It’s been a while…

On September 23, 2019 By rebeccawanderlustingIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Well, hello! It’s been far too long; a year, almost to the date. In the meantime, I have been having quite the adventure without even leaving Chicago. I will try to break it down to the best of my ability, but some things I will have to be a little vague on out of respect for the people involved.

Last year started out rocky to say the least. I moved out of a bad situation into a beautiful gem of a studio in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. I can’t say enough good things about my lovely little, sunshine-filled apartment. It truly felt like a safe harbor after all I had gone through to get to it: the break-up, the fighting, the searching for apartments in the freezing cold Chicago winter, the dividing of all the possessions whilst packing up everything I own, etc. From there, the year was a series of ups and downs, like it is for everyone. I dated a little, traveled a little, did a lot of puzzles, and very little writing. I think I was trying to let myself heal up a bit and gain some confidence back. To help with this, I started going to therapy more regularly. And it did help! In fact, by Fall 2018, I felt like I didn’t have much left to say to my therapist and planned on calling it quits. Unfortunately, it didn’t shake out that way.

Soon after my last post, which was in October of last year, I received some pretty devastating news regarding a member of my immediate family. The news, a diagnosis, came after a minor hospital stay, so it wasn’t a complete surprise. But it knocked the breath out of me all the same. I was in my apartment with my newly minted boyfriend when I received the call. I felt numb for the duration of the phone call, and when it was over, I slid to the floor and turned into a puddle of tears and snot. The boyfriend (we’ll keep him out of this for now) was perfect for the whole ordeal. He made me dinner, picked up some wine, wrapped a blanket around me and let me cry as much as I needed. And I needed to cry a lot.

Since then, it’s been a real rollercoaster ride of doctor’s appointments, good news, set-backs, and eventually surgery. Thankfully, it seems like we’re all going to be okay for now. Though for a little bit there, it seemed like nothing would be okay ever again. To say that it’s difficult to stand by and watch as your most important people are hurting is a vast understatement. In the thick of it, I felt like a shell of myself. I didn’t want to talk to anyone or do much outside of going to work every day. That’s not to say that I didn’t have some good times in the first half of the year, I certainly did, but looking back at that time now, I feel like I was living in a fog.

It’s very difficult to deal with an ongoing illness in your family because it’s not a singular event. I think people expect you to be sad and move through it and make peace with it. But it’s not a stand-alone thing, it’s ongoing, and there’s constant updates. Sometimes I felt really uncomfortable bringing it up with people because I felt like I was being whiny or weak. It took a long time to be okay with saying “hey I need to talk through this real quick”.

So, on that note, I guess I just needed to talk through this real quick. And give a reason for my absence, whether it was noticed or not. I do feel, after this very shaky year, that I’m back on solid ground again. I still have days where I feel very anxious and a little lost, but I don’t know many people who don’t have those days.

I plan on continuing this little travel blog of mine, and I have some new content planned for the near future. Thank you for sticking with me.

Cindy's Rooftop Bar, Chicago Athletic Association, RebeccaWanderlusting

Girls’ Weekend at The Chicago Athletic Association

On February 27, 2017 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Chicago, Illinois, Uncategorized, US Travel5 Comments

This past weekend, a group of friends and I enjoyed a marvelous staycation at the historic Chicago Athletic Association. We, Jennifer, Jessica, Adrienne and I, were there to celebrate our beautiful friend, Sarah’s birthday with her. I have to say, it was by far one of the best hotel experiences I’ve had in a long time. I checked in first, as the room was under my name, and as soon I walked in I was lost.

The building is full of nooks and crannies and staircases leading to somewhere you’re not quite sure you’re supposed to be. I had to ask where the check in desk was, because it was not immediately apparent to me, at the information desk on the first floor, which also housed a Shake Shack, a gift shop through a labyrinth of hallways and a long, long line up to the famed Cindy’s Rooftop (more on that later).

Upon check-in, I received five tokens (one for each of us) for champagne in one of the six restaurants/bars at the Chicago Athletic Association, the Cherry Circle Room. After I got lost once again trying to find the elevators up to the guest rooms, I dropped off my bags in our double-bedded room and went back downstairs to get take some photos of the beautiful property.

Lo and behold, I was lost again and ran smack dab into one of my roommates for the evening, Adrienne. Gleefully, we made our way back up to the room together to set up for an evening of champagne and relaxation in our Wes Anderson meets your hip rich uncle’s spare bedroom room. We had snacks and booze and spa supplies and cards, all of which make for a perfect evening.

However, we did not get to much of what we planned in the room, as the Athletic Association had other plans for us. Once everyone had arrived, we left the room to get our free champagne and plan our evening in the Cherry Circle Room, which is adjacent to the Game Room, a bar with bocce ball and foosball and shuffleboard, on the second floor.

The Cherry Circle Room was fully committed for the evening which was fair, seeing how it was a beautiful, wood-paneled dream of a restaurant. They accommodated us in the small lounge just outside it’s doors, where they served us champagne in pretty flutes. We sipped and schemed; all of us agreed that we needed to see their ballroom before we did anything else.

After finishing the gratis bubbly, we took the elevator to the eighth floor and barged in on the set up of the evening’s event. As the staff graciously guided us back towards the elevator, we snuck peaks of the beautiful White City Ballroom. The gentleman who was ushering us good-naturedly back to approved areas overheard us talking about going up to Cindy’s and stopped what he was doing to personally escort us up via the back elevator, effectively saving us a good thirty minutes waiting in line on the ground floor.

That was the start of our good luck. Once in the bar, we ran into one of my old friends from work and the rest is a haze of champagne and charcuterie. We took the requisite photos on the terrace and marveled over the view from the top. We sipped champagne and cocktails and got a light dinner to share. It was amazing, and it was said more than once how unbelievable the service and libations were.

After having more than our fair share of expertly mixed cocktails, we made our way back to the room to continue the evening. After face masks (by Crude), nail polish, more champagne, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and drunk snacks, we all fell asleep in our cozy hotel robes.

The next morning, we awoke early to headaches and the need to see the sunrise from the ballroom we only got a small glimpse of the night before. The trip was a secret mission through the employee entrance but it was successful. The pink sky from the east facing windows was too pretty for words; it shined over the glass front buildings and the bean, with the turquoise lake in the background.

The ballroom was just stunning; a perfect mix of modern touches and classic architecture. We also peeped into the Madison Ballroom, which featured city views and grand chandeliers. When we got back to the room, we fell back asleep for a morning nap, then took turns enjoying the luxurious shower.

After pampering just a little bit more, we worked our way down to the Milk Room for a satisfying breakfast of toast, bacon, and the best hash brown cakes I’ve ever had. They were crispy on the outside and creamy with sliced green onions on the inside. The Milk Room was located in the hotel lobby, and was a warm collection of wood, mismatched chairs and colorful pillows.

The food, along with the restaurant’s amazing coffee, brought us back to life enough to pack up he room and check out. I think we all needed this weekend, it was perfectly restorative and fun and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Have you stayed at the Chicago Athletic Association? Which restaurant was your favorite?

Neighborhood Spotlight: Chinatown

On January 17, 2017 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Chicago, Illinois, Uncategorized, US Travel1 Comment

This past weekend, Mike and I hitched a ride over to Chinatown to get a little color in this dreary Chicago January. We took an Uber there, but it is also easily accessible by the Red Line Cermak-Chinatown stop. Both of us hadn’t visited this area since college, so it’s been quite a few years.

Though the sky was cloudy, it wasn’t too cold out and there were plenty of other people milling about, so we were in good company. We walked down towards the main drag and under the telltale red and green gate. The street beyond it is lined with shops and restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores.

Some of the shops had already started decorating for Chinese New Year which is in a couple of weeks; the red lanterns were in bright contrast to the grey sky. We popped into a few stores, especially liking the candy stores. When I was in Shanghai a few years ago, I fell in love with a taffy like candy called White Rabbit, which they had in abundance in each of the stores. Also in abundance was all kinds of seafood and vegetables in each of the grocery stores we passed.

We also visited Chiu Quon, a bakery and dim sum joint, for a couple of fried red bean paste cakes. The bakery had lots of other sweet treats, including moon cakes and fortune cookies by the bag, and of course a wide selection of dim sum and dumplings.

