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!

The Big Move

Harley and I busy packing.

Wow, what a whirlwind these last few weeks have been. I can hardly believe it’s June 11^th! On May 14^th I left for Europe for 12 days with a good friend. We traveled to London, Paris and Rome; but that deserves a blog post of its own! When I got back to the states I was anxious to get home to see my family before I took off for the windy city. While home we celebrated my birthday and before I knew it I was back in Lincoln packing for Chicago!

It’s hard to believe how much stuff one can accumulate over a couple years. I was leaving my apartment complex of nearly 3 years and boxing my things up, along with Michael's, was not as easy as it used to be. But with lots of elbow grease and organization, we loaded up the U-Haul and were off for Chicago bright and early, June 1^st!

Loading up late Thursday night.

Saying goodbye to Apartment 93

Bright and early Friday morning before getting on the road.

Harley enjoying his little nook in the backseat.

Michael and I were lucky enough to have my brother and sister-in-law help us move. With my brother’s strength and driving the U-Haul the move went very smooth. We even accidentally took I-80 and avoided the dreaded toll ways on the way. It was supposed to rain, but luck was on our side again with lots of sunshine. When we entered Chicago we also got a glimpse of rush hour, which I will now be avoiding at all costs. But nonetheless we arrived at our new home at 5PM and began to unload and unpack. It was only natural to order in Chicago deep dish for our first meal and first house guests!

After a couple days of organizing and strategic thinking, we were settled! Since then we’ve enjoyed the lake shore running and biking path that are steps away from our apartment, the dog beach and Lincoln Park that Harley can’t get enough of and have been exploring our new neighborhood. We’ve spent time with old and new friends and I think it’s safe to say we are all feeling right at home!

Until next time,

Belinda