Chicago has been such a blast so far! After my horrific travel day, things are definitely a lot better. :-D
Yum Universe Party
Last night, a bunch of us headed over to check out the Yum Universe Launch Party.
The decor inside was totally pretty snazzy, along with some really fun appetizers and drink samplings.
Kath, Megan, & Me :)
Unfortunately, the party had such a great turnout, that it was a little difficult to make it through any lines to sample the goods. I didn’t get to try any appetizers, but they definitely looked tasty!
This morning, a group of us headed out bright and early for a little “blogger breakfast” at The Corner Bakery Cafe.
Tina actually got yelled at for snapping photos of the inside of the cafe! Really?!? C’mon, we’re food bloggers, sheesh!
I started things off with a delicious iced coffee (yes, in typical “Courtney Fashion”).
For food, I decided to go with the Chilled Swiss Oatmeal, which was chilled European breakfast cereal made with rolled oats, fresh green apples, bananas, currants, dried cranberries, low fat yogurt, and skim milk. Super creamy and delicious…loved it!
Whatever this bread was that came with it was totally fantastic. Crispy, sweet, full of raisins. YUM!
Heading back to the hotel. :) Hi Gabriela!!
Everyone kind of had different plans for the morning, so while some people hit up some hot yoga (which I didn’t think I was ready to tackle again) and some visited the gym (wasn’t feelin’ that…) Hillary, Nienke, & I went on our own little walking tour of Chicago.
We saw so many great sites, and probably ended up covering a little over 3 miles walking…site seeing + workout in one. Saweeeet. :)
Our hotel…
Buckingham Fountain…
“I’m so excited to be in Chicago!!!” :-D
Art Institute of Chicago
Crazy “Water Walls”
The Bean!! I was completely intrigued by this thing…it’s so unique.
The Chicago River (P.S. – My Bachelorette fans should find this place familiar…date with Frank??)
More Chicago…
The “Eyeball” – freaky, right? ;)
Walking for 3+ miles definitely makes you work up a sweat AND an appetite! The three of us met up with Kath, Tina, Meghann, & Emily to try to find some lunch. Unfortunately, the task was not as easy as we thought and we ended up walking at least another 1-2 miles until we eventually found The Berghoff.
The inside was pretty classy and definitely gave off an “Old Chicago” vibe.
Right after sitting, our table was given some bread to share.
My plate:
A nice cold beer sounded totally perfect after walking in the blazing heat, so Kath, Hillary, & I opted to split an Amber Ale, which was quite tasty.
For my lunch, I jumped all over the Roasted Sweet Potato Panini.
The sweet potatoes were pretty darn fantastic, and the chips were out of this world. They kind of reminded me of Saratoga chips, but maybe better? ;) We all decided (since every one of us, except for Kath, ordered it) that it would have been better with a different kind of bread. I’ll bet their rye bread would have been phenomenal!
And of course, what meal wouldn’t be complete without a stop for some fro-yo??
Hi Tina! :)
I ordered a small Key Lime Pie, which was non-fat vanilla infused with key lime extract and topped with graham cracker crumbs. Absolutely AMAZING. :mrgreen:
We just picked up our swag bags, and I am SUPER PSYCHED at all the GOODIES that are loaded into these things. SO FUN!
Time to go get pretty for the Cocktail Party! :-D
Chicago Cuisine Critique says
Looks like you all are having a great time! You definitely have fit a lot of downtown Chicago in one day. And..that Key Lime Pie Frozen Yogurt… Yum! I may have to check out that place.
Shanna, like Banana says
So glad your day is better than your travel! Looks like an amazing time.
And Chicago is actually notorious for not liking people take pics in restaurants. I learned that at Northwestern in my photography class…weird!
Lizzy @ LBBakes says
Glad you had a better day today – keep snappin’ photos, I wish I could be out there!
suki says
I’ve been wanting to go to the Berghoff. They were one of the first root beers I wrote about for my root beer tasting! :p See you tomorrow!
BostonRunner says
Sounds like a great day! I have always wanted to go to Chicago, have a fun rest of your trip
Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run] says
Just catching up on my STSL. Great pics!! Yesterday was a lot of fun!
Courtney says
Yes Yes Yes! :-D