I love this part of summer. Gwen's school starts later than most, so we have been out of school for two months and won't return for another month. Right now, we are in a groove. We are home in Chicago, Gwen's at day camp, and I've had time to work on big projects. Here is a little recap of what we've been up to this summer.
What I've been doing:
We kicked off summer with a three-week-long visit to London and Santander to visit Charles's family. We spent the first week in London. Charles was working, so Gwen and I explored the city on our own. It was our third time in London together, and we got to explore some of our favorite places again: Hampton Court Palace, the National Maritime Museum, Paddington Recreation Ground, and Discover Children's Story Centre. And, we went to some new places - we loved the Paddington Experience and the Unicorn Theatre!
After London, we spent a blissful weekend in the Cotwolds before traveling to Santander to spend time with Charles's parents.
Charles and I took a side trip to Casa Beatnik and Santiago de Compostela - our first vacation without Gwen. It felt so calm and quiet. Meanwhile, Gwen had a blast with her grandparents in Santander.
We returned to Chicago just in time for Gwen's fifth birthday! We celebrated her birthday with a rooftop cupcake party for the neighbor kids, and then that weekend, we hosted a party at Lush, bringing together a mix of neighbors and school friends. I had no idea that Lush in Bucktown had a party room until a manager slipped me a flyer when I was shopping with Gwen one day. The kids had so much fun making bath bombs, and Lush even provided the goodie bags!
Did you know that Chicago is home to the largest American Girl Place? It is massive, and I took Gwen to pick out a doll for her birthday. She had a blast, but was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of doll options. She ended up picking a doll with rainbow hair.
Then we went to the Hershey Super Sweet Adventure next door, which was just ok. It felt like a tourist trap. There weren't that many activities. The Color Factory and the Museum of Ice Cream are much better if you are looking for a kid-friendly activity downtown.
We've checked a couple of items off our Chicago summer bucket list. We went to a new playground, visited the zoo, and saw three plays - including Beauty & the Beast, Gwen's first Broadway musical!
I've been very busy trying to finish up home projects and working on updates to this website. I finally launched a new website design!
What I've been eating:
My neighbor Nic opened up Nic + Juniors in River North, and I've dined there many times. The burger and the rigatoni alla vodka are personal favorites.
I joined my friend Lindzi (of the amazing XO Marshmallow) for a long overdue dinner at Tortello, my neighborhood pasta shop/restaurant. I love their pesto and burrata.
I had lunch at Oliang Thai, a delicious little Thai spot in Lincoln Park. This is the Pad Thai, and their green curry is also excellent.
We dined at Etta for the first time in a long time. It's still lovely. I had a lemon pasta, Gwen had buttered pasta, and Charles had pizza.
Little Victories, a little neighborhood bar where Charles and I often kick off date nights with a drink, started serving Buttermilkfry fried chicken and chicken Caesar wraps. The chicken quickly became a viral sensation, and it took several attempts before I was able to try it without waiting in a long line! Is it worth the hype? Yup. Have I found a strategy to get in without waiting? Yup.
What I've been wearing:
