{Hometown Honeymoom}: Chicago

Thank you to Ami from Elizabeth Anne Designs for stopping by Lucky Me! Here is a wonderful Hometown Honeymoon in the Windy City!

Honeymoon in Chicago I'm loving this idea of the Hometown Honeymoon series, especially because I live in one of the greatest (and most convenient) cities in the world! Regardless of where you live, Chicago makes a great destination and has something for every palette.

Restaurants: As you may have heard, Chicago is a big food town. Pizza, Steak, Asian, Tapas, Greek, you name it, we love it. So obviously you'll want to make use of those dollars you are saving by staying in town to hit some of the best restaurants in the country.

Uber-expensive:

• Charlie Trotter's – I have two words to give you and they should sum it up. 1) Amazing. 2) Expensive. But if you really want a treat, and a degustation menu is your cup of tea, then it's a must-eat.


• Japonais – Rub elbows with the US Weekly crowd at this Asian-fusion hotspot. Yummy pork buns, fantastic Kobe beef, but a fat price tag comes along with it.

Expensive:

• Any of the great steakhouses but I recommend Keefer's. In my opinion it's the best steak in the city. And the service is phenomenal.


• Rosebud – there are several outposts of Rosebud in the city but my favorite is on Rush and Superior. Classic Italian restaurant ambiance, a great wine list, and an amazing array of pastas.

Yay for Reasonable Prices!:·

• Piece – I know, it's Chicago, and you expected deep-dish. And certainly you will visit Pizzeria Uno, Pizzeria Due, Gino's, or Lou Malnati's while you are in town. But at Piece, you'll find the best thin-crust pizza I have ever tasted. And in-house brewed beer. And tons of TVs for those sports fans out there.


• Breakfast at one of our FAB places: Orange (don't forget to try the frushi), Bongo Room (YUM to the chocolate tower french toast), The Original Pancake House, Tempo... I could go on and on, but any of these places are fabulous.

Attractions: Some of my favorite attractions in Chicago are either free or discounted to local area residents, so your hometown honeymoon is a great time to check them out!

• Art Institute: free on Thursday and Friday evenings for all visitors. Some of my favorite paintings in the world are here, in unquestionably one of the most wonderful museums you'll find anywhere.


• Lincoln Park Zoo: free for one and all, every day. The polar bears, sea lions, and seals just make me smile. And, the park is a perfect place to hang out, grab some sun, throw a Frisbee, take the pup, etc. You can even hit the North Ave. beach while you are out!


• Shedd Aquarium: discounted for Chicago residents. Grab a seat at the dolphin show or just do what I do and stand at the otter tank and stare for hours. Those otters are so darn cute!

Sports: One of the reasons I love living in Chicago so much is that I'm a huge baseball (Atlanta Braves) fan. Having both the National and American League here means that we get twice the baseball and each team coming through at least once a year! And not only that but the Milwaukee Brewers are an easy day trip away. There's also 'Da Bears, 'Da Bulls and 'Da Blackhawks if you're not into the peanuts and cracker jacks. Make it a point during your hometown honeymoon to take in a game.

Shopping: Oh, shopping. What can I say? We have Michigan Avenue, one of the finest shopping streets in the world, as well as many fantastic boutiques, where you can definitely spend your savings from your hometown honeymoon! Some of my favorite shopping areas could be in your neighborhood!

• Southport: Local boutiques abound, including pricey (Jake, Krista K) and not-so-pricey (Anthropologie, Mint Julep).


• Bucktown & Wicker Park: Things to please everyone in this stretch of Chicago, from a Nanette Lepore to an American Apparel. Shop local chain Akira and P.45 for unique and hip labels.


• Wells Street: Old Town centering around North Avenue and Wells is one of my favorite shopping areas! Handle With Care is a huge boutique with lots of choice, the great stationery store Greer is in this stretch, and I love One Yellow Shoe and Josephine for shoe shopping!

The Theatre: Last but not least, your hometown honeymoon MUST include a trip to see the latest production in town, most recently Wicked and Jersey Boys have been the popular tickets but there are always old standbys such as The Blue Man Group. Since your hometown honeymoon is all about saving the green, check out the Hot Tix booth for last-minute tickets before you pay full price!

There you have it, your hometown Chicago honeymoon – enjoy!{image via Google image search}