Chicago beaches

Did you know Chicago borders a lake?  There's a beach right next to the city!  Crazy, right?!

Seriously though, I really didn't know this, which is quite embarrassing.  Even more so, since I've been to Chicago multiple times.  How did I not know this?!  I guess staying out by the airport for work and only going into the city after dark will do that to you.

Anyway, it is gorgeous!  Sand and city, it's my kind of perfect.

I think we pretty much ate and shopped our way through the city {check out the restaurants here} 

I loved it!  

A bit windy sometimes though!

We got really lucky with our hotel.  We stayed at the Wyndam just a couple blocks off N Michigan Ave so we were able to walk just about everywhere we wanted to go.  The room interior could have used a bit of updating but for the price and the location, we had no complaints.  Especially when they let us upgrade to the top floor.

Our view from the first room:

View from our second room:

We had no itinerary, just a list of about 20+ restaurants we "had to try!" (in our 4 short days) and a recommendation to make sure and get to The Art Institute. Loved it there!

being weird at the art institute

Awesome Chagall stained glass in the background

we walked through Millennium Park and visited the Bean

umm yea so we kinda liked the bean

view from the 92nd floor - the signature room

Baskin Robbins may or may not have been 1/2 block away from our hotel and somehow always on the way back from dinner

oh, hello beach

 hello city

 hello cute guy ;)

And just in case our trip wasn't already perfect, Danny sat next to this woman on the plane home

{yes, there's a woman under that jacket}

who provided endless entertainment and silent laughing fits for the duration of the flight

LMF

**all images original to Champagne Revieries - as you can tell from the iPhone quality, but that's about to to change (!!!)