The Siberian American: Life Update: Last Weeks in Chicago and First Weeks in Texas

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Life Update: Last Weeks in Chicago and First Weeks in Texas

June was a crazy month with our last few weeks in Chicago and our move to Texas, but we still managed to have some fun.


Our last weeks in Chicago were all about food. We had a lot to celebrate, and I wanted to try as many places as possible before we left. Our first new restaurant was Bavette’s, an amazing French steakhouse where I had one of the best steaks I’ve ever had and a really delicious crab cake.

The biggest event in June was Christopher finishing intern year! I wrote about it here, but I am so proud of how hard he worked in Chicago. To celebrate, we went to Café Ba-Ba-Reeba for some amazing tapas and peach sangria!


I absolutely loved celebrating the end of our time in Chicago with the Wendella Fireworks Cruise. The fireworks were amazing, and I always love seeing the stunning Chicago skyline from Lake Michigan.


On our last full weekend in Chicago, we stopped by one of my favorite festivals in the city—Printer’s Row Lit Fest. I love looking through all the booths filled with books. Last year, we bought several Coca Cola ads and old Chicago advertisements that I can’t wait to put up in our new place.


We also met up with friends for dinner at Eleven City Diner, one of my favorite casual restaurants in the city. I decided to try something different from my usual brisket sandwich and got the patty melt. It was super delicious, though the brisket sandwich is still my favorite thing there.


Our last week was filled with lots of moving logistics, but we still managed to eat well! Of course, we had to have some stuffed pizza from Giordano’s (although Giordano’s is considered one of the big three deep dish pizza places in Chicago, their pizza is technically stuffed, not deep dish), which was amazing, as always. We also went to one of the most unique places we tried in Chicago-a Peruvian restaurant called Tanta. I hadn’t tried Peruvian food before, but everything we had was seriously delicious.



On the Friday of our last week in Chicago, I managed to walk to Lake Michigan to say “see you later” to my beloved lake. We also stopped by to pick up food from Wildberry, a fantastic brunch place in the city. My parents arrived later in the day, and we met up with some of their friends at Taverna 750, which had great drinks and even better food.


On my last day in Chicago, I went up to our roof to take some photos of the gorgeous view. Then, Chris and I headed to Greek Islands, a nice Greek restaurant in Greektown. Chicago sent me off with a gorgeous sunset!


With my dad at the wheel, we made the drive from Chicago to Texas in 13 hours. It was a long day, but it was worth it to do it all at once to get the chance to relax for the next few days. Thankfully, I had a pretty good health day until we reached Oklahoma. For those who have driven through Oklahoma, you know the roads are terrible. It’s noticeable as soon as you cross the border from Missouri to Oklahoma, and the roads are fine again as soon as you hit Texas.


I spent the week catching up with my mom until Christopher showed up on Thursday night. Then, we visited some of our close friends in the area. My best friend also stopped by on a day I wasn’t feeling well and asked me to be her matron of honor. I can’t wait for her wedding in November 2017. A few days later, I met her up for lunch and to wish her well in her new adventure on Long Island!


Our last week in June was all about moving in to our new place. It’s been hard for me to feel like I can’t do much during our move, but I am so thankful for our families, who helped us out so much! My in-laws even found this place for us since we couldn’t fly home. I am loving our new neighborhood. Once it gets cool enough to walk (and once I’m recovered from surgery), there is a fun park to walk Skyler and plenty of restaurants and shops to walk to nearby.

I have really enjoyed catching up with family and friends these past few weeks. On the last day in June, I met up with my former boss (who is a great friend!) for a great lunch at a sushi place capped off with some pie from Emporium Pies.


Phew. That was a long update. Tell me what’s going on in your life!

Linking up with Kristen and Gretchen

23 comments:

  1. Wow, those are some gorgeous photos of Chicago! Sounds like you ended your time there just as we would - eating lots of great meals and saying goodbye to favorite spots. I did not know that Giordano's was considered stuffed pizza instead of regular deep dish. My favorite is Lou Malnati's but Giordano's is a very close second! I'm glad to hear you are enjoying Texas despite the heat and that you like your new area.

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  2. Glad you made the most of your time Chicago. What do you think you will miss most? Exciting that you are home around friends and family!

