Chicago Coming in Hot and Humid

Last weekend I took a trip to Chicago and guess what my new favorite city is, yes it's Chicago! The people are so great, the food is delicious and the buildings are in abundance. Also maybe I'm an idiot or maybe I'm from the west and no one tells you small aspects of cities further away, but Chicago has a beach! Like wait best all around city in the world.

The first night I got there I took the cta to my hotel and now looking back I realize how unnecessary my fear of finding my hotel was because this is the real world and there are smart phones and people to ask for directions. So I found it (obviously) and it was amazing!

Chicago Harbor

On Friday I went to the Art Institute of Chicago and it was really hot and humid, but absolutely beautiful out. The museum was amazing, filled with masterpieces abound.

Joan Mitchell, City Landscape

Claude Monet, Water Lilies

I had a chicago dog for lunch which was just so dang good. Even though by this time I felt like a local (in other words, not needing my maps very often), I found I was totally not a local because I should have gotten the Italian beef. You live and you learn.
That night I tried Lou Malnati's, a highly recommended pizza restaurant and while I was waiting for my order I chatted with this great group of people also waiting to be seated. Firstly they had some serious rims on their car. Secondly their 4 year old Jason was one hell of a guy. The dad started talking to me about Utah Jazz players and I tried to act like I knew what he was talking about because I wanted to look cool, of course. Anyway this story goes to further exemplify how great the people are there, if you couldn't tell.

Saturday I spent roaming the city with local legend and tour guide Ben Hannon. Its just the best city to walk around in. I looked up and saw the Willis Tower from the ground because the line was 45 hours long to go to the top, but it looked pretty tall. Instead we went to the Hancock building and got the 360 view on top which was super cool. Not only did I see several roof top pools, but also the beach!! Really I am still so shocked and thrilled there's a beach in Chicago.

Tour guide Ben

That is one tall ass building

My girl Natalie Sweeney drove down for Saturday night and we enjoyed the hotel's complementary wine hour that preceded an awesome pizza dinner and more wine. Best friends catching up, how can that not be fun? When we returned from dinner, Ben and his friends met up with us at the hotel for drinks on the roof then going out to the bars. I can't speak for all of them, but I had such a great time.

I have deemed Chicago the greatest city in the U.S. and well if you go there I'm positive you'll feel the same. The culture is live with art, music and food and really who doesn't love all of those things immensely? I dream of living there as soon as possible.

The Pizza That Brings The People Together

So the other day, after a last minute text message, I jumped off the couch I had been laying on since I don't know when (just kidding, it was like 20 minutes) and ran to my car because of how thrilled I was to finally see the house my best friend from high school had bought in this crazy city of Salt Lake. While the reality of the situation was far less dramatic, for instance I have only run to my car once that I could remember and that was because I thought I was late, the thrill I had was still there. A little background I suppose?

Jessica (or Yarm as she is known frequently and in my case most commonly) and Matt are that really cool couple who toured Eastern Europe together and went just about everywhere one could hope to go and while doing so took amazingly beautiful photos and wrote a blog I actually very much wanted to read which doesn't happen often. They have a golden retriever named Lola that is actually more of a model than anyone I know, yet she has no idea of her beauty, well maybe a little in that everyone loves her and she loves that. And Matt's alter ego, Jeano, makes the worlds BEST wood fired pizza, that they share far and wide like the kind souls they are.

The prosciutto, pear and fresh mozzarella!
My favorite would have to be the Margherita because I'm a classics chick.   

This night I also had the privilege of seeing my other best friend from high school also named Jessica, yes sometimes it got confusing, and her fiancé Alex. They are v perfect for each other.
('v': a term translated closely to mean 'very' that Alex is plaguing the english language with.)

The crew.
This is a special shot because Matt actually had a moment to eat some of the pizza he slaves over.

Not only was I able to have my favorite Jeano's, but they also had some tasty appetizers, excellent conversation and homemade cinnamon infused lemonade. Oh shoot there was also a most delectable oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that my stomach understandably made room for after like a hundred pieces of pizza. I can't remember how many times I've said this because I have a horrible memory, but I absolutely love food and it makes me so happy to share meals with people. The meals can be anything from extravagant steak dinners at my dads favorite casino to the time my friends and I ate yogurt and plastic bottled wine for dinner on our last night in Paris because we ran out of money.

The model who maybe moved as I was taking the picture and doesn't normally have a blur for a nose

And now as I sit in my dungeon-like basement room on my (terribly comfy) bed I think how wonderful friends, including all of you of course duh, transform nights of expected couch lounging into something far more social and far more fun and I just love that!

Disclaimer: I'm in no way knocking couch lounging, a favored pastime of mine.

Disclaimer #2: Really drink in that exclamation mark I just used because they don't happen very often.

Who would I be without a blurry picture of a dog licking my face