We also visited the Buddhism Friendship Association, which has beautiful statues inside and a gift shop with jade jewelry and prayer beads and Buddha statues. When we were passing through, they were starting to put out food on a long table in the middle of the temple, so, not wanting to disturb them, we moved on.

We decided to go to the Phoenix Restaurant for dim sum, and wound up having to wait thirty minutes for a table. The waiting area was crowded with people, and more kept coming through to put their name in for a table, which we took as a good sign. The food was worth well worth the wait though, and we ordered plenty. As soon as we sat down, we were served a delicious green tea and presented with a large menu complete with pictures.

We ordered the xiao long bao, barbeque pork buns and turnovers, fried rice, shrimp and chive dumplings, spring rolls and red bean dumplings. They brought the food out a few dishes at a time, serving them with a chili sauce and another reduced soy sauce. The women pushing the carts full of food presented the dishes with a flourish and crossed each item off our receipt as they came. I loved the xiao long baos and the steamed barbecue pork buns.

After eating far too much, we walked around to work off the dumplings. Across the street from the restaurant is a beautiful square flanked by foo dogs and filled with Chinese zodiac statues. Many people were lined up to take photos with the rooster statue, as this coming Chinese New Year celebrates the year of the rooster.

The sidewalk just past the square was lined with yet more restaurants and stores (especially candy stores!), and we wandered through admiring the sights and smells. A lot of the storefronts on the top level were closed down, but the ground floor was still bustling. Once we got our fill, we walked back to the red line, first stopping to take pictures of the amazing street art just outside of it. All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon, and I’m so happy that we got the chance to explore a different neighborhood in our city.

Have you been to your nearest Chinatown? How about Chinatown Chicago?

Solo Trip Snapshots, Copenhagen, RebeccaWanderlusting

Evening Adventures in Copenhagen

On November 13, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Denmark, International Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Torvhallerne in Copenhagen is an outdoor and indoor market that sells everything from homemade beauty products to candy to full meals. I decided to head there for dinner from the SMK National Gallery to try one of the famed Danish open faced sandwiches, the Smørrebrød.

I chose a roast beef one from Hallernes Smørrebrød and went to sit outside in the sunshine to enjoy it. The sandwich had red onions, pickled cauliflower, and pickle pickles on top and it was delicious. It was a beautiful evening so it was nice to be sitting amongst the outdoor stalls with fresh flowers and fruit.

I wandered amongst the stalls after I ate, buying some homemade caramels and drooling over all of the bakeries. The market is a joy to wander through, with different stalls lining two buildings with even more stalls in between the two buildings. The market is beautiful and colorful and a definite must-see in the city, in my humble opinion.

I wanted to spend the evening in the downtown area to explore the cobblestone streets and window shop. Luckily for me, my random wanderings brought me to a bookstore/café I had wanted to check out: Paludan. The café’s walls are lined with color coordinated books, most of them for sale, and an extensive food and beverage menu.

Still full from dinner, I ordered a glass of rose and settled into their upstairs section to read. It was the perfect setting for it. I ended up staying for a couple of glasses of wine and a few chapters, feeling perfectly at home in the beautiful bibliophile’s paradise.

Once I finally left, I continued randomly wandering, admiring the architecture and turning down whatever streets looked appealing. I ran into the Round Tower, which was another attraction included with my Copenhagen Card, so I decided to check it out.

The best part of the Round Tower is the view from the top which is reached by way of the endless slanted, spiral hallway that leads there. It was a dizzying trip, especially after all that wine, but I arrived at the top as the sun was setting (for the second night in a row with a beautiful sunset view).

The platform at the top offered a 360 degree view, showing off the city in red gold light. Sitting on a bench, taking in this beautiful view, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be there. On the way down, I popped in the small gallery in the middle of the tower which used to be a library frequented by Hans Christian Andersen, but now features works of art. I bought a beautiful copy of his fairy tales for my niece and went on my way.

I was on the hunt for the perfect sidewalk café to get something sweet and a cup of coffee. After thirty minutes of wandering, I settled on Café Phønix for their perfect view of the fountain in the middle of the square and their chocolate fruit cake.

By the time I was done savoring the cake and coffee, it was full dark, and the street lights lit the way back to my hostel. It was another perfect night in Copenhagen.

What are your favorite solo travel activities?