24-Hour Layover in Chicago

Chicago is my favorite city to do a positioning flight. The flight from Chicago to Guatemala City was only $175 per person round trip, so we bought an $80 flight for Memphis to Chicago and spent the day there!

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile and it was your typical Hilton Garden Inn, which is what I love. It was in the middle of everything so it was conveniently located!

We left the hotel after checking in and ate at Havana al fresco and it was so nice! It ended up getting too hot so we migrated inside the restaurant, but we still had a great meal. I definitely recommend their pomegranate skinny margarita.

After Havana, we took a Lyft to the WNDR Museum. One of my good friends works there and was kind enough to comp our tickets. I hate to admit this, but I’m not usually a fan of art museums. I know I just don’t understand what I’m looking at most of the time, but this was by far the coolest art museum I’ve ever visited. I mentioned this to her and she said that was the purpose… to make art accessible and fun for all crowds. I highly recommend visiting this museum!

We went shopping on Magnificent Mile and then visited The Bean and just walked around. Then I met my 2 good friends at The Godfrey rooftop! We split a prosciutto and pesto flatbread and truffle fries. The manager ended up sending us free champagne, too!

After drinks, I met my mom and Cameron at Giordano’s. I know it’s touristy, but you have to go! I did have a minor (they might say major) panic attack about traveling and getting COVID, so we went by Walgreens after and picked up a bunch of at-home tests, medicine, and treats to help ease some of my anxieties.

I’ve explored Chicago only one time previously and hated it. While it’s not my favorite city, it did redeem itself a bit this time around :)