Jason and I knew St. Patty's Day was coming up but we were not really planning on celebrating it... What really do you do other than go out and drink green beer at 10 in the morning, and everyone knows we can't keep up with the locals here in Milwaukee! We were planning on just a normal weekend, maybe going to the gym, maybe catch a movie...
Then we thought...
Chicago, Saint Patrick's Day, green river, we are there!!!
The weather was gorgeous and as soon as we got into the city we realized that we made the right choice to come and celebrate...
The city looked so beautiful with the bright blue sky. It was magnified in the reflection in the bean and we realized what a great sculpture it really was. (We had previously only seen it in the rain, which really didn't do it justice as you would probably guess.)
And yes, we wore our green!
We made our way down to the Chicago Riverbank and realized what an event this day really was here in Chicago. There were people packed in all along the banks, standing in every possible space to get a glimpse of the river turning green. At 10 am sharp the crowds started cheering as this little motorboat with men throwing a red powder into the river drove around and around. It was a sight to see for sure!
The river slowly but surely turned a BRIGHT green color, way more vivid than we imagined.
Then came the party boats, kayaks, and even this funny guy paddle surfing down the river! We couldn't believe our eyes!
After we fought the crowds to get across the river, we thought we might try to get into The Purple Pig restaurant. We tried to go with Angelina when she was here last month but it had a 2 hour wait! No way! Luckily today, we got there before the doors even opened for lunch, and started a line... yes thats right, we were first! By the time the restaurant opened we had at least 50 people behind us in line waiting for a table! Talk about a popular place!
After trying the food though, we realized a 2 hour wait for this kind of grub would be more than worth it! This cheese plate was to die for. Something we have been missing after 4 months in Milwaukee!
After stuffing our bellies, we decided to go back and see if the river was still green...
YEP.
By this time it was about 80 degrees and we were just having the best time walking all around the city. We walked down to the shore, around Streeterville and ended up at Navy Pier...
The Pier was like Pier 39 in San Francisco on steroids! It was beautiful and colorful and packed with people drinking green beer! The lines to get alcohol were longer than the lines to get in the women's bathroom!
Jason, as he was secretly hoping I'm sure, found some of his favorite Garrett's Popcorn. Chicago mix of course! (Carmel and cheddar popcorn mixed together). Jason was now satisfied!
We could not have enjoyed our day more...
It pains us to admit it but Chicago might even top San Francisco in its charm!
Its up for debate.
One thing we are sure of, though...
Spring is finally in the air!
Current Location:
Chicago, Illinois
