An Accidental Walk

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, 28˚ with a slight breeze and sun shining all day. Our goal was to go to Lincoln Park to see the new collections at the furniture shops and grab a quick bite at Uncle Julio's. We headed north on Michigan Avenue, and just kept going. While getting lost in the new surroundings and the streets lined with beautiful homes, we made a left here and a right there and found ourselves on an accidental walk to Lincoln Park! Instead of the normal train ride on the Red Line, we did the four-mile walk from downtown to Lincoln Park, where we did enjoy some shopping and awesome Mexican food. Check out a couple photos from the farthest north we've walked thus far and a few things we saw from Point A to Point B.

Our accidental four-mile walk to Lincoln Park.

Can I live there, please?

On the way to Lincoln Park, we found Old Town. Or maybe Old Town found us? Old Town is a historic neighborhood in Chicago, home to Victorian-era homes and buildings, predating the Great Chicago Fire. It's home St. Michael's Church (1 of only 7 churches to survive the fire) and the famous The Second City improv group. We walked down North Wells Street, where we found restaurants we've heard and read about, and an abundance of speciality shops, even a place dedicated to purely spices! There are so many places to visit (and take photos of) and eat at, so we will definitely be back!

We found Old Town!

Walking down North Wells Street (Old Town).

The view of the Hancock Tower from Old Town.

See you soon, Old Town!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from In The Chi-Loop... now in Florida! To have a little pre-holiday spirit, Pierre and I set out to do some holiday shopping down Michigan Avenue and take in some of the decorations around Downtown Chicago.

Such a beautiful morning!

Wreaths on Michigan Avenue.

Feels like Christmas!

Decorations on the Wrigley Building.

Window displays throughout the city.

Each business or hotel decorated their own planters. 

Outside of the Archdiocese of Chicago's offices.

The archdiocese's nativity scene.

The offices of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

After crossing off names on our list, we went to the Christkindlmarket, an outdoor market that is set up like a European village during Christmas. Beginning in Germany in 1545, the hundreds-year-old tradition made its way to Chicago in 1996 and has been here since. It continues to be hosted at the Daley Plaza (118 North Clark Street) in the Loop annually and offers typical German food and drinks, unique shopping for European crafts, and an overall festive experience. We went on a Saturday evening and it was insanely packed! I ended up buying some Christmas gifts there, including a Portugal flag tree ornament! With all the crowds, Pierre and I were not able to snack on some delicious German food, but next year we will be there for some hot chocolate and pancakes!

The pigeons are cold in Chicago too!

The nativity scene at the Christkindlmarket.

A shop full of Christmas ornaments.

One of many food shops.

My favorite at the Christkindlmarket.

The Christmas tree at the Daley Plaza.

Featuring candles and more candles.

Everything wood.

A honey shop.

A shop full of glass globes.

A view of the market and the tree.

The shops of the Christkindlmarket. 

Hats, anyone?

Does anyone have the time?

Traditional German food.

A mini-German town.

On our walk home, we took in the sights of all the lights on the trees on Michigan Avenue, with a nice surprise of witnessing ice on the Chicago River!

Wrigley Building at night.

Michigan Avenue at night.
If you notice in the distance, a crane is covered in Christmas lights!

The Chicago River covered in a thin layer of ice!

Snow at the Tribune Building.

Lights lining down Michigan Avenue.

In The Chi-Loop hopes everyone had a beautiful Christmas and see you in 2011!

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It finally snowed in Chicago! For those that might not know, I've never seen a real snowfall before! I felt like a kid waking up Saturday morning seeing the streets covered in fresh snow and I could not wait to get outside! I unfortunately had to work that morning, so Pierre joined me on my short walk so we could experience a bit of the weather together. By the time we left, the streets and sidewalks were pretty cleaned up (the advantage of living downtown versus the surrounding areas), but I was able to feel the snow crumble under my feet for some of the way. We got about 2 inches of snow, which I know only more is to come, but it was a nice winter practice for the both of us, especially when I have to walk in it every morning!

What I woke up to!

On my way to work.

Wrigley Building.

On the corner of Michigan and Wacker.

A sidewalk snow plow!

Our first snowball of the season!

Looking down onto Lower Wacker.

Snow!

All covered in snow!

Near Tribune.

Staying warm in my parka.

Michigan Avenue already cleaned up.

Feels like Christmas!

I still needed to see and feel more snow, so after work, we set off to The Park at Lakeshore East (a park that we visited before when my parents came up) to throw a couple snowballs. We were lucky enough to catch the fireworks display off Navy Pier. I still haven't bought a decent pair of gloves (I'm not a huge fan of them and my pockets have been sufficient) so once I do, we'll tackle some snowmen!

The Park at Lakeshore East.

Snow!

And so much of it!

The fireworks at Navy Pier. You can hear me laughing because I thought I saw Pierre making a snowball out of the corner of my eye. 

My first snowball!

Pierre throwing a snowball at me. What wasn't caught on video was the snowball I threw at him. That hit him straight in the face. ;] One point, Jessica!

Ours (and others) footprints in the snow.

I love how the snow collects on the tree branches!

Happy Winter!

We haven't gotten much snow since then, but the forecast for this upcoming week is snow, snow, and more snow! And we are excited and ready to feed our inner kid need for snow!