Family in town!

Last week my family came to see me and it was so lovely to have them here. I had saved up a lot of my Chicago sightseeing for when they arrived and in true account management form I had a schedule in all planned out! The sun shone the whole time they were here (apart from one miserable morning which cleared up within an hour!)

First thing we did was a boat cruise. Now if you are planning to do one of these I highly recommend the one that's run by The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF). The tour guides on the boat are volunteers and are so passionate and knowledgeable about the city its amazing. A lot of them have lived in Chicago their whole lives and what they know about the city and the architecture is incredible - especially with some of the names!!  A few of my favorites below...

Do you think Donald Trump is trying to compensate for something here?
The Trump Tower, designed by Adrian Smith

The Wrigley Building,  built to house the corporate headquarters of the Wrigley Company.
 designed by the architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White using the shape of the Giralda tower of Seville's Cathedral combined with French Renaissance detail.

Marina City or as I like to call it the 'honeycomb' building!
These amazing 65 storey buildings function as car parks up to
 about the 19th floor then apartments from 19 up.
Designed by architect Bertrand Goldberg.

Big Willy!!
Previously the Sears Tower it was renamed to to Willis Tower and is 1451 ft tall.

For those that are brave enough to walk out on a ledge at 1451 ft high this is for you....the SkyDeck



Very brave Mum and Dad!!



Me and Mum. Very wind-swept!

Then it was on to Millennium Park....




The amazing Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor



Grant Park...

Buckingham Fountain

We also visited Lincoln Park Zoo, The Aquarium, The Field Museum, The John Hancock Tower and need I even mention...The Magnificent Mile (shopping galore!)

And what better way to end the trip than by indulging in some original deep-pan Chicago style pizza:

Before...

and after!

I was very very sad to say goodbye to them all L

Brunch in Old Town and then on to Wicker Park-Bucktown

Adding a few new places to my 'visited in Chicago' list...

I met Carrie, her boyf and his brother for brunch this morning in Old Town. We went to a place called Nookies on Wells Street (just a 151 bus ride away). It was really nice, the pancakes were really yummy!

We then headed into Wick Park-Bucktown. The shops were great. It's different to Downtown, the shops here are smaller boutique. If you prefer vintage shops and smaller quirkier one off shops this is the place for you. It has an Urban Outfitters and American Apparel too - in case you don't find anything in the smaller shops!

Best massage ever!

Been having really bad pain in my shoulders over the last week so decided to see if I could find a nice little spa near my apartment. I used Yelp and found this one called Urban Oasis Maple Street. It had really good reviews so I thought I would give it a go.

The place itself was very nice, the team on reception make you feel welcome from the moment you walk in; offering you refreshments and organising your spa sandals.

I have to say the massage was the best massage I have ever had! I had a lady called Kimberly and although I did tell her the basic problems I have with my back she knew as soon as she started which exact areas were giving me trouble - including my lower back. It was more of a deep tissue massage so some parts of it were uncomfortable but in a positive way - it relieved all the pain I was feeling and made me the most relaxed I felt in a long time. At the end she even gave me tips on how I can avoid getting such tense shoulders going forward.

After the massage you are welcome to stay for a complimentary steam shower. Its very nice, you get a room with all the goodies you need, shower cap, shower gel, shampoo, moisturiser etc. You are welcome to use the room for up to 20mins.

New people to Chicago...this is a 'must-visit' place!

Just how much Americans love pancakes!

How amazing are these pancakes: 

Jim started to make cool shaped pancakes for his daughter and decided to share his creations with the world! Pretty cool! You can see more here: http://www.jimspancakes.com/.

I won't look at standard pancakes here in the same way anymore - the bar has been raised!

Running clubs are a great way to meet new people!

Went along to the Nike Run Club tonight. It starts at the Nike Store on Michigan and you can choose to do 3, 5 or 7 miles. I opted to do the 5 miles. I ran with two really nice people. Kathy who ran the marathon for the first time on Sunday and decided to drop off after 2 miles tonight. Then there was Howard, who also ran the marathon - it was his 30th!!! He ran with me the whole 5 miles and kept me company. He was really lovely.

When you get back to the store they have treats for you. Tonight they had Lunar energy bars and oranges! Apparently last week they had pizza and lots of stuff to motivate the marathon runners! I will definitely be running with them again next week.

I also signed up for the RAM Hot Chocolate 5K tonight which is taking place on the November 6th in Grant Park: http://www.hotchocolate15k.com/raceinfo/. You get an amazing goody bag with a jumper and chocolates galore. It was $45 to register. Its more if you want to do the 15k.

FYI Its a great way to meet new people!

For all you Brits that like to cook...

Little tip for you...If you are looking to cook when you are in the States and looking for Coriander you will not find it on the shelves! The reason being its call Cilantro! Another subtle little difference for ya!



Cilatro!



Amazing cupcake shop. And the craziest weather ever!

As well as catching up on some work this morning I had a really lovely, relaxing Columbus Day.

I met my friend Carrie for lunch at a really nice sushi restaurant, just round the corner to me Oysy. They do a very reasonable lunch menu for $12.

She then introduced me to an amazing cupcake shop today...Sprinkles! It's located just between Michigan and Rush, which is only a 5-7 min walk from my apartment, goodbye diet!!

I had the coconut vanilla cupcake and Carrie had the chocolate banana one both very yummy! I will definitely be returning!

Strange end to the day, I spent the afternoon at my apartment and when I looked out the window I thought something very serious had happened! There was huge clouds of smoke engulfing the city. I immediately googled the latest news to discover it was in fact fog! According to the news:

Winds forced the lake's cooler temperatures -- in the 60s as of about 5 p.m. -- and moist air inland, where it was in the lower 80s. The result: A thick fog that was expected to linger into the evening and head south. This type of weather pattern is more typical during the spring.

I got some amazing pics...

You can't even see the lake!

...or the river!



Plus this one from the news looks even more like a fire..! Looks like a scene from a movie.