Another short trip to this fantastic city, but it was totally worth it. I finally made it there after my mishap with transportation read all about it Getting to Chicago. Taxi Fails and Missing Buses.
  




Once I finally got there I decided to walk to the hotel I was staying at, The Inn of Chicago to be exact. According to my phone GPS, it was supposed to be 30ish minutes. Well, that was wrong...

Yep, 50 minutes away and lucky me I was right by the water. I said screw it though I wanted to see the city and experience it all. I slightly regret that now, but it was fantastic none the less. I finally made it and just in time because I was losing feeling in my legs. That wind chill was no joke, and I was there on a warm day. It was in double digits, and there was no snow storm in the forecast. 



On to the fun stuff, what I actually did besides freezing----

1. Head to a mall, I went the Water Tower Place. It was 7 stories, and I could not turn up an opportunity like that. All I bought was postcards to mail home, but still, if I weren't broke I would have left with a lot more! 

2. Eat at The Purple Pig. Being a party of one got me right in at the bar. I was able to watch all the dishes get made and also watch the two drunk girls next to me flirt with the bartender (who had a ring on!). He played along though, and I in return had free entertainment. After the perky two-some left I then had some fantastic conversations with two other travellers. One with a British accent who lived in Manhattan, but was previously in California. And the other an older man, who came to The Purple Pig everytime he was in town, you know a place is good with that! 
At The Purple Pig, I had a few too many Crown and Cranberry, they didn't have the green stuff to make the oh so fabulous Washington Apples. But the drinks were strong which is just what I wanted.
Then there was the food. It all looked so good, the cheese plates, bone marrow, EVERYTHING!! I had the Eggplant Balls and Meatball Slider. Two small dishes that helped with my liquid diet. 
 Eggplant Balls//Kitchen View and of course drinks! // Meatball slider to die for

3. After leaving The Purple Pig, I knew I had a few too many. It was quick vaca, it's allowed. So I decided to take a taxi to Eataly, a block away from my hotel. I have a love for the Food Channel, cooking shows, anything with food in general. So stopping at this place was a must. 
Hello, the place is run by these people! A few should look familiar to all you foodies out there like: Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich, Mario Batali... After walking around this place, I wish I had room to eat. This place is like a grocery store with places to drink wine, eat dessert and sample the cuisine. AMAZING.

4. Head to the Art Institute of Chicago. My final destination for this trip and the place where the conference was. Not only is the museum fantastic, but it is also right by the BEAN! I was walking to the museum trying to find the correct entrance to go to and walked right by the bean. No one was there, it was 8am, and it was slightly cold, but it was magical. My first time seeing it and I was pretty ecstatic to say I had finally seen it!
The bean// Front of the Art Institute// Another amazing piece of art

Well, there it is what I did in 25 hours in Chicago. I know it wasn't a lot but I'll be back to see more of Chi-town, so no worries with that! 

Have you ever been to Chicago? If so what is on your must-do list?