A Chicago Weekend

Issa, Allison, and I left Saturday morning for a weekend in Chicago to see Taylor Swift! My sister very generously hosted us and created a truly memorable weekend for them!

We left our house Saturday morning at 7am. Issa's bag got pulled for extra screening because of her melatonin gummies, which I found hysterical and she did not. But we made it to our gate with plenty of time:

We had an incredibly smooth flight and hopped a taxi to Shannon's place. We dropped our stuff and headed straight to lunch at BrightWok, which is one of Issa's very favorite completely gluten-free restaurants. The next big request the girls had was to visit the Starbuck's Roastery, which is a whole different experience:

We were expecting just a giant Starbucks--wrong-o! It's five floors, and when you walk in they shuttle right onto a spiral elevator to the top. We didn't go all the way up because that is a bar with all coffee-infused beverages. There is a whole floor dedicated to coffee flights and alternative brewing processes, and whole floor that is a bakery of experimental pastries. We spent most of our time on the ground floor, which is where you can see them roasting and have some experimental drinks. I had a dark chocolate mocha that was absolutely amazing! There are tubes throughout the whole Roastery where coffee beans shoot through, which was super fun to watch. We were all surprised by the lack of merchandise, but we also really loved our signature coffees. If I lived close, I could easily see myself meeting friends here often!

After Starbucks, we stopped into Walgreens for some sunscreen. Shannon and I cracked up when the girls asked if they could look around for a while:

Apparently it was a super fancy, super fun one!

We spent Saturday afternoon on the river for an architectural tour:

Both girls had taken interior design, so they were in their element:

After the tour we headed back so the girls could settle into their very own apartment for the weekend while Shannon and I enjoyed a beverage on her patio. We couldn't have asked for better weather, and it was so fun to watch the boats on the river while we sipped. We had dinner at our favorite tapas place, and then headed back to Shannon's. The girls swam while Shannon and I talked and watched the light show across the river:

Sunday morning, we had breakfast at Shannon's and then went down to the aquarium, which was shockingly not busy! We were able to stand right in front of tanks without feeling at all rushed. I was so thrilled we got to see the otters being fed, but the highlight was petting the sting rays:

Issa and Allison bonded with a tailless ray named Valentine. We had lunch on the patio overlooking the lake and the skyline:

And we loved the coral reef and shark exhibit:

We took a break in the afternoon to watch the Lorax and rest up for the big night!

Issa had made us friendship bracelets to trade at the concert:

Issa was thrilled it was cold enough to wear her Taylor cardigan, and Allison wore THE tights of the night:

I was in my folklore era and stupid excited:

Getting to our seats was nutso, but Shannon thought to grab this picture from inside Soldier Field:

And the concert:

I am still searching for the words. It was hands down the best concert I've ever been to. The music was phenomenal, but every detail of the show had been thought through as a whole production. The stage was more like a screen, changing with every song. Her costumes were incredible, and the choreo was amazing. She performed for over three hours, and even during the quick changes something was happening on stage. For one, they converted Seven to a spoken word poem and had a true modern dance piece set to it. Our secret songs were the first live performance of Hits Different and a piano version of The Moment I Knew--both great songs! Each person had a light up bracelet that was programed to the music, so the whole stadium became part of the set. During the Ten Minute Version, the lights in the stadium marked the seasons in a way that I will never be able to accurately describe. 

That picture is the one I took all night. Watching that moon rise over the stadium, singing with thousands of people, and watching an artist that is so genuine and real is truly an experience. 

The whole weekend is one giant core memory.