Chicago
After a long drive out of New York and a pitstop to visit some dear friends in Indiana, we made our way to Elgin, a town outside of Chicago. If you have ever tried to find RV camping near Chicago, then you know that there are very few options. You can either urban camp at a few parking lots designated for RVs, or you can do what we decided to do, which was to find a campground outside (way outside) of Chicago and then drive in for the weekend. We ended up loving the set up that we found at the Paul Wolff Campground in Elgin, IL and extended our stay so that we could have a full weekend in the city and still get all of our work done during the week.
Expecting fall in Illinois in late September was silly. Instead we got 90 degree weather nearly the entire two weeks! But the singing crickets and miles of hiking trails that we could use in the evening when it cooled off, made it well worth it to stay. The staff at the campground was extremely accommodating and the locals staying at the park were very friendly. We highly recommend this campground.
During our stay in the Chicago area we also got to celebrate our One Year Anniversary! September 25th, 2017 marked one year from the happiest of moments pictured below.
Since we are living tiny we decided to forgo gifts and instead splurge on some activities in Chicago. So what makes me these two nomads happy?
Chelsea:
- Get to the highest point in the city
- Eat unusual and delicious food
- Look at gorgeous art.
Steven:
- Drink awesome beer
- See something that you can't see anywhere else
- Take a shower without shower shoes.
Highest Point in Chicago. Check.
Sears Tower (Willis Tower) standing at 1,729 feet tall. And you better bet that I walked out to the Skydeck ledge. Also check out the shadow of the building pointing into Lake Michigan in the picture below. This was a fantastic start to our anniversary weekend!
Look at Beautiful art. Check.
We enjoyed a leisurely visit to the Art Institute of Chicago, which also allowed us to escape the heat. We got to see my favorite Impressionist paintings, an incredible exhibit of miniature rooms conceived by Mrs. James Ward Thorne of Chicago in the 1930s, and even got to relive a favorite scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off by visiting the painting on the left.
Drink Awesome Beer. Check.
Eat Delicious Food.
Check.
A twofer! We made reservations at Band of Bohemia for our Anniversary dinner. It did not disappoint. They craft their own beer in house that was phenomenal, and we opted to do their five course tasting menu which gave us such highlights as sheep milk ricotta ravioli, perfectly cooked cod with malt vinegar powder (which reminded both of us of our days in Scotland), New York strip tartare,finished off with the most delicate, not too sweet, carrot cake and pea sorbet. Sure it was small portions and fancy names, but it was damn good.
See something unique.
Check.
Actually the next two collections of pictures can count as something unique to Chicago. We definitely checked out the bean and stared at our warped reflections like any good tourist. But we also took the Chicago Architectures Foundation river cruise, which gave us an unforgettable introduction to the infamous skyline of Chicago. Not to be missed.
Long awaited shower.
Check.
I will forgo any picture of Steven in the shower and opt instead to show the view from our hotel room. Stunning location, great view, and yes...as requested...a hot shower.
Thanks Chicago! We had a blast getting to know you. Thanks for an awesome anniversary weekend and a great two week stay.
