Chi-ca-go

I promise this city had a lot more than crazy prom nights. We had such a good time. Mostly, it was the perfect spot to meet up and have a low-key weekend. Brooke is 7 months pregnant, and I was just tired with no excuse. We got giddy over having queen size beds to ourselves.

First was a walk to Millennium Park for the mandatory bean shot. I think if I lived in this city I would come to this park every day. It was so nice.

Please watch my hair gravitate more toward a fro by the end of the day. Me and humidity? Not friends.

After our park stroll, it was time to shop. The Magnificent Mile lived up to its name. My closet is happy, my wallet is not. Well, I saved up for the trip so there is no real damage, but I haven’t gone that crazy in a long time. It was fun.

Favorite places:

• The four-level Banana Republic. Oh Banana, be still my soul.
• The Anthropologie that just kept getting bigger. I walked in and was disheartened because it looks like a mini store. Then I went downstairs. The whole place just kept on going. It was like walking in the catalog. And about half of the basement was on sale. Amazing.
• Zara. There isn’t a Zara in San Diego, so it was fun to shop there. I’m pretty sure Zara makes the cutest kids clothes too.
• Nordstrom Cafe. When is it not good? I’ve read that designer fragrances emulate the feeling of a designer’s collections. Nordstrom does that with food.

There was a cupcake truck stopped out of Gap. If you see this truck, chase after it to buy a cupcake, they were so good. And part of the profits support cancer research. For the win!

Then it was pizza time. There is apparently no better place than Gino’s East — though I know that is debatable — and wow was it fantastic. One small pizza filled us both up. Amazing. I couldn’t decide what made it so good. First I blamed it on the crust. Then I blamed it on the sauce. Then I didn’t care and I just ate my two slices with vengeance.

For dessert, we attempted to try the sweetness that is the Doughnut Vault, but we missed out. Apparently they sell out within a few hours, something our magazine failed to disclose. But we had fun walking around and catching up. And the doorway was perfect for a photo shoot.

This is me looking shocked that donut are gone!

We walked and talked and somehow ended back up at the park on a bench sharing a bag of popcorn. It was perfect. I’m serious, I love your park Chicago. Reminds me to go to Balboa Park in San Diego more often.

See what I mean with the hair? This picture does not accurately portray the volume. No pictures on Sunday simply because, wow, was it amazing.

Sunday was spa day. We booked a massage and mani-pedi package at Renew Spa. It is just $99 on weekdays and $109 on the weekends. At first I was nervous — that is a good deal after all. But the spa was excellent. One of the better massages I’ve ever had. We were in heaven. Pure bliss. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a little getaway. If I lived in Chicago, I worry that it might become a monthly splurge.

And, thanks to all of your Chicago tips, we took the Architecture boat tour. Definitely worth it to see the city. It was interesting. And I felt validated because the city totally reminded me of Paris — and the tour guide said that the original city planner’s inspiration was, indeed, Paris.

I could go back and see more of the city sometime. This was all about seeing Brooke and catching up. So I felt like the architecture tour helped catch us up on seeing more of the city than Michigan Avenue. But seriously, this is why it is fun to travel domestic. You know you can come back, there is no pressure to see everything.

As for accommodations, we stayed in the Hyatt Regency and booked it through Priceline. No complaints. Well, we had a corner room that would have a killer view if they’d replace the wall with windows, but that is more of an observation than a complaint. Really, the staff was great. I mean, they let us chill in the lobby and take pictures of people going to prom. What more can you ask for? Also, the location was very central. I had planned on us taking public transportation but it wasn’t ever necessary.

Bravo weekend, bravo.