A Chicago Getaway, Summer 2010

I expected to see a few famous people during a recent visit to Chicago. Coach Ditka- didn't even see one of his restaurants. Rob Blogojevich- he's been super busy lately, apparently. Cousin Larry and Balki Bartokomous- not available, I was told. The closest I came to fame was watching Transformers 3 shoot scenes throughout the city. That's also the closest I'll ever come to watching a Transformers movie. Nerds.

Despite the lack of celeb sightings, my better half and I loved our first trips to Chicago. We booked a great deal at the new Hotel Palomar in the River North section of town and never looked back.

Here's what we did.

- Wine Hour at the Palomar, which is free and happens every day, 5-6pm.

- Deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's, after walking in the wrong direction for about an hour.

- Drinks on the Wit Hotel roof, which provided us a great city view.

- Breakfast at Xoco, by famous Chicago restaurateur Rick Bayless.

- Cubs/Phils at Wrigley Field, complete with pregame beers at Bernie's and a Chicago-style hot dog from the concessions.

- Pre-show Mexican dinner in the Old Town neighborhood.

- Second City show, during which we sat in the front row and I was referred to as "Nacho Guy" by the cast. I probably deserved a credit in the program book.

- Architecture tour on the Chicago River, during which our tour was delayed so Transformers stunt men could parachute out of a helicopter.

- Walks through Millennium and Grant Parks, which included lunch and a free concert.

- The tourist trap formerly known as Sears Tower, now called Willis Tower. Cool to see all the views from the top in every direction but the hour-long wait on a Saturday is rough. Add in crying children everywhere and insanity is sure to set in.

- Dinner at Vivo, an Italian joint in the West Loop neighborhood.

- Nightcap at the Palomar bar.

- Brunch at Yolk, a diner that's worth the wait on a Sunday morning.

- Navy Pier, which we really didn't explore because we were hot/tired.

And that's it. The people were friendly. The architecture was impressive. The green space was surprisingly overflowing. And with a beach on Lake Michigan, I can go back to Chi-town every summer.

Chicago, in pictures.