    Ashley
    acutelifestyle.blogspot.com

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  3. oh my goodness, you did so much at the end of your year in chicago. that Printer’s Row Lit Fest looks AMAZING and i want to go haha. i'm sorry about the roads in Oklahoma, but glad the trip went well overall. i hope you are feeling okay now, or as okay as you can right now!

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  4. I love that you left Chicago with a bang. I normally love driving through Oklahoma, not because of the roads...just because I think the openness is beautiful, but my last time through at the beginning of June I was so ragey most of the time. I'm glad that the drive was good for you other than OK.

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  5. You really made the most of your last few weeks! I love that! You'll have those memories forever.

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  6. That peach sangria sounds/looks amazing. And I totally just stopped what I was doing to jot down "Chicago: Printer's Row Lit Fest" in my planner under 'Future Travel.' That seriously sounds awesome!
    When is your surgery scheduled for? I hope you've having more good days than bad right now!!

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  7. What a lovely end to your time in Chicago! Exciting times ahead for you in Texas!

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  8. I NEED to try Chicago pizza wow that looks good! I'm so glad yall are getting settled in and you seriously made the most of your last days in Chicago =)

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  9. So much delicious food! I want to go to Chicago just for pizza. Buut I also want to see the river and lake in person, because they are gorgeous from your pictures! I'm glad you like your new neighborhood in Texas!

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  10. Chicago definitely sent y'all back in style with great food and an amazing sunset and fireworks show! I'm still so jealous that y'all got to spend a whole year exploring that awesome city! And what is it with roads in the states surrounding Texas? Louisiana apparently has the same problem as Oklahoma in the roads department! I'm glad that you're enjoying your new neighborhood in Dallas!

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  11. Glad you packed so much in that last week in chicago!! That deep dish pizza looks insanely good! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  12. Congrats to Chris for completing his intern year and for you taking in all that Chicago has to offer. I think your photos show the essence of the city although I'm sure there's so much more. I love a good tapas restaurant to celebrate special occasions. We have one in Orlando called Cafe Tu Tu Tango that sounds very similar to Café Ba-Ba-Reeba that I love and recommend if you're visiting any time soon.

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  13. Your pictures never cease to amaze me ... They're always so beautiful!

    And the food in this post? Yum! I haven't tried Peruvian food, but now I know I want to! :-)

    Also, I seriously cannot believe you made it from Chicago to Texas in 13 hours. That's amazing! When my husband and I drove to New Mexico from Nebraska last year, it took around 13.5 hours or so. I mean, we stopped a couple of times for food, a couple of times for gas, and took a few bathroom breaks ... But I can't really imagine getting there any faster.

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  14. I'm repeating what many have said, but I can't believe your and Chris's year in Chicago is finished. It seems like not too long ago that you were apprehensive about your move there. It seems like you really made the most of it.

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  15. Beautiful photos and that is a gorgeous view ! Yummmm that pizza looks so delicious ! I love when the cheese is extra stringy !

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  16. Oh, girl... As soon as I saw the picture of the pizza I knew it was from Giordano's! Giordano's is my favorite Chicago pizza! I eat it every time I'm there. One Saturday last fall, my husband and I drove 2 hours to Indianapolis to eat at the Giordano's there! It's heavenly stuff, isn't it?

    Congrats on the successful move!

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  17. My gosh, you're KILLIN' me with the pizza picture. I love me some Chicago style pizza, it's my favorite & now I think that it's time to plan a trip to Chi-Town for some! :)

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  18. We recently left Chicago (wellllll.... 9 months or so ago), and I still miss the food! Bavettes and Tanta are two of my personal favorites. Good luck on new adventures!
    -- Lisa | Naptime Chai

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  19. Ahh all these pics are so pretty!! I really want some Chicago pizza now too!

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  20. Sounds like the perfect way to end your time in Chicago. I love that you said good bye to the lake as well! Good luck with your move and thanks for linking up!

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  21. Your posts make me want to visit Chicago for the food alone. I am not a fan of deep dish pizza (I love thin or medium pizza crust!) but I would give it a try.

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  22. So sad to see you go! I hope your Texas adventure is just as wonderful as your time here in Chicago. :)

    Randi with an i

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  23. I love all the food in this post! You are a lady after my own heart! :) And Giordano’s is my favorite! You have me missing it!

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