Exploring Michigan Ave

When Andrea and I decided to go to National Convention, we exchanged many emails with a list of things we want to do and eventually came up with a color coded plan for each day to help us accomplish as many as things as possible. Because we were staying on Michigan Ave, most of our list focused on things to do around Michigan Ave. Our adventure was spread across 5 days.

This was our plan.. we didn't follow it to a T

We actually started our adventure off of Michigan Ave by heading down State Street. I wanted to see the Chicago Theater and find an old department store. Heading down State Street at Rush Hour was probably not the brightest idea as there were a million people around. I managed to get a couple of selfies with the Chicago Theater.

Then we kept walk to find Marshall Fields since I had to find an old department store. A frat song in college went "I used to work in Chicago at an old department store..". Since we were in town for our sorority convention it was only fitting to take a picture of an old department store in Chicago.

I used to work in Chicago...

The next time we ventured out on Michigan Ave, we didn't have much time for exploring. We only had time to visit Garret's Popcorn.. another must stop in Chicago. I wanted to go to Garret's since it's a Chicago favorite. The line was nearly out the door but it moved quickly. Since I'm a traditionalist and don't like my popcorn flavors to mix, I did not want the Garrett Mix -- a mix of Caramal Crisp and cheese corn. Even though cheese popcorn is good, it is messy. I opted for butter and Caramel Crisp. We really should have gotten our popcorn on the last day as it doesn't last more than couple of days and the Caramel Crisp gets really sticky after a few days.

On Friday, we had some serious time for exploring. We started by heading north on Michigan Ave towards the water tower. The Chicago Water tower was the only building to survive the Chicago Fire. We actually got to go in the water tower which is a small art gallery of Chicago Prints.

Then we walked across the street to Water Tower Place. The Water Tower Place is a 7 story mall. It's tall and narrow.

We spent some time checking out the Dr. Seuss Store

and playing in the Lego Store.

Throwing what we know (backwards) with some new (Lego) Friends

We talked about coming back another day for lunch at Harry Carey's but that never happened... a bit out of the way.

Our next stop was next store at the Hancock building.  We wanted to have drinks in the Signature Lounge and get an bird's eye view of the city. A drink was much cheaper than doing the Observatory and you were actually a floor or 2 above the viewing deck. Surprisingly we both had non-alcoholic beverages. I had a raspberry spritzer which wasn't bad. The best view in the entire place is in the women's bathroom which of course I had to check out.

After our drinks, we hailed an Uber and headed to Taste of Chicago. Not only did we get to sample some really good food, we managed to cross off a few more items off our Chicago to do list:

Buckingham Fountain

The Bean

I insisted on walking back to the hotel after Taste of Chicago. This actually proved to be a good idea. We got to see the Tribune Building, NBC 7 Building, and the WGN Building not to mention the Daley Statue. Andrea really liked seeing the Trib building as she was a Comm major in collage. I liked the WGN Hall of Fame in the Sidewalk if front of the Trib building. Next time I want to check out the lobby.

By walking back we also got to stop at Dylan's candy bar. It is a crazy candy store with a variety of sweet treats. The decor is colorful and fun. It also sells Butterbeer by the bottle.

On our last day in Chicago, we headed back towards the Water Tower to get some cupcakes from the Cupcake ATM at Sprinkles Cupcakes. The Cupcake ATM was out of order so we went inside and ordered. They were slightly pricy ($4/cupcake) but were totally worth it. I still want to use the Cupcake ATM but this is a definitely must stop regardless.

We had a lot of fun in Chicago. I got a few things crossed of my bucket list. There is a ton of things to do in Chicago. This by no means a Must See List but it does include many of the must see places especially if you are short on time. This entire list could be done in a day if that's all the time you have. My only advice is figure out what you have to see and plan around those.