A Saturday in Chicago

Daytrips are one of my most favorite things. My brother and I decided Thursday night that we would go to Chicago for the day on Saturday to meet up with our cousins Simon and Carson, and Carson's family.  Best decision ever! Such a fun day, the kind that blows the dust out of the corners of your mind and brightens your mood for a long time after.

It was unusually warm for a Saturday in December but the weather made up for it by raining on us for most of the day. We passed the time in the best way possible: eating amazing food, walking for hours, laughing and talking and taking silly photos. It was so good to see my relatives. Simon lives in Canada and we only see each other about every 2 years which is ridiculous and I haven't seen Carson since I was maybe four years old. He has such a sweet family and it was lovely to meet them. The best part was Simon hopping in the car and coming back to Indiana with us for the rest of the weekend.  Thank you Greyhound bus for making last minute travel rearrangements possible!

{Typical Midwestern weather}

It doesn't really matter though, Chicago looks gorgeous even on a dreary day.

{View from Millenium Park}

{It's easy to be positive when you've got the appropriate footwear.}

 {And a helpful brother, willing to hold the umbrella while you prance around taking pictures}

 {Smile, brother!}

{Sam's perspective}

{Randolph Street, as seen from Noodles By Takashi Yagihashi on the 7th floor of Macy's}

{Inside Macy's}

(a.k.a. what happens when you hand a stranger your camera}

{Cloud Gate}

{Sam & Simon at Crown Fountain}

{A must-stop in Chicago: Intelligentsia, aka the world's most expensive cup of coffee}

Ok but real talk, I had the best chai latte in my life here.

{Another must stop: Sprinkles Cupcakes, though this is an L.A. transplant}

{Flavors: Red Velvet, Black & White, and Chocolate Peppermint. so good.}

{Michigan Ave at dusk}

{Chicago bringing out the best in us}

Unfortunately, my camera battery gave up the ghost after that so what I didn't get pictures of is the long walk on busy streets of shoppers back to where we parked the car, hanging out in the Cultural center gawking at a leopard-skin clad lady brandishing an eight-foot whip (we didn't ask), or the delicious pizza at a place way out in the suburbs called Caponies. Or any pictures of Carson & co.

With a fresh battery, I did manage to catch a horse checking his email at my desk on Sunday evening, however.

And a pair of cousins learning a duet on the piano.

And of course, inspired by Sprinkles, we made cupcakes that didn't look quite the same but were just as delicious. It may be my best recipe combination yet.

 And that's enough of the photo sharing for one evening, I daresay.

Did you have a good weekend?