Category:

Travel

Our Chicago Visit

by Shalice Noel

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Top WILDFOX / jeans SEAFARER / wedges AGL

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA


a  happy flower girl

dress SIMILAR / jeans TOPSHOP / wedges AGL

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Hide and seek anyone?

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAring bearer gang
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Apparently visiting friends, staying with family and having your children in your brother’s wedding is exhausting stuff. Thankfully, it is also a special time to reconnect, hence the lack of blog posts. I blame it on plain quality family time with my parents, sisters and cousins! Below are some of our favorite Chicago coffee shops for you to explore and enjoy. LA bound tomorrow!

1. BOWTRUSS COFFEE ROASTERS – Roscoe Village – Bowtruss is our go-to before church and their “XO” wall will have you wishing you had one in your kitchen while you’re making dinner. This one gets #1 because it’s kid-friendly.

2. INTELLIGENTISA Wicker park – High on the charm scale though drinks are a bit on the small side. Yummy selection of baked goods and even the black coffee is good.

3. LA COLOMBE Wicker Park/Bucktown (right under the blue line Damen stop) – Great location, woody yummy lattes, and a beautiful aesthetic.

4. BLACKBERRY MARKET Glen Ellyn – Go early for killer lattes, gluten free options and a cute aesthetic. Did I mention the cinnamon rolls?

5. BUZZ KILLER ESPRESSO Bucktown – An upstairs, wifi, and the prettiest latte art makes this one top on my list when I don’t want to work from home.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Breezy light chiffon proves the best kind of ventilation for that dry desert air. And looking effortlessly chic? Well, that’s a bonus along with crazy wind blown hair. I paired the dress with a wrap heel that happens to go with everything. And yes, planning our next trip to the desert stat.

dress EXPRESS / heel SIMILAR (also love these and these) / sunnies “geek chic” PERVERSE SUNGLASSES

shot on location Palm Springs, CA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

IMG_4273

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Thinking to give ourselves a little vacation mixed with desert air, we attempted 12 hours in Palm Springs. Well, two hours later we (being 4 adults and 4 children) stiffly rolled out of one SUV. At that point, the Siberian Desert even sounded good. The kids frolicked, the adults laughed with delight, and yes, the scenery was breathtaking. I think I even managed to nab a picture. Together with the breakfast burritos and ricotta pancakes at Kings Highway, it was an all-around success. And lest you wonder, I wore blush, spring’s hottest hue. I really should limit my purchasing of blush items but it’s so flattering to most skin tones – mine being olive- that I don’t see an end in sight. 

shot on location at North Palm Springs

ruffle maxi dress ASOS / sandals FARYLROBIN SEE SIMILAR  /

IMG_6309

DSC_0414Stopped in VAIL, CO for lunch – obviously freezing.IMG_6310 IMG_6313 IMG_6316

IMG_6306

You start playing with your son’s toys after too many hours in the car….

IMG_6307

IMG_6308 IMG_6428

 

While I’d like to say that all 2500+ miles went smoothly from Chicago to Los Angeles, nobody would believe me. However if smooth is measured by candid hilarity, countless pictures, untold memories and a whole lotta thinking time, then, yes, it was smooth and you can actually believe me. We packed our grey SUV to the max (read ZERO LEG ROOM), so the rest stops were part necessity and part celebration. I’ve never made the drive to CA before, so seeing the sun set in Monument Valley and the San Juan River with floating chunks of ice were something to behold. I also didn’t think I’d see the day when we would have been within feet of hitting a cow in a free range pasture in south Utah, but yup, saw that too. And my five year-old’s reaction? “Ugh, cows these days.” Definitely blame the cows.

Below is my top 5 travel tips before leaving on that 2500 mile trip:

1. All those snacks are worth the lack of leg room; some areas had zero stops for 70 miles.

2. Buy drawing pads from Cracker Barrel. The kids loved them!

3. Pack your all black #OOTD, read leather jacket and busted knee jeans. An all-black outfit is easy to mix with different accessories and covers all milk and mustard stains. My trusty uniform was this:  JEANS / MOCK TURTLENECK / LEATHER JACKET with BROOKS SNEAKS

4. Non-fiction DVD’s for the kids, Kids get schooled and I don’t feel guilty.

5. Save room for exploring. I regretted getting upset that we were going the long way at times, totally forgetting that the JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION.

 

Older Posts