Amy, Mary, Katie, and I left for Chicago around 4 o'clock in the afternoon and made it to our hotel before dark after making a few stops along the way. The scenery along the drive was beautiful as usual.

The scenery along the highway

The hotel we stayed at was interesting for many reasons. First of all, when we got there, there were people on strike outside of the front entrance. We didn't know why they were on strike or if they even had anything to do with the Congress Plaza Hotel until we stumbled upon it while Googling how long ago the hotel was built. Apparently they've been on strike since 2003 because of unfair wages.

Our hotel room had a small floor plan, but high ceilings made it feel so much larger. I loved the historic feeling of it and its imperfections. It opened for business in 1893 and is rumored to be haunted. Amy swore she heard a cat meow in the bathroom. Random, I know.

Anyways, the first night we went looking for a an inexpensive, high-quality pub and ended up at Exchequer. We had some appetizers and amaretto sours, then went back to the hotel to relax before going to be.

The next day, we rode the subway for the first time ever and went to the Cubs vs. Dodgers game. The subway car was so crowded that we could barely move two inches without touching someone else headed to the Cubs game. For a first-time subway experience, it wasn't bad at all.

The view from our seats

After the game, we ate at Which Wich -- which was really good by the way -- then we walked up and down Michigan Avenue. We went to Millennium Park and saw The Bean as well as many other sculptures and gardens.

Beautiful Chicago

Marilyn Sculpture

Underneath The Bean

That night, we played cards and watched New Moon on TV because we were so tired from walking around. Not bringing tennis shoes was a mistake.

The third day, we slept in a bit, had lunch at Panda Express, and walked to Garret Popcorn Shop to pick up some Caramel Crisp. We had planned on going to Willis Tower to see the view from the top of the city's tallest building, however, the weather had a different idea. A giant storm cloud showed up on the radar, so we decided it would be best to go back home.



On our way home, we stopped at Fair Oaks Farms for some ice cream. By then, the rain had stopped and the temperature had risen about 20 degrees. It's crazy what a difference driving a couple hours south can make.

Ultimately, our road trip to Chicago was a success and a lot of fun!