didn't have his drivers license quite yet so certain parts of the geography are unfamiliar to him. This is our second time traveling to Chicago for a destination engagement session and we have absolutely fallen in love with the city!
Now, we in no way explored the entirety of the city or even scratched the service of the amazing restaurants and sites to see in the two trips we've been there. But if you have a day in Chicago, below is a list of six quick suggestions of fun things to do when visiting the Windy City.
Ginos East Pizza - I told Stephen the only kind of food I had to have while visiting Chicago was their world famous deep dish pizza. There are tons of great restaurants and chains that claim they have the best voted or number place to get this kind of pizza. We had just finished our engagement session and googled a close by a place with good ratings for deep dish Pizza. Ginos is definitely one of the best and it did not disappoint!
Art Institute of Chicago - Stephen and I spent a few hours walking around this gorgeous art museum. We've loved seeing other peoples art and the institute did not disappoint. Lots of famous works reside here, such as Van Gogh, Picasso, and American Gothic by Grant Wood. We especially loved seeing the Thorne Miniature Rooms. You can get lost in this place and enjoy all the way from ancient to modern art.
Millennium Park - This area is right next to the Art Institute of Chicago. It's definitely the most tourist-filled spot and always busy. This is where the world famous Chicago Cloud Gate (aka the bean) pictured below is and other great scenic views. There are great restaurants and you could easily make a day out of walking around to all the sights to see.
Walk Around Kinzie St. Bridge Block - This is the area where we did our couple's engagement session at. Kinzie St. is a very iconic red bridge that has great views of the Chicago skyline. This is a very nice neighborhood that has a walking loop around the Chicago River that runs through the city. There are lots of kayaking and boat tours you can sign up for in that area. If you're looking for a bite to eat in the area, we highly recommend The Hampton Social. We stopped here for some brunch and live music on Saturday morning and it was delicious!
Logan Square - We never had a chance to venture down to this neighborhood but from what we were told by locals, this is the hip place to be. There are tons of great bars, restaurants and coffee shops. Next time, we'll be checking this are out for sure!
Osmium Coffee Bar - We were planning on stopping here on Sunday before our early flight but ended up sleeping in too long! Our Uber driver raved so hard about it though, we had to include it on this list so we could make sure to check it out next time. We asked him if there were any good coffee places around and he just started yelling DUDE DUDE DUDE. He got so excited about this place we really wish we had stopped by to see if it lived up to the hype!
We love doing destination photography sessions! Chicago is such a perfect city for an engagement session and we loved the opportunity to travel out there again for one! Next bucket list travel place to check off? Europe! Know of anyone going? We'd love to photograph them there, let us know!