Wondering what to do with 36 hours in Chicago during the winter? Here are a few things to do and see while in the windy city.
Ever since our trip to Montreal, my teen daughter has been interested in city life. We live in a small town in Ohio, so we don’t do cities very often. I have a childhood friend that lives in Chicago and she invited us up. So…girls trip!
Getting around
- Uber
We had 36 hours to explore and expose my daughter to city livin. After getting settled in, we took an Uber into the city. My friend was showing us how the Uber app works and how to use it safely by always checking the license plate to make sure it was the Uber and not a kidnapper.
- Train
What to see
- Magnificent Mile
We started at the water tower and walked down The Magnificent Mile. It was the middle of December and it was pretty cold, but the sun was shining and the city was decorated for the holidays so it was beautiful. We popped into a few famous stores like Ralph Laren and Tiffanys to look around. My daughter is not much of a shopper yet, that is, until we stopped in front of Dylan’s Candy Store…2 stories of candy! We probably spent 30 minutes looking around and buying candy.
- Lincoln Park Zoo
The next day we lounged around and played some games. Around dinnertime, we bundled up and went to Lincoln Park Zoo for the zoo lights. The entrance fee was free and the lights were pretty magical.
Chicago tourist attractions
We had to do a few touristy stops as well. The bean was cool and full of selfie-taking tourists…us included. Behind the bean is an ice skating rink if you’re feeling adventurous. We also made a stop into the cultural museum, this was my favorite building so far. It was stunning with all the mosaic tile work.
Where to eat
We were getting hungry so we made one last stop at the Christkindlmarket, a Chicago holiday tradition with vendors selling German food and crafts, for some sour kraut and potato cakes. My friend showed us how to buy a train ticket and we headed home. We were lucky enough to see the Christmas Train when we got off the train.
We took another uber to Masada, a middle eastern restaurant…YUM! My daughter is so much fun to take out to eat because she is always open to trying new foods. She had falafel for the first time and loved it.
That about wraps up our Chicago trip. My daughter decided she definitely wants to go back in the summertime to explore the city some more. I’m not much of a city person at all, mainly because there are an overwhelming amount of people. But I do have to say, that there is so much to do and so many experiences to be had. I’m glad we had a local to show us the ropes, we would’ve been lost without her.
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