St. Patrick's Day in Chicago

 Chicago. Such a fast paced energetic atmosphere with an endless array of good food, entertainment, and traditional city culture. Every time I go to Chicago I always tell myself how I need to go more often.  Then I see another year roll around before my beloved reunion with the city happens again. Lucky for me I had the chance to spend another St. Patrick's Day weekend in Chi and it was yet again another reminder of the need to travel back more often.

What's even better about going to Chicago is that we have some great friends who live there. So for SPD this year a few friends and I packed our green gear on Friday afternoon and journeyed south for a visit. 

 The girls split from the guys and we spent the evening downing happy hour sushi rolls as we sipped on Moscow Mules at RA, a Japanese restaurant. It's located in the Gold Coast District, also unbeknown to me is also called the Viagra Triangle. (However, we're not going to get into that).

 (I must have really been thinking hard to take a picture of an empty plate, so bear with me).

The atmosphere had a fun modern vibe and considering the price of the food it tasted pretty good, too. We decided to keep Friday a little more low key since Saturday would be filled with, well, your traditional St. Patty's lifestyle of green beer, beads, and most importantly the green river. 

 We woke up bright and early and I had the itch to get a little run in before all the festivities kicked in full swing.

I love running in different cities. I must look like an excited little kid. One whose never touched pavement or felt grass. Amused by all the trees, skyscrapers, and copious amounts of people watching, I ran through the streets of Chicago on full alert. Sensory overload at its best. 

Every now and then I'd stop to admire the scenery and snap a quick picture to capture my time. 

Even made a pit stop at the Bean! My first time.

Due to St. Patrick's day, they were just about to close Millennium Park, but I managed to wiggle my way in before they set up all the gates.

After my run we chowed down on some corned beef and hash and traveled out on the town. We forged our way to the river, which is one of my favorite parts of SPD in Chicago. I love seeing all the people crowd around the water and gaze at the 45 pounds of dye turning the water into a beautiful and bright leprechaun green.

 <3 <3 <3

 Had to get in a group shot.

After exploring the river front we grilled out and enjoyed the perfect weather and warm temps on our friends rooftop deck before heading out for the night.

Surprisingly we lasted pretty late, gave an Irish goodbye (aka, didn't say goodbye to anyone), and managed to hail down a man pretending to be Uber... thank goodness we are still alive. 

Chicago, you won bonus points in my book. As I wish we could be reunited sooner, it might have to be an until next time.

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