Chicago Land

Phil and I took a trip to Chicago last week, a long weekend mini getaway. It was the first time I had been away from Scarlet overnight or, I should say, the first time she had been away from me. I'm not sure who was more traumatized really, though if our reunion was any indication I'd say … me? She was perfectly happy with her big brother and grandparents, being spoiled rotten in all the ways we never spoil them (e.g. Chuck E Cheeses and restaurants every day). :)

We spent a couple of nights at The Talbott Hotel which is both a couple of blocks from Michigan Avenue and Anthropologie. My guy knew the rules! No, really, he found this little hotel via Trip Advisor and it was spectacular. It's a boutique hotel with a touch of that romantic European flair. The staff were all really friendly, every last one of them. I loved that part. And the bathroom … spotless. I have issues with hotel bathrooms. Always. Ewwww.

We hit Ikea on the first day and I forgot to take pics. Whoops! But we were so serious about the job at hand, find and agree on a couch, that we really didn't have time for anything but our mission. 

Below begins our second day, spent walking downtown, shopping our fave stores, drinking boatloads of coffee (and one tea!), and eating truckloads of food. Truckloads I tell ya. 

The downtown lighting ceremony is this weekend, so we got to see the workers putting lights up in the trees and creating tunnels of lights through the squares, though did not see their full effect. So I was intent on seeking out the ultimate Christmas shopping experience since I had to miss out on the lights and I thought Macy's might do the trick. 

Though all the stores were decked out in festive finery. Below is a peek at Anthro and then a shot of the pretty decorated branches covering the ceiling at Free People. Anthropolgie seemed to have settled on a pine cone theme in this particular store and that giant installation at the front door (see massive pine cones below) was quite beautiful. They also had glittered pine cones hanging from copper and gold wrapped branches throughout (I am now inspired to glitter my own pine cones and string them along the bay window, I think). And I had to get a shot of that cream embroidered dress in the background. Gorgeous isn't it?

I decided that, if I had loads of dollars to throw away on clothing, I would shop at All Saints (below). The clothing is exquisite and so soft. It's basically a whole lotta black, but when you're in Chicago, that's all you want to wear. And black is pretty great, isn't it? For so many reasons. All Saints is all about draping, it seems. Everything was draped in the most beautiful, angular way. And the leather, ohhhh, wow. The front entrance is unbelievable and intimidating. It's massive and very gothic, with hundreds of black vintage sewing machines climbing the glass window from floor to ceiling. You can see the silhouette in the background of this picture.

Topshop was cool. It's a quirky British store with lots of clothes I can't actually wear (midriffs and teensy tight skirts) but so entertaining to walk through. I own a pair of glittered sandals from Topshop and was excited to see what it was all about. 

We also hit Zara (I'm so in love with that place for the littles), Urban Outfitters, Madewell, and J. Crew. And for dinner Bar Toma, a recommendation from lovely Betsy and so incredibly delicious. We even had a chance to meet up with Betsy and her husband for chai and macarons at Argo Tea. 

We went to The Pancake Place for breakfast on our second day there and waited in line for about 20 minutes to be seated. It's a tiny restaurant nestled in quietly amongst all those shiny skyscrapers. The apple pancake (below) was so worth the 20 minute wait. Really delicious!

We spent a little more time chilling, coffee and tea in hand, on that second day. And I spent much of that time admiring the rugs. :) I made a special stop at the Sprinkles ATM for a dark chocolate banana cupcake to eat on the drive home. 

Good bye Chicago and hello cozy little house. I'm slowly adding Christmas cheer to the home, white lights around the windows and throw pillows on the couches. Will wait for next weekend to get our tree though. Twinkle lights are just so charming, so I thought I might as well add an extra couple of weeks of magic to the house. All that holiday shopping and decor has surely had an effect!