A Tour Of Chicago's Millennium Park

10 Things To Do In Chicago With Only 24 Hours

Last weekend, I took a girls trip with my mom and sister and jetted off to Chicago on a Friday night flight after we all got off work, blood shot eyes and all. We attempted the trip last month but the flight cancelled, so this was our last chance because of conflicting schedules. After we landed, the smell of the subway filled my senses. It was my first time. The two hour subway ride and walk-a-thon through the streets weakened our already frail bodies. We made it in one piece to our beautiful boutique hotel in the heart of the city - The Inn of Chicago. Oh but don't kick up those heels just yet, we had 24 hours of full throttle activities scheduled ahead of us and there wasn't any time penciled in for resting. It was a jammed packed timeline with one goal - see as much of Chicago as possible. On your mark, get set .....

The three of us were only in the Windy City for a Saturday, so seeing everything wasn't really possible. So below, I've come up with a must do list of things to do and see in Chicago if you only had 24 hours to do it. Don't forget your trusty map! Or if your phone works, your GPS.

Here is a list of activities that can all be done in one day if planned accordingly:

1. The Subway -
Ride the subway and people watch. Probably not at 4 am though (trust us). Price: 3 day pass - $14

2. Willis Tower Sky Deck -
Be sure to get there before 9 a.m. or you'll be waiting in line for quite a while. Lines were already out the doors and around the block by 11 am. You can also get a "Fast Pass" for $35 and wait in the express lane. Might be worth it with this full schedule. Price: $17

3. Millennium Park -
Here you will find the famous Cloud Gate and Crown Fountain. Next door you might get lucky and catch an artist showcasing his/her music at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. It's design will make you wish you had time to catch a full concert. Price: FREE

4. River Boat Cruise -
Tired of walking? Take a a tour of the city's architecture on Chicago's waterways. Heads up! Price: $30

5. Uno -
Chicago's first deep dish pizza restaurant. Be prepared to wait an hour, the pizza is slow cookin. Price: $12 - $22

6. Portillo's -
Dare to eat a mouthful of the Chicago style hotdog? Total man food. Price: $10

7. Art Insititue of Chicago -
Escape the sun and spend a couple hours at this art museum with four floors of art. Maybe you'll be lucky and see a Vincent van Gogh! Price: $18

8. Navy Pier -
Walk down to the Navy Pier and do a little souvenir shopping and take a look at the ocean, I mean Lake Michigan. Or maybe even ride the ferris wheel

9. Locally Owned Restaurant -
Pick a locally owned restaurant in the area and dine like a local and not a tourist. We stepped into a quaint little Armenian Restaurant, named Sayat-Nova, that was located below a fortune teller's studio. The food, environment and service was excellent. Price: $16

10. Innbar Of Chicago -
End the night by sipping on a cocktail at one of the only rooftop bars in the city with one heck of a view. Price: 1 beer $6

You think you could get all this done in one day?

Holbox Island - The Day I Almost Swam With Whale Sharks

Right there on the top of my Mexico Bucket List is - swim with whale sharks. And wouldn't you know it, we were down there right when the whale shark season was starting (June-September). I couldn't pass that up. So all three of us jumped into our rental car early in the morning and headed North from Playa del Carmen to an island on the tip of the peninsula called Holbox (pronounced Holbosh) where it was said to be the hot spot. It was a good 4 hour drive because of all the tiny towns with massive speed bumps, carts, children and dogs in the street not allowing for any movement faster than 20 mph.

When we arrived around 1:00 pm. We jumped onto the ferry and started talking to all the locals to get the scoop. Well, the scoop was we were too late for any tours. Apparently the tours head out at 7 am and by now the water was too choppy. That's just wrong. That and they said the BEST BEST time to be there would be in July. WHAT? Ugh someone needs to tell all those tour groups in Cancun they need to get some facts straight. They also added salt to the cut by saying "oh yes, you can see swarms of whale sharks, dolphins, manatee, flying stingray and flamingos." I'm telling you, I pictured a crazy aquatic zoo with tiny humans swimming in their mist. Looks like I'm heading back for a short weekend trip someday.

Disappointed and determined to make the best of our long journey we rented what I call a "go cart" and hoofed it around the island to check out as much as we could. The beaches were empty and the hotel zone was absolutely quiet. Perfect place to disconnect from the world completely. Once Andrea saw the stretch of endless beach she had to jump off the cart and touch the water. The sand was like pudding between your toes. We then parked and walked across the stretch of water to a sand bar in the middle of the ocean (where all the flamingo rest).

Tired and needing fuel we went to a recommended restaurant that specialized in sea food and ceviche. Javier's meal was so good! He had a tall class of shrimp soup, a side of crackers and afterwards a plate of ceviche tacos. Mmmm.

Before catching the ferry back to the main land, we bought home made ice cream and parked our cart on the beach to watch the sun set. Beside us, local fishermen got high while gutting their day's catch. Oh island life.

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Edit: To see my second attempt to swim with whale sharks, see this post! 

Travel Journal #5 - Street Food

Food Carts - I love them. Half the time they end up making me run to el baño the next morning but sometimes it's well worth it. When I lived in México I always looked forward to eating at one of the food carts. It was like eating out but oh so much more friendly on the wallet. I think the experience is even more fulfilling then in a restaurant because you get to watch your food be prepared, slaved over and put onto your plastic sheet covered plate (they have found a way to not do dishes!). And a car? Who needs a car, just walk down the street and you're at the blocks hottest eatery. In Leon, Guanajuato I had the stations mapped out in my head and knew exactly which ones were rough on the gut and which ones left me wishing for more. I loved sitting at the stools, nose to the cart's plastic protective window watching the knife slice away and trying to decide which of the awesome extras to sprinkle or pour onto my taco. Every once in a while I still crave it like I crave a brownie. It's odd. But once you do it, you too will be hooked and it'll leave you whistling to the cook and saying "Un mas por favor! Muy rico."

These sketches are by Eduardo Yaguas on Flickr. They are set in Lima, Peru.