4th of July in Chicago

This 4th of July, Ben surprised me with a day trip to Chicago! 

Even though I worried the whole morning, we didn't miss the train! Our first stop was the Broken English Taco Pub, which rocked my world. The tacos were so good. I also had (and spilled) a margarita. So we didn't miss the train, but I did have tequila in my shoes within 10 minutes of being there. 

After tacos, we started walking! We explored for a few hours, stopping for photos and eventually drinks on the canal. I had the "Red, White + Berry" vodka lemonade. I also finally got to see the bean! It may also be important to note that this was the first time I asked a stranger to take our photo and it turned out well! We were in focus and everything!

After drinks, we kept walking towards the pier! I loved walking by the water with Ben. We finally came to our senses and rented bikes to take to Grant Park to see the fountain! We headed back to the pier and realized there was no chance we'd find a place to eat that close to the fireworks, so we returned the bikes (RIP) and searched for literally the first restaurant we could find further into town. 

We found a place called "Pinstripes", which was a really nice bowling + dining hybrid. We shared a Moscow Mule and a Margherita Pizza, both of which were awesome. After that, we fought tooth and nail to get into our reservation at Bubba Gump (another first for me! Ben and I watched Forrest Gump together back when we first started dating because I hadn't seen it). We had some of their 4th of July special drinks and a shrimp sampler. As fate would have it, it started POURING right as the fireworks started. Thankfully, Ben bought us some Bubba Gump ponchos and we searched for the train station during the downpour.

The day had its fair share of getting lost + running late, but I'm so thankful that it was with Ben. He's one of those people that's okay with not knowing exactly where we are + doesn't immediately turn to the map on his phone. To me, that seems horrifying, but with him it was perfect - even though we definitely got lost a few times. I am so in love and so blessed to be living this life. 

until next time, 

allison ♡