Good afternoon!
We had a ball of a time in Chicago today. A big group of us met in the lobby around 11am and hit the road!
Of we went, cameras in tote.
Hmmm….
Oh boy.
THE BEAN!
A photographer’s dream mirrored bean basically!
The inside of the bean…like ovaries almost!? ;)
I asked Eric if he wanted to come out with us crazy gals and he was all for it. I think he is living it up with all these gorgeous ladies! ;) Every time I ask him if he minds being with all women, he says he is having fun and has this big goofy grin on his face. Oh boy.
hehehe
I love the architecture.
We found a cute place for lunch called Argo Tea.
They have a full menu of iced and hot teas. I pretty much died and went to heaven. I got the White Tea Acai Squeeze and it was incredible.
Their entire menu has calorie counts! I’m not sure if that is common around here or not…as I haven’t noticed it elsewhere.
They had lots of vegan options too!!! Amazing.
My lunch:
Oh my gosh it was so amazing. All of us loved it.
Everyone I have met here is so nice. I feel so lucky to meet all of these fabulous women through the blogging community. :) Lots of friendships have blossomed.
The Trump tower. I heard he is having trouble trying to fill it!
Then I had my first trip to Trader Joe’s. Oh dear me.
We had a field day!
On the loose in a fun grocery store. Never a good sign.
When I get this look in my eyes Eric knows only bad things can come of it. ;)
Our last stop was a wonderful chocolate place called Vosges Haute Chocolate. They had lots of vegan options too. The lady who worked there was a vegan and showed me her two favs and I picked those up for a special treat.
I will show you the TJ’s loot and chocolate in my next post.
I’m off to get ready for dinner and the HLS Cocktail party. We’re getting all gussied up. ;) Have a great night!
{ 69 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Angela! I love reading all your posts and seeing what’s going on in Chicago :) I noticed in some of your skyline pictures that your camera is leaving quite a few dust spots. Oh no! :S
Not to worry though! If you go to a camera store they will clean your sensor for just around $10 (or you can google “clean camera sensor” and do it yourself too, but it’s really easy to mess up your camera)
Just wanted to offer some friendly photographer-to-photographer advice :)
Yay for Chicago! Yay for blogger friends! Yay for bean pictures! Yay for Trader Joes!
I recognize some of those ladies!! :D Mainly you and Allie, though lol. Looks like you all had a ball! And um..that gold statue is..interesting..?
Looks like so much fun!!
Chicago has some very impressive art all over town. That was definitely something I loved about that City.
how fun! i’ve never been to chicago but all of your great photos make me want to visit asap!
So….what did you get at TJs?? That place is addictive! I love it and wish we had one closer than 30 minutes away.
It was so awesome to finally meet you today!
What a great meet up! I can’t think of a better way to enjoy Chicago than to do it on foot. I have never heard of The Bean! And I’ve been there several times??
Have a great night!
Looks like you guys are having a lot of fun!!! Hope you have a great weekend!!!!
That lunch place looks great, i’m going to have to add it to my list next time in in Chicago. I’ve never been to Trader Joe’s but I’ve only heard good things…..soon enough, we’ll be making a day-trip to the nearest one and then my husband will definitely be in trouble. we are planning the day-trip for September! I’m so jealous of everyone that has a Trader Joe’s in their hometown!
Everyone’s Chicago posts are seriously making me miss that great city — I spent a lot of time there in my early 20s! If you haven’t tried Panes Bread Cafe, you’re missin’ out . . . jussayin! Hope you got lots of awesome loot at Trader Joe’s =)
I just returned from a trip to Trader Joe’s in San Francisco–it’s one of my favorite grocery stores! That chickpea salad is inspiring some tasty thoughts for my dinner tonight…and my boyfriend absolutely adores the Vosges Barcelona bar (with roasted almonds and sea salt). Enjoy Chicago and live it up! :)
Oh great pics!! You and Allie look like such goofballs, looks like you’re having loads of fun! Lucky Eric getting to hang out with you all ;)
Thanks for sharing your day. You girls are beautiful. Seriously, is there anyone there over 40? over 30? I don’t know where you live, but I am sorry you have never been to TJ’s. Have you ever seen the Kevin Smith movies, they are pretty raunchy. There are characters, Jay and Silent Bob and their hang out is some 7-11 type place. My husband wants TJ’s to be his hangout and he just wants to stand there all day…..The look in your eyes told me something similar.
