Final Fling Before the Ring - Chicago Style!

While I would like you all to think that I have a pretty exciting life now that I live in a pretty exciting city, but that may not always be the case :) I've had a fairly busy week, but nothing jumps out at me as to what to write about. No one probably cares about a new spinach dip (Healthy Spinach Yogurt Dip) that I tried or the workouts that Christian has been giving me, both of which are pretty exciting to me... So, instead, for this week's post, I'm taking a retroactive approach and going back to the end of March to detail the fun weekend spent with Krista Smith (then Meng) and Megan Percival for the big bachelorette party!

Trevor got to spend his bachelor party in Las Vegas, so, not to be outdone, Krista decided to coincide her bachelorette party with a trip to visit me in Chicago. Needless to say, I was very much in favor of this decision! New to the city myself, I was also excited about an excuse to be a tourist here.

The girls got in to town on Friday morning. They had a pretty early flight, so we spent much of that day hanging out around the apartment. That evening was to be the big "going out" night to celebrate Krista's last single fling! We had lots of goodies prepared at the house as well as a few "bachelorette-type" games to play. After a few margarita's (add a splash of mango orange juice - delicious!) we headed out to Wrigleyville. We spent some time trying out some local establishments before landing at a bar called John Barleycorn. Unfortuntately, Courtney had to work at The Southern that night, but she was able to meet us out after she got off of work. Around 2 a.m. when the bar closed, we were feeling 21 again and decided to hit up The Hangge-Uppe for the after party. We must have really thought we were 21 again because we closed that bar too!

Part of the party treats. If you are looking for an AMAZING appetizer, try this. One wheel of brie, a couple heads of garlic (take it apart, but don't peel the cloves), olive oil, and salt and pepper. Pop it in the over at 350 degrees, uncovered, and wait until the brie puffs up in the middle. Slice and toast a french baguette. Guests serve themselves with a smear of brie and roasted garlic squeezed out. Very good!

Enjoying the bachelorette party!

Our Saturday agenda was largely focused around going on a food tour in the Gold Coast area. If anyone is visiting a new city and trying to decide where to eat, I wholeheartedly suggest doing a food tour. I've done several in NYC and have never been disappointed! We toured hotels, ate pizza at Oprah's favorite pizza place, learned about the curse of the Cubs at the Billy Goat Tavern (it's also the birthplace of the famous "Cheezborger! Cheezborger! skit from SNL), and more. After our four-hour tour, we were stuffed and sleepy. After a nap at home, we finished the day with some tasty sushi from a place up the street.

The girls weren't leaving until Monday morning, so we spent Sunday doing more tourist activies and shopping. Krista's one request was to hit up H&M, something I was happy to accomodate. We also took our picture in the Bean and finished the day with some authentic, deep-dish Chicago pizza.

All in all, it was a great weekend with friends. I am always looking for an excuse to show people around (and discover Chicago myself!), so I encourage all of my friends to come visit! Then I can blog about it!

Enjoy that nice weather!

H&W