48 Hours in Chicago

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I had been to Chicago twice before but one visit was over 10 years ago and the other was a complete blur. This trip was fueled solely by the fact that I was over Atlanta and needed a breath of fresh air. Since I was saving most of my PTO for the holidays, I opted for a solo weekend trip. I did so many things in the 48 hours that I was there that I cannot wait to go back and get more acquainted with the city. Until then, here is what I did and highly recommend!

If you love Starbucks Coffee, you can’t come to Chicago and not visit the world’s largest location. The Chicago Starbucks Reserve Roastery is a magical place located in the Magnificent Mile neighborhood. The characteristics that make this location standout include:

  • An extenstive food & drink menu with everything from pastries and full entrees to rare coffee and cocktails

  • 5 floors of beautiful design, with the top floor being an open rooftop deck overlooking Michigan Ave.

  • A unique offering of private events, tours, and other experiences such as their Espresso Martini Masterclass

  • Starbucks merch that you can’t find anywhere else

For a video tour, check out this video on my TikTok.

 

For more fun and whimsy, I booked a ticket to the Museum of Ice Cream. As someone who is lactose intolerant yet refuses to give up ice cream, this place was a dream. It was very instagrammable and included more than your fair share of sweet treats throughout the self-guided tour. I love how my outfit matched the theme - that was not planned lol.

 

Chicago is a GORGEOUS city and you do yourself a disservice by not enjoying the views during the summer. I wanted to see the city from high and low so I booked tickets for both 360 Chicago and the Chicago River Boat Architectural Tour. Both provided amazing views of the architecture and water that makes Chicago so beautiful.

 

Everyone knows that Chicago is a foodie city so I planned my visit around the Taste of Chicago. However, the weather took a turn during the day I was supposed to go so I didn’t make it. That didn’t stop me from eating well, though. I had a birria burger for the first time at Gordon Ramsay Burger. It was offered for a limited time and it was nothing like I ever tasted in the best way! The service was also really good.

I have a crazy sweet tooth and my hotel was right across the street from Jeni’s Ice Cream which is literally one of my favorite places. The Gooey Butter Cake and Brown Butter Almond Brittle flavors are the best. Period.

On my last night, I went on a solo date at HaiSous Vietnamese Restaurant. The ambience in the restaurant was nice but it was LOUD. I enjoyed the Colossal Prawns & Snow Crab Claw with fried rice before ending the night with cocktails at my hotel’s bar.

The last meal I ate was a very casual breakfast that was large enough to share at Tempo Cafe. The meal was good and filling. I can’t help but imagine that this would be the perfect place to eat after a hangover lol.

This was honestly one of the best solo trips I have ever taken. Here are a couple of things that made my trip go smoothly:

  • I booked a hotel in the Magnificent Mile neighborhood. It made everything walkable so I relied very little on Ubers and public transportation. I walked almost everywhere.

  • I prepaid for some of my activities such as Chicago 360 and The Museum of Ice Cream. I highly recommend this because both attractions were very busy and The Museum of Ice Cream required booked tickets. They did not allow walk-ins.

Have you ever been to Chicago? I’d love to read your experience and recommendations in the comments. Thanks for reading. Ciao!