What We Saw // Chicago Edition
CHICAGO!
Otherwise known as "Chi-Town", "The Windy City", "The Second City"..."The Heart of America"! Well, whatever you want to call it, it's clear the magic behind this city doesn't change. Join us as we share our visit to Chicago through a Traveling Designer's eye...
Some Fun-Facts About Chicago
The City of Chicago, is the third-most populous city in the United States. With over 2.7 million residents, it is also the most populous city in both the state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States. Chicago has also been called a global architecture capital, and is considered one of the most important business centers in the world.
What We Saw
During our visit, we stayed in an up-and-coming neighborhood called, Uptown, but we ventured off to find great restaurants, beautiful architecture, activities by the water, bike trails, and fun local bars.
We have been to Chicago before, but this time you'll notice that Lake Michigan stole the show! With a fireworks display for the 4th of July that was unforgettable, to a boat tour that made us fall in love with the city again.
Scroll down through our photos for a recap of our visit and captions that highlight our trip in more detail. Look out for our coupled post highlighting the 3 Arts Cafe at Restoration Hardware! A beautiful dining experience for design and food lovers alike.
First Stop: Navy Pier!
Front shot of the Chicago Children's Museum.
Navy Pier is a 3,300-foot-long pier on the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan. It is located in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Sidecommunity area. The Navy Pier currently encompasses more than fifty acres of parks, gardens, shops, restaurants, family attractions and exhibition facilities and is the top leisure destination in the Midwest, drawing nearly nine million visitors annually. It is Chicago's number one tourist attraction!
Walking on Navy Pier. View of the fun rides and an EPIC FERRIS WHEEL!!
One of the awesome city initiatives we saw. A random PIANO, sitting in the middle of the square in front of the Navy Pier! Kids were enjoying themselves as they played "Chopsticks" and "Mary Had A Little Lamb" ...You know, the Classics!
The Chicago River
Great view of the Chicago River, showing the Marina Towers: The first circular apartment buildings in history! Marina City is a 65-story mixed use residential and commercial building. Built between 1960 and 1967 at a time when Chicagoans were fleeing to the suburbs, the hugely ambitious project was Goldberg’s collaborative attempt at urban revitalization, as he called it, “a city within a city.”
The River is definitely a spot for locals and tourists to sit back to enjoy the view of the boats and scenery. So relaxing!
This area almost felt like the canals in Europe. So beautiful...
Enjoying some wine by the river is definitely a great way to spend the afternoon. One spot we enjoyed is a restaurant and wine bar by the river called City Winery
Feeling Patriotic! The city getting ready for the 4th of July
This is a nice hangout spot by the Lakefront. A Summer staple! Everyone was out enjoying the water and great weather, and we don't blame them. It was a beautiful day.
Chicago is definitely an active city! We found this company along the river called, Urban Kayaks.