LOVE IT….glad you are enjoying the windy city!
Looks like your having an awesome time in Chicago :) ! ahhhh I get the same look everytime I set in a Trader Joes lol I go nuts. Hope you have a fun night out !
walking is the only way
Ok, so I know that you’re actually DOWNTOWN downtown, but you must veer off a little and eat at Chicago Diner. It’s so incredibly delicious, and I guarantee you will love it! Argos Tea is pretty great as well, but it’s just not the same, haha.
OH GOD if there’s anything I miss from Chicago it’s Argo!! I honestly wasn’t a tea drinker at all until I started going there, and it quickly became our morning haunt between my coworkers and I (I worked at the hospital on Michigan Ave and there’s one on the campus, we got discounts!). Yum yum yum…. hehe
isn’t trader joe’s so fun?? I just moved to California from Halifax and it’s my favourite spot to go.. better than any shopping mall! :)
wow amazing!! so jealous. Maybe i should plan for next year to join all of you there! sounds like so much fun.
That is awesome how they have the calories on all the items at that one place, its handy! And VEGAN options.
The TJ pics are too cute.. It is a DREAM STORE..And the prices are so good..
Eric is a trooper and such a good guy. You guys should all go see Eat,Pray and Love the movie came out today..I hope you saw the Oprah’s show today Julia Roberts was on and it was so good..
HAVE FUN!! LOVE THE PICS AND THE POST.
Holy vosges chocolate!! I love their chocolate – they have bacon!
I have to say, I am loving that tank top! That color really suits you!
Looks like you guys are having so much fun!
Love seeing HLS through all the bloggers eyes! (cameras!)
Eric is a trooper!!
In Washington, it is state law that fast food places must have their calorie counts! It’s great to know especially when you’re about to order an 800 calorie salad.
How fun that Eric came with you all! My husband would have said the same thing as Eric, and he would have had a goofy grin on his face too! Haha.
Have a great weekend!
What a perfect lunch. The calorie thing is new and is popping up at a lot of cafes. In some places it’s a law to post it on the menu.
Oh my gosh, I nearly died at the bean looking like ovaries. hahahaha
I LOVE Argo tea!! And you got the same lunch I always get there. The chickpea salad is so, so good!!
hi angela, i don’t often comment but i read your blog daily – and it is SO MUCH FUN hearing about your Chicago trip, it looks amazing. have a great time!
Aww! So fun! Eric is such a great sport. :) That must be SO tough for him. hehe
I love Vosges!!! I went there when I was in Chicago. My favorite is the sesame, ginger, wasabi. SO GOOD
Have so much fun tonight!!
Yay TJ’s!! and Argo looks amazing!! I love that they do calorie counts…I wish all restaurants were required to post them on the menu.
chicago looks like so much fun!!! i’ve never been but everyone i know who has visited only has positive things to say about it. although, i’m not quite sure i’m excited by that modern art. maybe because i really, really loathe most modern art :p! trader joes = MY LIFE. love love love! so glad you got to experience it. i can definitely spend hours in there, too! have a great rest of your trip :)
Hi Angela!
I have been following your blog for the last couple of months, but this is my first time commenting. I now have a pretty torrid love affair w/overnight oats and chia seeds thanks to you :) I’m so excited to see you are in Chicago – this beautiful city has been my home for the last 8 years. Are you planning to check out Karyn’s Raw restaurant in Lincoln Park? She is a genius and makes the most divine raw, vegan food. If it is not on your agenda, you must add it on! If you don’t have time for a sit down meal, she has a wonderful juice bar and to-go items.
Enjoy your time here!!
Kristin
This does look like so much fun! I’m hoping to go to HLS next year. It’s neat to see Freya in your pictures, she’s one of my favorite bloggers! Oh and poor, poor Eric ;)
Hey Angela,
I’ve been your blog reader since last week and you are such a inspiration! Enjoy your time in Chicago and I’m so happy you went to TJ’s, love that place :)
I did my first 5K yesterday (thanks to you) and I believe I still have leftover endorphins from it :))
Did you enjoy our HOT weather today?