Windy City Weekend

Last weekend Ryan and I explored Chicago's sky-high towers and fall-colored parks. We both love Chicago. He'd been there for a week-long conference, and I was happy to join him (although I noticed flying cross country is not so glamorous being seven months pregnant!) This was our last "hurrah" trip before baby Beck comes - it's still crazy to think that our next adventure will include a stroller!

Ryan and his graduate school buddy let me act the part of tour guide to my favorite spots from my college intern days five years ago. It's funny how a place can embed itself in your memory - from the smell of bustling Michigan Ave. to hook-ups for free Ghirardelli chocolate samples, I felt as though I'd been there only a month before. Visit highlights included the architecture boat tour and seeing our warped reflections in "The Bean" of (my fav!) Millennial Park. Best of all, we met for brunch with my former internship supervisor and longtime mentor.

No matter where we go, we've found this to be true: Connecting with people is the best part of traveling.

We rented a rad apartment in the heart of the city, two blocks from the famous Hancock building and a 15-minute stroll to Navy Pier in the other. (Interested in scoring a great place for your next adventure? I share in this post how to stay like a local, while spending less than a hotel.) With it getting dark so early, we'd eat dinner and return for one of our traveling traditions: watching movies made in the place we saw that day. In Chicago, we watched the classic "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and mind-blowing "Source Code."

View from the base of the Hancock building - two blocks from where we stayed.

Trump Tower and Wrigley building - the juxtaposition of two very different architecture styles.

Pretty fall colors outside the Chicago Tribune tower.

Yeah! The Bean!

Almost like a scene out of "Source Code"

This art museum houses the often-mimicked "American Gothic"

The backside of the museum had this amazing array of vines - fall delights!

Cityscape sunset and winterized Buckingham Fountain

Pretty cool to find a piece of the building where we were married on the Chicago Tribune tower.

We saw the REAL St. Peter's Cathedral earlier this year - had to take a picture of this piece.

Goodnight, NBC building!