The semester was half-over and it was spring break. I had already made new friends and what better way to cherish the new friendhips than to go on vacation. Although we were leaning more towards the Florida beaches but due to high airfare and last minute planning, we ended up deciding on Chicago. The temperature was -7 ℃, and there we went off to fight the cold. Being on a limited budget, we planned a 4-day trip and booked a hostel to stay. Hostels are a great place to meet new people and are also cheaper than most hotels.

Day 1

We landed early morning 8 a.m. at Chicago O’Hare airport and booked a cab to Wrigley Hostel. The dorm room was huge and occupied only 4 people. The hostel also had a huge common room/den where we played table tennis, some board games and had fun conversations in the bar section (BYOB), with fellow hostelers. After dropping our luggage at the hostel, we left to explore the city. Just a few blocks away we went inside a cafe called ‘Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!’. We ordered some egg benedicts and salad. Our next stop was Lincoln park zoo, I wouldn’t say that its a must see. Because if you have been to some fantastic zoos, such as Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, then it would be a disappointment. The only thing memorable was a chimpanzee showing us his rear end. I didn’t like the way they had kept lions though. One lion was so lean that you could see his ribs. I was unsure if it was malnutrition or ageing. After roaming in the zoo for a couple of hours, we were on our way to the navy pier, which was quite pleasant. You can see the giant wheel on the banks of Lake Michigan.

I can only imagine how much more fun it would be in the summers. After dancing around the river banks and clicking some pictures, we went off to try the famous Giordano’s deep-dish pizza located at the pier. It was a wait for 35-45 minutes. If you get seating faster, then consider buying a lottery ticket on that day. After spending some time on the pier, we went home for a power nap. In the evening we had fun at the hostel den and then went to the Irish oak pub with fellow hostelers. Boy, we had fun listening to the travel tales of the Canadian guy with us as he had been to so many places.

Day 2

It was going to be a really long day as we had a lot of things planned. Firstly, we went to the millennium park, where you can see the bean (cloud gate) and sit quietly in front of it. Oh and do not forget to click the cliche selfie of your reflection in the bean.

After that, we roamed around the city and came across a Mexican restaurant. The food there was delicious. I couldn’t remember the name at first but after employing my detective skills and thanks to the Google street view, I figured out the name of the restaurant. Drumrolls!!!! It was ‘A Broken English Taco Pub.’ I really liked the graffitis on the walls of the pub. Then we went to the Nutella store, the first store of the United States, but it was okay, nothing special. I actually like the Lindt store better because of their variety. But if you are a chocolate enthusiast, then it wouldn’t hurt to give the store a shot. After a considerable brunch, we went to the Sky Deck situated at the top of Willis Tower. We chose 4:00 p.m. to go since we wanted to see Chicago from the 103rd floor (1532Ft) in the day as well as in the night.

We made a time-lapse video and were there for a good three hours. You never realize the time passing by once you are up there. I can just go to Chicago for that view. It was serene, tranquil and peaceful. We had friends in the city and then we went to Headquarters Beercade to meet them. We played ping pong, Mario, Ms. Pac-Man and a lot of other arcade games. It was an enjoyable evening.

Then we headed to ‘The Signature Room‘ on the 95th floor. It has to be one of the most romantic places. I saw two proposals in an hour. We sat there for some time enjoying the view through the glass walls and had a few drinks and appetizers. Undoubtedly it is expensive but mesmerizing. We left the restaurant at around midnight and took a cab to our hostel. That day I slept with a big smile on my face. If I could, I would repeat that day over and over again.

Day 3

We woke up around 10 a.m. in the morning and went to ‘The Art Institute of Chicago’. Due to its massive size, we could not go corner to corner in the amount of time we had. For lunch, we went to our friends’ place, and he made ‘Rajma Chawal’ (Indian cuisine) for us. It was good. After some time we went to downtown Chicago and roamed around a bit. We stumbled upon an amazing restaurant called Cindy’s. The view and drinks both were superb.

We had a good (girl’s) time with a lot of gossip over delicious desserts. After that, we just kept on wandering in the streets of Chicago and walked along a stream of Lake Michigan. People say that New York never sleeps; I think even Chicago doesn’t. Even late into the night the streets were lit with people and the city looked mesmerizing and romantic to the core. Our day ended well with an hour-long walk.

Day 4

It was the last day of our trip, but I wasn’t sad. I knew in my heart that I am going to come back again. The first thing that we did that day was sending out Chicago postcards to our our loved ones. It’a nice ritual that I like to follow. The last thing to be done before our flight was to visit a place called 3artscafe.

The place was magical and looked like a place in some fairytale. From outside it’s nothing, but as soon as you go inside, you are lost in dreamland. The sound of fountains and the glimmer of the chandeliers are so beautiful that it would take your breath away. In reality, it’s a cafe build inside a furniture store, but its brilliant. After forcing ourselves out of that place, we went to the airport and back to our life in DC.

Some of the photos from the trip:-

Happy Travelling!!!!!