If you read my blog, you know I have spent plenty of time in Chicago, but I always love returning to the Windy City for any reason I can. This time, I got to go for one of my best friend’s bachelorette parties. Of course, any visit to Chicago is bound to be a blast, but being joined by 16 wonderful women only adds to the fun.

When we arrived, we checked in at our hotel, the Wyndham Grand Riverfront. The Wyndham Grand Riverfront exceeded expectations. The location cannot be beat. The rooms were spacious with great views. The customer service was wonderful from start to finish. My only complaint would be that the only mirrors in the rooms were in the bathroom. Not ideal for 4 girls trying to get ready for bachelorette festivities. We made do, but I hope the Wyndham remedies that issue in the future.

After settling in at the hotel, we had lunch and Coronas at the hotel restaurant, Hoyt’s Chicago. I had the ham and cheese sandwich, a delicious sandwich on buttery brioche, with black forest ham, herb and cheddar béchamel, a fried egg, and arugula, all perfectly paired with sweet potato fries.

Our next stop was a quick tour of downtown Chicago. We walked to the Bean for some photos and then walked to the Signature Lounge at the John Hancock building for drinks with a view of downtown Chicago.

For dinner, we had reservations at Circle Sushi. Circle Sushi is a sushi restaurant in the Lincoln Park area of town. The sushi was absolutely fantastic and as a bonus, the restaurant is BYOB. Side note: Why is BYOB not a thing at restaurants everywhere? Amazing!! We came loaded up with multiple bottles of wine and champagne and they didn’t even charge a corkage fee. The staff handled our large group of girls with ease. I would definitely go there again on a future Chicago trip! If you need a suggestion, the OMG roll is a must: tuna, salmon, white tuna, cucumber, avocado, cilantro, jalapeno, spicy mayo, wasabi mayo, and unagi sauce. O.M.G. is right!

 

Later that night, we had a reservation at the Hangge Uppe, one of Chicago’s most well-known and loved nightlife spots. The bar has two floors, with five bars and three dance floors that play everything from classic rock to 80’s to modern pop and hip hop. We had a blast dancing with the bachelorette for the rest of the night!

The next morning, we got ready for the main event, the Cubs v. Nationals baseball game, and hopped on our party bus for the drive to Wrigley Field. Before heading into the game, we grabbed a drink at the famous Cubby Bear across the street. Unfortunately, the Cubs lost (although most of our group was happy with the Nationals win being from DC), but we had a blast at the game!

 

Afterwards, we had some time before the party bus picked us up so we went to Sluggers and Old Crow Smokehouse for more drinks. Sluggers is another famous Wrigleyville bar that has arcade games, batting cages, and dueling pianos (you might remember that Alex and I went to Sluggers on last year’s trip to Chicago).  Old Crow Smokehouse was the hands down favorite bar of the day. Drinks in mason jars and live country music-how can you go wrong?

On our final day in Chicago, I woke up early for a run near Navy Pier. I love running on vacations because it is a great way to get some exercise on vacation while seeing a city and adding some variety to my runs!

After, I met up with my best friend Emily and headed to Benchmark for brunch in Old Town. We joined a few of the girls from the bachelorette party that were still in town and had a four hour champagne brunch. Champagne at Benchmark is served with a selection of delicious and fresh juices, including orange, strawberry, blueberry, and mango. Heaven! There is also a bloody mary bar offered if you’re more into those.

Emily and I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Old Town and Lincoln Park, making a stop at Chicago Summerfest to watch Rod Tuffcurls & The Bench Press perform. They are an AWESOME cover band and we had a blast singing and dancing along to their show. If you live in the Chicago area, definitely check them out sometime! You can find their next show here.

Our Chicago trip was far too short, as usual. Until next time, Chi-town!

RECAP:
Eat:
Circle Sushi, 1623 N Halsted St. Chicago, IL 60614
Hoyt’s Chicago, 71 E Upper Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601
Benchmark Old Town, 1510 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60610

Drink:
Signature Lounge, 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
Hangge Uppe, 14 W Elm St, Chicago, IL 60610
Cubby Bear, 1059 W Addison St, Chicago, IL 60613
Sluggers, 3540 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657
Old Crow Smokehouse, 3506 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657

Do:
Bean, 201 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60602
See a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, 1060 W Addison St, Chicago, IL 60613

Stay:
Wyndham Grand Riverfront, 71 E Upper Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601