KatelynApril 24, 2021- April 25, 2021
Where We Stayed: Hyatt Regency Chicago
Trip Highlights:
- Our first trip post-vaccination
- Exploring and relaxing in Chicago
- Six Flags Great America
Favorite Restaurants:
We celebrated being fully vaccinated by taking a short weekend trip down to Chicago. Prior to the trip, we set up a countdown on a screen in our living room and were pretty excited to see “freedom” finally hit zero on the morning that we left.
We didn’t have too many plans in Chicago other than to explore and eat some yummy food. After we arrived and checked into our hotel, we walked deeper into the Magnificent Mile to Do-Rite Donuts and Chicken so I could finally try their gluten free donuts that had heard tons about online. After trying one of each gluten free flavor, I can confirm the gluten free donuts live up to their hype! Sam also enjoyed a their gluten-filled donuts, but in case the picture below doesn’t show, I was pretty excited.
After wandering through the city a bit more, we stopped at one of our favorite restaurants, Nando’s, for lunch. This was our first time eating in a restaurant in more than a year and a half. It was surreal to sit down at the table and just take our masks off like things were “normal” again.
Our next stop of the day was the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, aka the largest Starbucks in the world. This was another thing we hadn’t really experienced since COVID began: crowds. This place was PACKED. We explored through their floors for a bit (including taking a ride on this crazy curved escalator) before leaving to explore the Magnificent Mile a bit more.
Dinner that night was another favorite of ours: Sweetwater Grille. We both had their interpretation of a French 25 (though this one had vodka rather than gin) and their steak. We discovered this restaurant on a trip we took to Chicago in 2019, and their steak was just as good as we remembered it to be.
On Sunday, we checked out of our hotel in Chicago and drove out of the city toward Six Flags Great America. This was opening weekend for the park after a year of being closed due to COVID. We picked up our new Six Flags membership cards and spent a slightly cold morning riding roller coasters with minimal crowds. The park was still had reservations that held the park to only 25% capacity, so even with the additional time that was taken to sanitize the rides between groups, most rides we waited less than 20 minutes to ride.
This was a quick trip, but a great return to travel! We finished this trip excited to begin our summer travels post-vaccination as the world slowly begins to return to “normal.”
