Chicago

Heck, I love that place. It was my first time visiting the Windy City and I couldn't have picked a better time. The whole time I was there, I lived 2 blocks from Michigan Ave, in the posh North section of the city. Imagine coming down from your apartment and there are tons of bars and restaurants at your disposal; right down the exact street where you live.

I spent most of the time shopping and eating. I cannot fully describe the experience of being able to walk 10 minutes to the best shopping district in the Midwest which happens to be along Lake Michigan. I envy your apartment! At the same time while trying not to blow my credit card on shopping, I ate the best Chinese food I had in the US and had dessert on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Tower. The view and company was amazing. :)

If you ever go down to Chicago, head down to Chinatown to Lao Sze Chuan. It serves the most delicious and authentic Szechuan cusine and I am definitely looking forward to going back there in a fortnight. I did not take any pictures this time but I will definitely take some this coming July 4th trip.

I even think that it was better than the trip I made to LA the previous summer...specifically because this trip did not feel very touristy. For many a time, I felt like a local...riding the CTA and walking around like I knew the place. I actually took the Greyhound east to Chicago and despite the numerous warnings of it being a lil dodgy, it didn't feel that way to me. It was a really long bus ride though.

My mind has already begun to formulate plans to visit the city again before the end of the summer. I am looking forward to that very much. Coming back to Des Moines however was kind of blah compared to the bustling sidewalks and glimmer of city lights in Chicago. I guess I'm a city girl at heart.