Chicago
Today was an awesome day spent exploring Chicago with my family. My parents, Josh, older sister and her fiance all came down to celebrate my Mom's birthday.
We started the day out having brunch at the Cracker Barrel on the trip down - my mom loves that place..haha.
Once we got there, we went to Restoration Hardware - 3 Arts Club Cafe which is a restaurant located on the first floor of the store. I am not being dramatic when I say it is seriously the prettiest place to visit in Chicago! You've probably seen it all over Instagram, but it is so not overrated. It was so beautiful and relaxing! We went there as a spur of the moment decision, which I would not do in the future if I wanted to grab something to eat or sit in the main dining area. The wait was 2.5 hours! So obviously, we didn't get to do that- but the hall seating is also so gorgeous. We sat for drinks and just talked and had a good time. After that, we went upstairs to check out the displays from Restoration Hardware (if you haven't heard of them- they're the dreamiest home decor store ever!) and I fell in love! Seeing all of those amazing displays made me want to drop everything and become an interior designer.
We spent the rest of the day shopping before our reservations for dinner at Bandera, and let me tell you- it was amazing! Pretty much all of us ordered the prime rib or steak and it was absolutely mouth watering. We had the waitress secretly bring a dessert out for my mom with a candle so we could sing to her, and we all ordered desserts too. Josh and I shared an oreo ice cream dessert topped with mint. I highly suggest visiting and ordering exactly that.
To end the night, we went to the top of the John Hancock Building - 360 Chicago to see the skyline from above. This is something I like to do just about every time I visit Chicago. There is something so humbling about seeing everything from above and realizing how small we really are, and even compared to the things we have created. I would definitely suggest visiting at night when the whole city is lit up- it is such an amazing view!
Everything worked out perfectly and we couldn't have asked for a better day to celebrate my mom and all that she does for us.
Thanks for reading!
xo