Lincoln Park Farmer's Market

The other weekend, Michael and headed to the Lincoln Park Farmer's Market early one Saturday morning. I had read up on the best Farmer Market's in the city, and this one received great reviews. Lincoln Park has a beautiful little running/walking/biking path that we took to get there. It's covered by trees and we even rode by a driving range that I'm sure we'll be checking out before the summer comes to an end. 

It was a quick ride for us to get to the market on Armitage Ave & Orchard St. Coming from a farm family and farm community, I am always excited to get fresh veggies and fruits; and of course to give back to the "farmers." To my surprise they were serving crepes and fresh bread. This reminded me of Europe, and Michael or I couldn't have been more excited. Unfortunately we left feeling a little disappointed. Maybe I had too high of expectations after reading the raving reviews and from being a reoccurring customer at Los Angele's farmer's market at the Grove. If you've never been, LA's farmer's market is absolutely huge and wonderful. 

In the end, we came home with some amazing peaches and fresh bread for bruschetta. We plan to scope out other farmer's markets Chicago has to offer; so I'll be sure to share what we find!

Harley will be receiving this for his upcoming 21st birthday at the end of the month :)

Notice the bite out of the bread in my basket, Michael couldn't wait till we got home (haha)

Lincoln's Zoos

Michael and I are always on a mission to find fun things to do in the city without breaking the bank. When we found out the Lincoln Park Zoo was free, we were excited to spend a Saturday there with new friends. It turns out Chicago’s weather isn’t much different than Nebraska’s. It was beautiful one minute, and then when we decided to leave, a sudden storm came in. Luckily it only lasted for around 30 minutes. The zoo isn’t far from our apartment so we enjoyed the walk through Lincoln Park on the running/biking path. The zoo was super clean and had a lot of great attractions. My personal favorite has always been the monkey exhibit.

Spending the day at the zoo made me miss my family. Earlier this summer we visited the Lincoln (Nebraska) Children’s Zoo with my niece and nephew. I thought it was kind of funny that we move to a different state and visit another Lincoln zoo. Nonetheless, going to the zoo, whether it’s with good friends or family, has always been one of my favorite summer activities!

Beach Bums

With the unusual and steaming hot weather we've had in Chicago lately, there's no better way to cool off than to hit the beach! Chicago may be in the Midwest, but we're lucky enough to have a huge body of water to take advantage of during the summer months. As a Nebraska native, I always imagined every lake was mucky and dirty; but to my surprise Lake Michigan has very clear, clean and pleasant water. In my opinon it beats the West Coast beaches because you don't have to deal with the salt and seaweed.

After a hard work week nothing beats relaxing on the beach all afternoon. And in our case, we ended up staying until the lifeguards closed the beach down. We biked for about 10 minutes from our apartment along Lake Shore Drive pedway with lake views to our beach spot. We made our camp with the essentials: snacks, water, magazines, fresh fruit, a floppy hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. It was one of my favorite days spent in Chicago thus far. Not to mention, both Michael and I were needing some sun to get rid of some tan lines from golfing and running/biking! North Avenue beach, you will be seeing a lot of us this summer.

Chicago's seashells (and Michael skipping rocks in the background)

Pride

The scorching hot heat along with humidity didn't stop anyone from showing up for the Chicago Pride Parade we attended in our neighborhood two weeks ago. Like I mentioned in my previous post, festivals are all the rage in Chicago's summer months, but I think the Chicago Pride Parade takes the cake. Rainbows lined the streets and the outfits were more creative than ever. The heat didn't ruin anyone's mood; I've never been surrounded by so many happy people in one place. There was one point when we were hot, sweaty and trying to find a friend in a crowd that was literally bumper to bumper. That was a situation when people could have easily got upset, or claustrophobic, but not at Pride. 

I myself couldn't handle 800,000 people packed on Halsted street for too long, but if you're new to Chicago, or haven't attended it's a must. When we decided to head home we realized we were on the wrong side of the street. This resulted in us taking a long route around the parade which was quite an adventure. Along the way we got some gelato (which I've been craving every day since I left Rome) and we were happy. This city has yet to show us a bad time!

Finally found some delicious gelato!

1 month Chicago Anniversary

Picture from my bus stop when leaving work.

Wow! Where has the time gone? My first month in Chicago has been a whirlwind, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm still so fascinated by this city I'm sure I get mistaken for a tourist quite often. It's safe to say Chicago is another world compared to Lincoln, Nebraska, let alone Scotia, Nebraska (my home town of 318 people). One thing remains the same though, the people in Chicago have lived up to the rumors and are extremely polite and kind. Below are some things I've learned so far, but I'm sure this list will continue to grow as I become more accustomed to "city life."

Things I've learned thus far: 

1. There's a festival to attend in Chicago every day if you want.

2. Always pack an extra pair of shoes for the commute.

3. You'll be known by all your neighbors by your dog's name.

4. You could eat out every day of the year for 3 years and still not make a dent in the resturants this city has to offer. 

5. Never get on the north bound bus when you're trying to go south bound, unless you want an hour tour of neighborhoods.

Our neighborhood

Beautiful artwork on the way to the beach.

Our rooftop by night

Favorite Thai food in our neighborhood: Ping Pong.

Chicago has beautiful landscaping that I can't get enough of.

Evenings spent at the dog park.

Date night