Off to the Windy City – The Expats Visit Chicago!

Well, after a whirlwind trip to Chicago, Illinois is ticked off our ‘states to see’ list. And since we included some Amtrak-Enabled day trip to Milwaukee and Kalamazoo, Wisconsin and Michigan are done too: talk about a big week! We’re on the homeward stretch with seeing all 50 US states, with only about 13 or 14 to go. Exciting times!

So what did we get up to? I’m glad you asked. Buckle in and hear all about our Chicago, Milwaukee and Kalamazoo escapades… Maybe you’ll find some recommendations for your own travelling adventures!

Chicago

We had an early start on Thursday and a long morning to boot, with a plane, a train, and a bus leg one after the other to reach our Airbnb in one piece. Talk about a hike! We hadn’t had much to eat—the joys of the OKC airport!—so we checked into our sweet little Pilsen apartment and hit the streets. Where? Why straight to WholeFoods for the lunch bar and some groceries of course! It was probably about two and a half kilometres from our apartment, and by the time we got back, a nap was well overdue. We had dinner in and were thrilled when Amy (James’s eldest sister, as you might remember from blog posts such as Another 2017 Bulletin and Our Expat Australia Day) joined us to get settled into the second bedroom and eat a late dinner.

Michigan Avenue

The weather was frigid on Friday, but we couldn’t let that stop us, especially as Amy and I had important business to attend to: Sephora was calling our names. While Amy got her makeup look revamped, I enjoyed a soothing mini-facial and bought some First Aid Beauty products… James practised his Mandarin in the corner and laughed at me wearing a silly headband. Amy met up with a friend for lunch at (wait for it) The Little Goat Diner.

So we went for a stroll and found a restaurant nearby called The Allis. Oh wow. James and I were left in raptures, especially after their chocolate chip cookie for dessert. It was phenomenal. I mean, probably the best cookie I’ve ever eaten (and I take these kinds of claims very seriously). All I want to do is move in next door to The Allis and eat their cookies every day. So take that as you will (hint: it’s a strong suggestion to visit them if you’re in Chicago).

We reunited with Amy, stuffed our hands deep into our pockets and strolled back into the centre of Chicago. It was time to see the Millennium Bean!

By the time we got back to the apartment, we were all wrecked. The cold had really taken it out of us but we take this travelling business seriously. And after all, what does one do in Chicago…? Eat deep dish pizza of course! So we ordered some impressive-sized pizza (and sides, obvs) from the famed Giordano’s… then we ate. And ate. And ate. James and I ate more pizza than any human should eat (Amy is far more sensible than James and I, clearly!). It was delicious, but we felt sick, lying around groaning as we watched Dreamcatcher. We ate so much that we were still kind of full by the time breakfast rolled around the next day, actually.

St Patrick’s Day!

Saturday morning dawned bright and chilly for St. Patrick’s Day. Never ones to let our duties fall by the wayside (that is absolutely untrue sometimes), and despite our still-distended stomachs, James and I studied. Amy headed out for breakfast with an old friend, so we studied some more, ate a small breakfast and stretched. Then the three of us loaded up and trekked out to the Fashion Outlets of Chicago to do some shopping.

Wow, did we shop. By the end my feet were aching. My soul had retreated to somewhere around my little toenail. Ok, yeah, my shopping stamina isn’t the strongest. On the plus side, I got a fun green top to wear out… Because how else does one celebrate St. Patty’s Day, but to frequent Declan’s Irish Pub?

I can’t really speak as to the pub’s liquor supply or ‘atmosphere’ (people ruin that for me), but I can promise you, sober or not, I showed those Chicagoans how Aussies dance. Amy caught up with some friends while James and I hung out in a corner & had a ball. Actually, I think James almost dislocated a rib laughing at my foolishness. Now, I seriously can’t dance–well, not with any degree of skill. But I make up for it with a LOT of enthusiasm. And I think everyone in that pub was in awe of my skills, because what else would explain the staring and pointing, right?

After some sweet moves were pulled, we decided to call it a night. No, we didn’t stay out too late, but we bought some chocolate on the way home, and isn’t that what partying/St Patrick’s Day is all about? (No, not really. But let me have this one).

The John Hancock Building

Not surprisingly, Sunday opened up with some more study for James and I… For a little while at least, and then we were thoroughly distracted by the thought that there was a bookstore nearby. Of course, we headed off to discover it. The Open Books Warehouse and Bookstore is a vast, sprawling display of bookshelf after bookshelf. And after vowing that we ‘definitely don’t need any more books’, we managed to leave with only four. Success? I’m still not sure, but I was excited about my purchases!

We had a very teeny tiny breakfast, trying to keep enough room for our planned 2pm ‘brunch’ before collecting Amy and heading into the city. It was time to keep our appointment with the 360 Chicago Tilt!

