Things To Do
Montrose Beach
Our favorite park in the city and the absolute best spot to visit the beach while you're in Chicago, the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary is also were we took our engagement photos! Make sure to stop by The Dock, an iconic beach bar with surprisingly good food, and enjoy the lake after seeing the sanctuary.
Marge's Still
In a city of great bars, Marge's manages to stand out as a uniquely cozy, old-school, and chatacter-ful choice. Plus - the zoo, lake, and Lincoln Park are all in walking distance! Make a whole day of it! The potato chip blue cheese thing they have on the menu is magic. One time they gave us free shots of Malort, but I wouldn't recommend making the same mistake.
The Art Institute of Chicago
Emily's grad school alma mater and the best museum in Chicago. Lose yourself staring into Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" (1884), just like Cameron Frye, a high schooler who once visited on his day off.
Topo Gigio Ristorante
The crown jewel of Chicago's Old Town neighborhood and legendary in Emily's family for being one of her parents' first date spots! Old Town has changed a lot in recent years but Topo Gigio has not. It's always busy but the servers move fast and you won't find better Italian food for your money anywhere else in the city. A bold claim, but Anthony Bourdain himself backed it up in 2016, writing "Topo Gigio is a massive Italian-American joint that serves -- much better than you would think -- old-school stuff."
Wrigley Field
If you're in town early, or departing late, take in a late-season Cubs game - they play the Cincinatti Reds at 1:20 on Friday 9/27, or 2:20 on Sunday 9/29!
Laojiumen Hotpot Chicago
We fell in love with hot pot in our first year of dating thanks to Shabu Zen, the hot plot place down the block from Emily's apartment in Allston, MA. We've made it a bit of a project of ours to find the best hot pot in Chicago and so far this one can't be beat. Once you're done and ready to walk off your meal, it's definitely worth checking out Chicago's chinatown, which Emily and her friends have adored visiting since childhood.
Green City Market Lincoln Park
Walking around the Lincoln Park green belt is a great Saturday morning activity (especially if you're, say, trying to kill time before a wedding) and there's a great farmers market in the area on Saturdays during the summer as a bonus!
The Green Mill
She's an icon, she's a queen, she's the Green Mill. Chicago's best jazz bar and an excuse to visit Chicago's fabulous Uptown neighborhood. Grab dim sum at Furama or pho at Nha Hang beforehand.
Hoosier Mama Pie Company
Hoosier Mama is *so good* you guys. When thinking of a dessert place to recommend, we didn't think of including anything else. Try the sugar cream pie if you're stuck, but go early because their pies sell FAST and they're not precious about keeping things stocked throughout the day. It's not uncommon to visit Hoosier Mama and find that they are open, but literally out of pies.