Magnificent Mile at night

If you are a shopaholic, you must visit this part of Michigan Ave. Even if you are not, you should come here as well. Especially at night. The street looks magical and beautiful. I enjoyed shopping at Saks Fifth Ave. The service was warm but not too overwhelmed.

Christkindlmarket, Chicago

Christkindlmarket is a Christmas market held annually at Daley Plaza in Chicago. It was inspired by the Christkindlesmarkt in Germany. And it has become the largest Christmas market in the United States, hosting well over 1 million visitors annually.

That is the info I have gathered from Wikipedia. Well, largest or not, I had gone there cos I love Christmas and market. The coldness didn't deter me at all. Tracy and I had a lovely time there, exploring, squeezing, eating and laughing. It's a must-go if you are in Chicago around Christmas time.






Christkindlmarket


Big Christmas tree and yes, it was a real pine tree!


In front of one of the stores








Yummy German lunch

Chicago snacks - Garrett Popcorn

In the middle of a disastrous city light tour, we decided to finish it early and spend our last night in Chicago walking along the streets, and of course, doing some shopping at the same time. We passed by Garrett Popcorn shop on the way to Macy's (State St). Even though the queue was long, we couldn't resist the temptation to go in and try some American popcorn and see if there was any difference from the ones from Vietnam and Singapore.

Well, lucky for my weight, I didn't like this so-called gourmet popcorn. It was either too cheesy or too sweet. For me, I prefer taking sourness or saltiness to the extreme. I like sweet food, but not too sweet. But I think it was an interesting experience to try this one in a lifetime.

Chicago eats - Volare

I am a devoted fan of Italian cuisine, especially pasta and tiramisu. Sometimes, I could eat pasta a whole week if I am in the mood. That's why it was no surprise I decided to visit Volare when I was in Chicago. The restaurant is recommended on Trip Advisor as a worthy try. And it's located around Magnificient Miles where you could find it a difficult task to choose a good place to eat.

On Google Map, you could see Volare is situated on a street crossing with Magnificient Miles. Well, if you see from above. In reality, you have to walk down 1 level to get to Grant St. The atmosphere here is a big difference from the busy and touristy street above. And if I didn't know about or tried to find the restaurant, I didn't think I would go in there at all. I was definitely glad I did though.


Here is the unassuming but great Italian restaurant






Homey but charming interior


The street as seen from our table. I wanted to take photo of falling snow, but my camera is not good enough, or was that my bad skill?

Delicious food obviously aside, what I remember about Volare is its great service. The staff who waited on our table was charming and not pushy. A fun memory was that he asked Tracy and I if we could finish what we had ordered. I mean, that was the first time some waiter asked me that question. It was always the opposite, aka "would you like anything else?". And being too hungry at the time, Tracy and I said of course. Well, we realized why the staff had asked afterward. But we were still happy to stuff ourselves as the food was super duper delicious. I really want to eat their pasta again. When will I have the chance to go back to Chicago?


Yummy bread for appetizer (one of the best bread appetizer I have ever tasted)


The plate looked ugly but it was the food that counted


Compulsory Italian dessert - Tiramisu


Of course, a must-have photo, aka me and the food

Chicago eats - Soup Box

If you ask me what my favourite food in winter is, I can tell you straight away. That is soup, especially soup with tomato as 1 of its ingredients. Just imagine, you walk on the street, wearing layers of clothes but still feeling super chilled. Even if you are not hungry, I bet you would love to have something hot to warm your hands and stomach. I can't take coffee, tea is also out of question in the afternoon. Hot chocolate is too sweet in the States and come on, how many cups of hot chocolate could you take in a day? So soup is my first choice when it comes to something to warm me up.

Tracy and I stumbled into this restaurant somewhere around Magnificent Miles in Chicago. We were hungry but did not want to eat something too full as I had planned a good lunch some place else. We needed some energy to get there though. So this was our answer. Soup Box where you could choose whatever soup you like at a reasonable price, without paying tips. (well, I'm from Asia where you dun need to give tips as it's included in your bill)

Anyway, it was a good place to take a rest and warm yourself before embarking on a serious shopping endeavor in Chicago.


Outside Soup Box


Plenty of soup choices to choose from


Inside the restaurant

Chicago eats - Wishbone restaurant

After our visit to Harpo Studio (well, more likely we were walking around the area and taking photos non-stop), we decided to have lunch at the restaurant nearby, Wishbone. This is where Oprah has her lunch sometimes, at least that was what I heard. Anyway, frequented by Oraph or not, the restaurant was a good choice. Yummy food and great service are what account for a good meal.






Inside Wishbone restaurant



Soup for appetizer (yes, I love soup)


Some fried fish dish. The mashed potato was heavenly.


A compulsory picture with the restaurant

Chicago eats - Harry Cary's

Another great find in Chicago is Harry Cary's. This restaurant is very near to Amalfi Hotel, where we stayed during our trip. We dined in the restaurant once and took out twice. Their food was delicious, especially the soup (I couldn't remember the name though), the service was impeccable and the atmosphere was warm and welcome. A definite place to visit when you are in Chicago.


I had taken this picture in front of my hotel. So it's very very near to the hotel.




The interior of Harry Cary's


Start with some bread and butter. Yummy!


The delicious soup, a must-try


Salad. And yes, we love our vegetables!




Some other food which I couldn't remember the name. But they were great as well.

Chicago eats - Joe's Seafood

When planning for Chicago and NY trips, I read a lot from Tripadvisor forums about where to go and of course where to eat. I even made a detailed plan on what time I would eat, which restaurants for lunch and dinner and how to get there. Yep, I'm list maker and proud of it.

For the first day in Chicago, I decided to try Joe's seafood, from some recommendations in Chicago forum of Tripadvisor. And it was a very good choice as the food was excellent, the service was impeccable and the atmosphere was just intimate enough (well, even though we are both girls, we need our privacy, you know?)




Interior of the restaurant


Give me some breads and butter, I can eat them all day. I'm a bread lover.


Stone crab claws. Of course I have to order crabs, as they are the restaurant's specialty. And I prefer crabs to prawns/lobsters as crabs taste much better, hohohoh...


Some dish that I couldn't remember the name. But it was quite cheesy. Not bad but not my cup of tea.


Mashed potatoes to give ourselves some needed carbo




And lastly, some compulsory poses