Afterwards, we browsed another bookstore (duh), then loosened our belts and headed up to brunch at The Signature Room at The 95th. Oh friends. Lend me your ears. Everyone has to go here. If you’re in Chicago, and you want to eat until you’re unwell (a disturbing trend is appearing here), then you need to eat this brunch. NEED to, I said. For $55 you get to order multiple main dishes, unlimited access to a full buffet (including seafood, pastries, salads, meats), a hot chocolate bar (heaven!), and a dessert bar. A DESSERT BAR, everyone.

So we indulged. Just a little. I ate so much that I wished I had a second stomach (and maybe a third), but… It was delicious. And, strictly speaking, a bargain, for the amount we ate. It was a gorgeous gift from Amy to celebrate our engagement. And the three of us had a wonderful time gorging and just spending some quality time together!

In a somewhat belated fit of concern for our health, and in an effort to rectify the damage, we decided to walk around for a while afterwards. Luckily the weather had warmed up quite a lot, so it was gorgeous to stroll through Chicago (despite my stomach’s complaints). As you can see below, we were lucky enough to see the vibrant green of the river, dyed for St Patrick’s Day. Apparently it stays vivid for days afterwards!

Milwaukee

Amy was off to New York the following day, and James & I were up early the next morning for another adventure. Rugged up, we undertook a short bus hop to Union Station and a quick breakfast from Au Bon Pain before jumping on the Amtrak to Milwaukee. We’d far earlier decided that our trip to Chicago was a great chance to try and tick off some other states. Hellloooo Wisconsin! I’m sure that seems strange to most people, but it made sense to us, so off to Milwaukee we went.

Unfortunately, the balmy weather of Chicago the day prior wasn’t evident upon our arrival. It was freezing, the wind cutting through us like a knife, and any parts of the body that were exposed were quickly numb. Despite this obstacle, we took a leisurely stroll down to the pier to admire the vibrant blue of the water. We interrupted some huge seagulls (what is with the size of these birds, America?) feasting on a sidewalk fish, then beat a hasty retreat from the weather to a nearby bookstore, Downtown Books… Complete with cats. Can it get any better?

To be fair, the bathrooms smelt like a litter box, and James managed to kick the cat’s lunch bowl, but still. I got to pet a cat! That’s always a good thing. The stench, however, and my previous book haul, put us off a bit, and since I couldn’t find the book I wanted to buy for James’s birthday, we beat a retreat to Starbucks to study until lunch. And what a lunch! Deprived of seafood in Oklahoma, we’ve found ourselves overly keen for fish, and so lunching at the St. Paul Fish Company in the Milwaukee Public Market was the perfect idea.

It was good, everyone. We started with calamari and mussels before I devoured an incredible blackened Alaskan Halibut with rice, vegetables and a gorgeous beurre blanc.

And, of course, we bought ourselves some cupcakes for the next few days from the incredible C. Adam’s Bakery… If you’re in Milwaukee, you have to go there! In fact, the Public Market in general is a thriving and eclectic assortment of different small businesses, gourmet eateries, and a warm, relaxed atmosphere. Add in that everything we tried was delicious, and why wouldn’t you want to go? We didn’t really need dinner that night, so I guess that’s a bit telling!

Kalamazoo

The next day was another Amtrak trip: to Kalamazoo! I know, I know: we should have gone to Ann Arbor. ‘That’s the real Michigan.’ ‘Why are you going to Kalamazoo?’ — Because, friends, Ann Arbour doesn’t have a great little song that goes ‘Kalamazoo-zoo-zoo’. What other reasons does one need? And it’s a looooong way to Ann Arbour from Michigan, so Kalamazoo it was. It’s about a 3-hour train ride to get there, and (obviously) a similar trip back, AND you lose an hour. So we probably only had 3 hours there. Did that worry us? No!

Did we become secret agents at the special exhibition at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum? Why yes, yes we did. Don’t worry everyone, we solved the mystery of who had stolen the Crown software. We broke codes, we worked on our disguises, we eavesdropped on the villains’ conversations… And at the end, we strolled down the street for a delicious lunch and a pretty decent hot chocolate at Waters Street Coffee Downtown.

The Best Hot Chocolate I’ve Ever Had

But on the topic of hot chocolate… I couldn’t leave this one out, and I really felt that this experience deserved a little section all its own. That’s how delectable it was. Willy Wonka-esque, one might say. Now, we’d spent the whole week travelling past Chocolat Uzma and peeping in the frontage, and on our final day, James casually proposed we go in. Now if you know anything about us, know this: we love chocolate. Really love chocolate.

We got one each–I chose the classic, James bravely volunteered for the spicy–and strolled around Pilsen with hot liquid gold in hand, browsing the graffiti collections… And seriously considering kidnapping the brilliant Uzma to make us hot chocolate forever more. My only regret is that we didn’t buy more chocolatey supplies (and that James ate most of the white chocolate… Of course).

So I think that sums up the most interesting–and delicious!–parts of our wild adventures in Chicago. We can heartily recommend it for anyone who’s planning to visit the US, or anyone living in America who hasn’t yet made their way to the famous ‘Windy City’.

See you next week!

–Ana.