CHICAGO TRAVEL DIARY: Grant Park Music Festival

Today more about class... I mean classical music. Thanks to our wonderful Chicago hosts, we got to know more about what's going on in the city on a daily basis. Once again,. I have to give them credit for taking such good care of us, because if it wasn't for those two, we wouldn't have spent that particular night where we did. And it sure was an evening to remember!

Now to the point... On Wednesday, after wandering through the city all day, me and my friend headed to Millennium Park section to meet with our hosts. We were supposed to have a picnic in Grant Park. What's even better, we learned that every Wednesday (in a summer) is reserved for outdoor classical music concert series. That evening, it also happened to be a 10th anniversary of the opening of Millennium Park, so we were in for a treat!

As an American Studies graduate, I have to admit experiencing American history and culture hands on is the best way to confront my knowledge.

 It was great to learn that night about the tradition of symphonic Grant Park Music Festival concerts, which began in 1935. What's even  more interesting, the idea was conceived a couple years earlier during the Great Depression area, and concerts were meant to lift spirits of Chicagoans during that challenging time.

 Well... fast forward 80 years and as you can see, it still going strong, if not stronger.

To learn more about the music series, 

go here: http://www.grantparkmusicfestival.com/

We came prepared.... or should I say our HOSTS did!

Ladies and Gentlemen, THE FEAST. Let the picnic begin!

We're so fancy... you already know! DREAM TEAM. Period.

With my cross country buddy, aka partner in crime ;)

Added bonus, drinking in public was welcomed! And we sure got advantage of that...

As it got later and later, the sights only got better. I could take million pictures of the same buildings (well, actually I did) only minutes apart and the scenery would be so different.  Sunsets must be my favorite things in the world....

You know what I mean? Breathtaking!

CHICAGO TRAVEL DIARY: Riverwalk

Last time I talked about beaches along Lake Michigan ( HERE & HERE), today is time for Chicago River. There's a few options for you to choose from when thinking about enjoying some sights in Chicago. You can either buy a rather pricey guided tour (for example architecture river cruise) or just follow your instinct and (most probably) get lost in the city, but only to find the most random and interesting things on your way (my personal favorite). 

That particular Wednesday (hump day!) we were on our way to Navy Pier and Ohio Street Beach. 

This is the way that lead us to our destination...

Trump International Hotel

lots of stairs, up and down....

What a beautiful walk that was!

 Riverfront is yet another reason to adore Chicago!

BOHO

When, oh when, will I be able to ditch all of the winter clothes and move on to my favorite stuff! As you can probably already tell, I am not the biggest fan of winter season... Therefore, today I'm doing some wishful thinking and creating ideas for some outfits for warmer days (my prayers may be answered as soon as the new week rolls in... weather forecasts are full of promise).

Moving on to outfits ideas, here's one boho chic dress that I've purchased a while ago and still didn't get a chance to wear (since it's a dress and I'm also not the biggest fan of tights...).

 The boho style dress ( from Target - gotta love a good bargain) and I just love how adding some thighhigh socks ( Forever 21 - forever a good deal) can give an outfit a bit of an edge. I paired it up with my favorite ( H&M ) jacket, but I feel this outfit would look good with some denim jacket as well ( to break up the darkness ).

Hope you guys enjoyed your weekend and are getting some sun with the new week coming! I sure know I could use some right now.

SoHo, Manhattan

It' been already 5 days since I'm back in the beautiful city of New York! I'm having a blast and even though it's not my first time here, I'm still exploring and experiencing a lot of new things every day. This concrete jungle truly never dissapoints! ( I know not everybody loves NYC, but don't hate me for saying I do ;))

On Monday afternoon, I decided to take a closer look at Soho. Located in Lower Manhattan, this district is filled with beautiful iron cast buildings and has and artsy feel to it. I really enjoyed getting lost in those surroundings. I wouldn't mind living there, either!

SOHO = SOuth of HOuston (street)

Freedom Tower in the background.

And last but not least... My celebrity hunting expeditions finally paid off! Haha whenever I'm in NYC I am a little crazy looking around trying to spot any familiar faces. I usually don't have much luck, by not this time! (That's one of the reasons why I chose to wander the streets in SoHo. I knew it's common to come across some well known names). Anyways, just when I was supposed to head back home, I noticed a lot of buzz happening just around the corner. A lot of cameras and guys in suits managing traffic could mean only one thing. Somebody too important is about to show up. And who else could attract so much attention than one and only Kim Kardashian. Haaa! I didn't manage to take a picture of her walking by, because for some reason I feel it's rude haha, but I took a picture of the scene.

Most probably they were in the middle of filming Keeping Up with the Kardashians, judging by camera operators messing with the trunk of the car.