I've been very fortunate that over the years my family has been going to Florida for 2 weeks in the late spring/ early summer months to escape the Jersey cold. Now, for those of you who don't know me you need to understand that I love all things Disney. As I've grown up I've learned to appreciate all aspects of what the mastermind, Walt Disney created. Now, with that being said our family trips to Disney aren't for the faint of heart because often times we are there from early morning til late at night!
This trip to Disney was wonderful because we were able to enjoy the parks, which are usually not super crowded at this time, and enjoy the warm Florida weather without the Florida humidity. Now for some highlights of the trip: We got stuck on the Harry Potter ride for about 10 minutes and got to see most of the ride with the lights on, I caught a lizard at the hotels pool, only to have it run up my arm and cause me to scream like a little girl. Oh and lets not forget while we were there, there was an infestation of lovebugs, which are pointless bugs that are attached at the butt and resemble lightning bugs. Here are some photos to document the trip!
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| Best part of arriving in Disney!! |
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| Every year we try to make it to Disney for the Flower and Garden Festival bc they do such an amazing job with the topiaries. |
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| My brother and I in front of my favorite ride in Disney: Expedition Everest! Excuse the terrible hair, this was right after a rain storm. |
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| At Sea World |
I've recently found a quote on pinterest that really spoke to me from the Dalai Lama:
Now, who can argue with the Dalai Lama.... not me. This year my friend and I decided that we should visit places we've never been to before. Last year I was able to go to Boston, which remained my favorite city up until recently. This years trip was to the lovely city known as Chi-town or CHICAGO!!!! What can I say about Chicago: it's beautiful, clean, friendly, expensive, and possibly a place I want to live in the future.
Now to illustrate Chicago in pictures.
Here I am right outside of navy pier overlooking the beautifully clear Lake Michigan.
The picture above is from the Skydeck at the Willis Tower (which was previously known as the Sears Tower). These views were absolutely gorgeous but the amount of time we had to wait to get through security made me feel like I was waiting in line at Disney. The picture below is taking in one of the four clear observation boxes that extend outside the building. Not going to lie that first step onto the clear Plexiglass is absolutely terrifying. However once you're out there it's not all that bad, but it's still a little scary.
One thing everyone told us to do while in Chicago was to go on an architecture tour around the city. It was absolutely beautiful and it was a great way to get a different perspective of the building from the river down below. The building below is the famous trump tower that Bill Rancic helped manage after winning the first season of the apprentice!
Chicago is home to some beautiful modern architecture and home to some interesting buildings. These buildings below have petal shaped balconies.
And you can't visit Chicago without visiting Cloudgate, or the Bean as many of you may refer to it as. We were lucky and arrived here around 9am and were able to actually capture the beauty of this monument without having too many people ruin the picture.
Now, for those of you who have visited Chicago, you know that it is an expensive city. With ridiculous sales tax, most people are always looking for a way to save some money. Well, my friend had the brilliant idea of renting these divvy bikes. For those of you who have been to NY it's the same premise of the Citi Bikes. Here you pay 7 dollars for 24 hr access to these bikes. The only negative aspect of this bike share program is you need to drop the bikes off every 30 minutes to avoid the $1 late charge. Despite that little annoyance I really enjoyed seeing different parts of the city while biking everywhere. We were able to eat and drink whatever we liked and we hardly felt guilty about it because we had biked so much before that!
Now here's a little tid bit that I didn't believe and had to actually figure it out for myself. Now for all my 21+ readers, if you'd like to go to visit the John Hancock building but don't want to go to the observation deck, I have an alternative option for you. A great way to see the gorgeous Chicago sunset is to visit the Signature Room, which is on the 95th floor of the building. The Signature Room is home to a swanky restaurant and bar. Now, the drinks on the menu are pretty pricey, but each one looked absolutely delicious. I would whole heartedly recommend the Lakeshore Lemonade, it's not too strong but it is definitely delicious! Now, for the interesting fact: all ladies should venture into the women's bathroom with their camera. Now I'm sure you're thinking why am I bringing my camera into the bathroom? Well, you need to do this because when you walk into the bathroom the first thing you see is absolutely gorgeous floor to ceiling views of the city. The photo below is from the bathroom. Now don't be embarrassed to take a bathroom selfie, most of the women in there are doing the same thing!
Now it wouldn't be a vacation if I didn't find a way to Segway. If you'd like a great way to see the city in a different way please go check out City Segway Tours of Chicago! I've toured with this company in DC and absolutely loved it there and Chicago was just as fabulous!
I think this post has gone on long enough! Next time I hope to update you on the copious amounts of clothing I've bought during my 6 month hiatus.
Until Next Time!!!
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