Coast to Coast, LA to Chicago

I spent last weekend in Chicago with four of my favorite gal pals. We had so much fun talking, shopping, eating, and we laughed a lot. Jayne is right- we have to do this again. Here's a shot of us just after a shopping trip to H&M (our first stop in Chicago) and just before a dinner at Giordano's. I could really go for a slice of cheesy deep dish right now.

We did some more shopping and then we hit Ghirardeli for some ice cream sundae's. (Natalie, I cut you out of this picture only because your eyes are closed and I didn't think you'd like it.)

Saturday we got up and jogged/exercised/enjoyed the scenery along Lake Michigan. I snapped this cute picture of Natalie that I just love.

Bobby is a long time fan of Frank Lloyd Wright and he converted me a few years ago. I've been wanting to see his work ever since we moved out to the Midwest and thanks to Ash, I finally got my chance this trip. We found the Robie house in my guidebook and asked the receptionist how to get there. She discouraged us from going and said it would be difficult to find a cab coming back to the city from Hyde Park. Then we talked about hopping on the Metra, but I didn't want to drag Jayne and Ash out there if they weren't really into it. But soon I could tell that Ashley wanted to go just as much as I did and we went for it. I love public transportation. It made me all nostalgic for my study abroad days. I'm so glad we did it! Frank Lloyd Wright was such an amazing artist!

Here's a few more shots from Hyde Park. The good ones were stolen from Ashley's blog. I love her model shot.

Our last morning there we walked in search of Garrett's popcorn. The morning before I left, I was watching Food Network with a sick Franny and saw that Giada's weekend get-away show that was on that morning was filmed in Chicago. I said to Franny, "Do you remember when we went to Chicago?" She asked if we could go again. I told her that I was going, but that she'd be staying home with Dad. She didn't seem very happy about this. So I told her I'd bring her back some popcorn from Garrett's. I bought her and Sophie a medium-sized bag of the "The Mix." Cheese and Caramel popcorn mixed together. When I first considered that combination I thought I was going to be sick. I couldn't have been more wrong because it is DELICIOUS. I want some more right now!

Jayne and I got to take the train out to Chicago and back together. We had such a blast. When I dropped her off she said, "Isn't it weird that we've been hanging out for three days and we still haven't run out of things to talk about?" It was just a perfect weekend and I can't wait to do it again.

We all arrived in Chicago within a half an hour of each other, even though almost all of us we're coming from different places. While Ashley, Jayne and I were waiting in the hotel for Jessica and Natalie, I was looking at the toiletry freebies and saw the conditioner was called "Smooth Operator." After that I could not get that song out of my head and would often break out with a "No need to ask, he's a smooth operator...." right in the middle of the street. So I decided to make a playlist in honor of our trip. These are the songs that will probably always remind me of our fun weekend in Chicago.