chicago: a first

i visited the windy city for the first time in mid-october and practically fell in love. i wish i had had more time to explore (hard to do so when you're there for work), but perhaps i'll return sometime in the not-too-distant future?

a few highlights for me were eating dinner at big star in wicker park (think tacos and margaritas on an open-air patio), and eating/drinking/staying the night at longman & eagle in logan square. their modest six room hotel situated above the restaurant/bar is beyond hip. the little details (down to your very own pair of ear plugs for light sleepers) were greatly appreciated. i will definitely be staying there again on my next visit.

{requisite "bean" sculpture photo, chicago}

{millenium park, chicago}

{room at longman & eagle}

{longman & eagle}

{in-room amenities, longman & eagle}

{longman & eagle}

where do i begin?

i would love more than anything to travel the world (and country). unfortunately, it's a tad more expensive than my wallet can handle at this point in my life.
here are some of the places i dream about visiting:

san francisco
portland
seattle
chicago
austin
new orleans
los angeles

spain: san sebastian, barcelona, madrid, valencia, sevilla
sweden: malmo, stockholm, dalarna
italy: rome, venice, cinque terra, florence, cortona, milan
uk: london, oxford, cambridge, surrey, edinburgh
ireland: cork, dublin
portugal: lisbon, porto
france: paris, marseille, lyon, nice
germany: berlin, munich, hamburg

i think that's all for now...

{photo courtesy of paper tissue}

(bold = checked off my list!)