Weekend in Chicago - Day 2

Saturday, August 4, 2012   Brunch @ Atwood Cafe in The Burnham Hotel    

      Then we hopped on the L train and headed out to Wrigley Field!  (note- the red line will take you right out to Wrigley and drop you off about 50 ft from the ball park!)    

    We were still exhausted from the night before so we decided to head back to the hotel to rest for a couple hours.  Hubby took a nap and I got a Wit Signature Massage and it was heavenly!  Just what I needed!  If you are in Chicago and want a spa treatment you should check out this spa.  It is really nice and much more reasonable than some of the spas out there.    Next up, we headed to Portillo's for a Chicago dog!  I had already been in Chicago for 5 days at this point so I had eaten a couple Portillos Hot Dogs already but they were so good I was happy to have another one.  They are apparently the best in Chicago so make sure to eat there if you are in Chicago!    

    We spent the rest of the afternoon window shopping on Michigan Ave ( The Magnificent Mile )  And it sure was magnificent :)  There was everything from Coach, Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren to Gap, Victorias Secret and Forever 21.  I am happy to report that we did not buy anything except a chocolate milkshake at the Hershey's store :)  

We stopped by Garret's Popcorn and got a sample of the best popcorn I have ever put in my mouth.  The line was way too long to wait in it but that was probably a good thing. 

We walked over to Oak St. Beach next but there was a major storm about to roll thru so they were closing it down...we only got to see it for a few minutes.

 

*That big area of sand is Oak Street Beach*   We ended the afternoon at The Drake hotel.  We almost stayed here because it is a Hilton too but at the last minute changed our mind.  Next time we go to Chicago, we will be staying here though.  It is a BEAUTIFUL and historic hotel in a great location.  Princess Diana and many other "celebs" have stayed here and it is also home of the Cap Cod Room where Marilyn Monroe & Joe Dimaggio carved their initials into the wooden bar.  Unfortunately the bar was closed when we were there.  A really bad storm came thru just as we were about to jump in a taxi and head back to our hotel so we decided to spend a little more time walking around The Drake.  If you don't stay here you have to at least go see it.  It could be compared to The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills or The Plaza in NYC.  The lobby reminds me a lot of The Plaza.   

   

That night we headed out to dinner at Sunda Sushi.  Best.sushi.ever. 

If you are in Chicago and want sushi, don't go anywhere but here. 

My drink- Blushing Geisha... Yummy!

    My sushi- Crunchy Pig, Hidden Lobster.  I was in sushi heaven!   

  We ended the night at The Violet Hour.  A friend from high school had told us about this place and said it was very exclusive.  We did not know quite how "exclusive" it was until we got there.  First of all, there is no sign, no advertising and not a lot of people know about it.  You have to use your GPS to find it or just ask someone walking by.  You either have to have a reservation or you have to wait in line for seats to open.  They won't let you in if they don't have a place for you to sit...so, no standing around.  You can not use your cell phones or cameras in there.  This was the outside...just a giant wall with a whale painted on it.  We only found the door because there were a couple girls standing by it.  It is definitely a cool place to stop by for a drink but I am not a huge fan of being told I can't take pictures or look at my phone so I don't think I could hang out there too long :)  

  Inside The Violet Hour (pictures taken from their website):  

    Recap of our final day coming tomorrow! Happy Wednesday!