Day 2: Chicago-- lunch and beyond

As I mentioned before, I hadn't eaten any gluten or dairy for about 8 months prior to this trip... but I was taking a break from my new reality and what better way then to get some Chicago Deep Dish Pizza... I had never experienced anything like it.

You order and then wait about 45 minutes for them to cook it to order and it comes out like an actual pie. Sausage and Mushroom? Yes Please!!

I am still recovering from the shock to my system... but it was O so delicious! 

After our relaxing and satisfying lunch we headed back outside where it felt like it already dropped about 10 degrees. We weren't sure how that was possible, but apparently it was... so on to the Art Institute (inside to get our culture and heat on).

The museum is huge and full of delightful artifacts, but we weren't really sure what was what so we walked through in a bout an hour and took in the sights that we could. Some of it was pretty amazing and some of it looked like I could have done it when I was in first grade. Sometimes I wonder who gets to decide what counts as 'art'??

After the museum we headed straight for the L to make it to the Oak Park Neighborhood before the sun went down. We wanted to see the prized architecture created by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was a long ride, but well worth it and gave us a chance to see some of the city on our way there.

The museum was closed when we got there, but we still got take it some of the famous houses from the outside. Apparently, at one point in the year, you can pay a lot of money to get tours of the inside of the houses. If you are into architecture and design, that would be a great treat!

Matt is a great photographer! (And this was taken with an iPhone)

Back to the hotel to change our clothes and then another night of adventure at Lula Cafe. Lula is another local joint where they have farm fresh food and a more casual atmosphere. We had found out their our server (Chivan from Spiaggia)'s husband was the wine buyer for Lula! Small World.

My favorite part of this meal was the dessert. Some type of lemon custard and fresh berries, refreshing and delightful! I think I must be into lemon these days??

After dinner we weren't quite ready to head back yet and decided that we needed to walk... so we headed down the street that paralleled the L line. What you might not know is that all of the neighborhoods in Chicago aren't super populated, clean or safe... but, we headed down the road regardless. This time I had on a coat and gloves, so I was much more ready for a walk!

We safely made it passed multiple thrift stores on portions of il light streets with trash blowing around  until we found the more populate section... trendy and hip neighborhood of Wicker Park. This is where we spent a little bit of time exploring. We were still too full to stop in anywhere so we headed back on the L to the hotel and called it a night.