Birthday Skylines

I've turned a whole year older since my last post. While I wasn't initially that excited about this year's celebration (since it doesn't bring any privileges or milestones), it turned out to be one of my favorite ones yet.

Thanks to friends and family, I was pretty spoiled throughout the duration of last week. Between cards sent in the mail, birthday parties at work, and random surprises- it made the week special. John even surprised me for lunch at work on Friday and brought along some tasty cupcakes from Baked and Wired.

Friday evening, I boarded a plane for my main gift- a weekend getaway to Chicago to see one of its newest residents, my life long best friend Elizabeth. John knew that he would be working night shift all weekend and didn't want me to spend the weekend alone- so, a plane ticket it was! My plane didn't arrive until late on Friday, but Elizabeth greeted me by taking me atop the John Hancock building for a birthday drink at the Signature Lounge. The lounge offers stellar views of the skyline and has some pretty awesome drinks to top it off.

The next morning, we awoke bright and early in order to have coffee at The Wormhole and doughnuts at Glazed and Infused before strolling in and out of the boutiques of Wicker Park.

After walking around for a few hours, we had a most fabulous lunch at Birchwood Kitchen. I chose to have the brie sandwich with apricots, black pepper honey, lemony arugula, and proscuitto on a baguette. I would have never thought to put honey on a savory sandwich, but it totally made it. 

Then, it was onward to the Art Institute of Chicago. I had been before, but the Thorne Rooms (68 miniature sized fully furnished rooms spanning many decades and cultures)never cease to amaze me nor does the hefty collection of famous, well-known art. 

For dinner we went to Little Goat, the little sister of the buzzing Girl and the Goat. While the food wasn't terrible, it wasn't superb either. So, Elizabeth and I agreed that it was overrated. It's fine though, because we made up for the mediocrity by going to the absolutely awesome Eataly for after dinner coffee and sweets. John and I love the NYC location and I was happy to find that the Chicago location didn't disappoint. I particularly enjoyed the Nutella bar where I indulged in a Nutella smothered piece of brioche. 

Later that evening, we went to the Angus and Julia Stone late night Lollapalooza after show at Park West. The Australian based  brother and sister duo are one of my favorite acts and I was so happy to have the opportunity to see them again, even though it was super late for this old bird. 

The next morning, despite having stayed out for the concert until the wee hours of the morning, we arose early again. Wildberry Cafe was on the agenda for brunch and I'm so happy that we stuck to our guns despite the jaw dropping long lines. The food was phenomenal-especially the berry bliss pancakes (vanilla anglaise, blackberry coulis, berry mascarpone, and fresh berries). 

The restaurant was conveniently located across the street from Millennium Park. So, after filling up on good brunch food, we walked around to take touristy but mandatory pictures of the Bean and the Crown Fountain. 

Then, it was time to board the "L' and head outside of the city center to see the White Sox take on the Yankees. While we didn't stay for the entirety of the game, we did have fun while there!

We may not have eaten pizza, but we did partake in two other Chicago staples: Portillo's hot-dogs and Garrett's Popcorn. I'm already having withdrawals and dreaming about the savory-sweet delight of Garrett's blend of cheddar and caramel popcorns. 

For my final hoorah we went to the top of the Willis Tower to take in the sunset over the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan. It was breathtaking. 

All in all, this past week and weekend were awesome. It never ceases to amaze me just how wonderful my friends and family are. They definitely make this old bird feel special. Cheers to another fabulous week in the District!