good 'ol chi-town

I have been forever changed by


Okay, okay, maybe not, but now I think Chicago is the friendliest city in the whole of the United States (not that I've been to all that many cities, but it tops my list!). They really hit it on the nose when they aimed for the "small town feel in a big city." It's also absolutely gorgeous in the fall, when the leaves are changing colors...



Isn't that so pretty? Me and really pretty leaves =)

I was never aware that a gigantic reflective bean existed, but apparently it does.. right in Millenium Park.


The Brown Shoes in the city


Chicago deep dish pizza from Gino's East

Doesn't look it here, but it's actually pretty damn good... the one thing I didn't like was the cornmeal crusts, but that's because I'm not a big cornmeal person. Everyone else liked it! Gino's East was also interesting in that the entire place reminds me of a big pile of bird shit. Don't get me wrong, the food is good, but the decor bites. I think they basically let people graffiti all over the walls and seats of the restaurant - but then after so much graffiti, people start writing in white ink or white out, and the whole place just looks like birds came in, did their business, and took off.

The Best Cupcakes

I was so busy digging into my Red Velvet cupcake that I almost forgot to take a picture. I think Sweet Mandy B's is the best cupcake place [so far] that I know of. Sprinkles is LA is way too dry, and Magnolia's in New York is higher up the chain, but Sweet Mandy B's tops them all. Personally, I like homemade cupcakes the best, but if you must go out and buy some, Sweet Mandy B's is the place to go. They're also moderately priced (ranges from 1-2 bucks each), especially compared with the steep price of Sprinkles' $3.50 drycakes.

Asian fusion at Ping Pong

Can't say this place has the best asian fusion food ever, but the ambiance is really nice. We were there on a Friday night, so it was busy to say the least. The drinks are pretty good, and the appetizers looked better than the actual dishes, at least on the menu. They're apparently known for their chocolate fortune cookies, which you get at the end of your meal. Pretty cute, and a good end to the meal. People love these fortune cookies, according to yelp.com.


We also went up to the top of the Sears Tower (which, surprisingly enough, no longer houses Sears). 103 stories tall, all built in 3 years... crazy. The lights are really pretty, but the view looks a lot like the view from the Peak in HK. Chicago also reminds me way too much of LA (view-wise).




Chicago Chop House steak

Chicago Chop House is consistently voted as one of the best steakhouses in the U.S. and I would not disagree. The 16 ounce NY fillet above was decently priced too (~$30, I can't remember exactly)! I'm not even a steak person, but I finished every last bite. This place isn't designed to be fancy or stuffy, it's pretty much just a really good steak place, without all the frills. Would definitely go back again if I were craving a good steak.

I've been back a week already and I'm already tired of the daily grind...
but here are some really clean-looking ducks and gigantic fish swimming around in a pond at Northwestern.