Childfree in Chi-town

When you have flight credit that is about to expire what do you do?

You obviously plan a trip because there is no way in hell you are letting that credit go to waste!

That is exactly how we ended up in Chicago for a long #childfree weekend at the end of March and it was everything that I hoped it would be! Darren and I had both been to Chicago previously, but never together, so this was our first time exploring the city as a couple and it was so much fun! The weather could have been warmer, but spring in the Midwest is typically a gamble so we brought our winter coats and hats and made the best of it. It also gave me a reason to pack all of my super cute sweaters and boots which I am not complaining about one bit.

I will share some of the highlights of the trip right here, but if you are more of a visual person, feel free to check out my Instagram account: hlamb1012

We landed at Midway on Thursday and grabbed an Uber to our hotel. We didn't stay at the fanciest place ever, but we got a steal of a deal and it was located in an area that was walkable to a lot of places that we planned to check out. The first tourist activity that we did that afternoon was the Chicago Crime Tour bus which takes you around to some iconic "mobster" sites and gives you the history of major criminal activity that has taken place in the city. We both found it very interesting, so if you are into that sort of thing, I would say check it out if you get the chance!

Our dinner for the evening was a deep-dish pizza from Lou Malnati's. For whatever reason, a lot of people do NOT like Lou's compared to the other pizza chains in the city, but we are both big fans! The pizza is even better for leftovers after it has had the chance to "set up" more and the cheese... so much cheesy goodness- yum! After dinner, we wanted to check out a few bars in the Gold Coast area (about a 10 minute walk from our hotel) that we were excited about for a few different reasons...

If you have seen Love is Blind season 2 on Netflix, you will know who I am talking about when I mention the name Natalie. She was the one paired with Shayne (who always looked liked his eyes were about to pop out of his skull). That was filmed in Chicago and I happen to follow a few of the cast members on Instagram. I know, I know, #basic. Anyhow, Natalie had posted in her stories about a bar that was rated as having the best espresso martinis in the city and I LOVE espresso martinis! As luck may have it, it was relatively close to our hotel so we checked it out online and found out that they also have an excellent bourbon selection so of course Darren was on board to go. That bar became a hang out spot for us all 3 nights of our trip, and I am not even kidding. Luxbar is the whole package in my opinion. The martinis were delicious, the bourbon pours were generous and the food was on point. I got their french onion soup two nights in a row because that's how fabulous it was! The bartenders and waitstaff were all very knowledgeable and provided outstanding customer service. They even reserved a spot for us right up at the bar with a name card and everything. Fancy, right?!

After Luxbar, we walked a few blocks to a speakeasy called Sparrow. This is a dimly lit, swanky, little space that crafts some beautiful and tasty cocktails. My favorite was called the Grasshopper and it tasted exactly like a thin mint cookie... take all of my money! This place gets pretty packed, so prepare to wait to get in depending what time you go. We were pretty exhausted from our day of travel and called it a night after that.

Friday we slept in much later than we typically would, I don't think the jet-lag or drinks from the night before were on our side. We headed to Portillo's for an early lunch and it was my first time having a real "Chicago-style hot dog". I'm talking a steamed poppy seed bun, green relish, onions, tomato wedges, spicy peppers, mustard, a pickle spear and a dash of celery salt, and it was pretty dang good. But the real winner was their Italian Beef Sandwich, I am literally drooling just thinking about how good it was, it almost melts in your mouth. Who do I need to speak with about getting a Portillo's in Columbus?!

After lunch, we headed to Binny's Beverage Depot where Darren scored a few bourbons that he can't get in Ohio and then we went to the Goose Island Brewhouse on Clybourn to kill some time before seeing the Blue Man Group at the Briar Street Theatre. After the show Darren literally said, "I don't know what the hell we just watched, but it was good" and that totally made me laugh because you really do sit there during the show thinking "what on earth is going on here?" but it is entertaining nonetheless.

For our evening entertainment, we went to one of the coolest bars that I have ever been in, Three Dots and a Dash. Major shout out to Amanda and Jaime for telling us about this place! It is another speakeasy style bar but it has a tropical vibe and atmosphere and they serve mainly rum based drinks in super fun glasses. I am talking ones that looked like carved coconuts, waves, totem poles, etc. Plus they have something called a shotstapus for groups that order shots. It is exactly what it sounds like, an octopus looking shot holder that lights up and has smoke coming out of it. It is a whole vibe at this place- so much so that we went again on Saturday. We also ventured to a bar that had nowhere near the ambiance that this one did called She-nannigans and they just so happened to have karaoke! YES!!!! If you don't already know this, I am a karaoke queen! I absolutely love to sing and not to toot my own horn, but I am pretty good at it so I take it seriously. After singing a few songs and slinging back a few mules, it was time to call it a night.

Saturday was the day that we did a TON of walking through the cold, windy city. After breakfast at Wildberry pancakes & cafe (huge portions and some specialty pancake stacks and skillets full of breakfast favorites) we walked from our hotel to Navy Pier which is quite a hike but totally worth the views. We also rode in the Centennial Wheel which is basically a giant ferris wheel that is about 200 feet high and offers a 360 view of the city and the lake. While we were there, I had to get a magnet in one of the gift shops because that is my trinket of choice that I like to collect whenever we go places, and we also got some Pecan Caramel Crisp popcorn from Garrett's. That stuff is heavenly, let me tell you and we certainly burned those calories off because we walked from Navy Pier to Millenium Park to see the bean. You have to right?! It is an iconic Chicago tourist stop!

Dinner on Saturday was at an Italian place called Il Porcellino and it was absolutely amazing! I had a fabulous glass of red wine and Darren tried Negroni for the first time. It was too bitter for me, but it is a classic Italian cocktail so I am glad to say that I tasted it. Darren ordered their baked burrata lasagna which is pretty much their classic dish and I got the chicken parm- both excellent! We finished off dinner with a piece of tiramisu that was also delicious. Again, our server was wonderful and I would absolutely eat there again.

After dinner, we decided to change out of our nice clothes and get a little more comfy for the rest of the evening before we hit up some bars one last time before heading to bed. This trip concluded with sore feet from all of the walking, tight pants from all of the incredible food and drinks we consumed, and happy hearts from the memories we made. We made the most of the weather we were dealt with and packed a ton into each day. I know without a doubt that we will plan another trip to Chicago in the near future because we now have some "favorite spots" to visit again and also want to explore more and find new places to love while we are there.

Whether you have children or not, I highly encourage you to get some alone time with your significant other. Book a flight, take a road trip, rent a cabin for a night, go out to dinner- it doesn't have to be anything elaborate! Keep dating each other, keep going on adventures, try new things, visit new places- just keep the fun alive! I am so grateful that Darren and I do this. Whether we are in another city or in our own town, we truly can make anything fun when we are together. Traveling is part of the reason that we are #choosingchildfree and I can't wait until our next trip!

-Holly