Culture and Cocktails in Chicago

Trip date: October 2015

My girl friends and I started day four in Chicago (earlier posts are here and here) at the neighborhood gem Lula Cafe in Logan Square. The weather was cloudy and a bit chillier but we joined the locals and had our brunch outside. This is a super fun and casual spot, another winner in the 'hood!

We had two days left and they were going to be packed full of fun! Forest and I left Kate to her own devices after brunch and headed to the Art Institute to see their miniature rooms gallery. We walked through Millennial Park on the way and took the obligatory selfie with the Bean as well as wandered the outdoor sculpture exhibits of Juame Plensa.

Housed downstairs in the museum there are 68 little rooms of amazing European interior design. We absolutely loved this! They are so tiny and perfectly put together. I believe this is a permanent exhibit; definitely worth checking out!

 Additionally there was a special exhibit of paperweights that had some absolutely gorgeous items!

And the cherry on top was an exhibit of Degas' work, At the Track, On the Stage. Some of my favorite pieces were on display.

This museum has such an amazing collection, there's always something new to discover! We headed over to the bar at the nearby Kimpton for a glass of wine before grabbing the train to meet up with Kate and another friend and start our evening cocktail crawl at Lost Lake Tiki.

This place is so much fun! Fantastic tiki drinks, cool themed space, fun and friendly. We loved everything about it, including the "bang bang" chicken wings that come from the little hole in a wall next door (which I hear has closed now.)

Next up were elegant cocktails had in the polished space of The Violet Hour. I've been here before (strangely was even seated at the same booth!) and it still lives up to the excellent service and quality drinks after almost 10-years in business. When our waitress heard we were doing a bar crawl she even brought out some little snacks on the house. Class act.

Stop number three, the gorgeous Scofflaw. I love gin drinks, and that is their focus, so I really thought that this would be my favorite stop of the evening, but our service was both snobbish and aloof which turned us all a bit off on them.

We decided to only have one round because of this and headed out to our final stop, Best Intentions. We had so much fun here! It's a casual/divey looking place with a menu of retro drinks, all made exceptionally well. It's lively, and fun, and delicious!

They also have a great outdoor patio that would be awesome in warm months. Be sure to check them out while in town! Excellent day and evening in Chicago!

All Chicago photos here.

Other posts from this trip:
Easing into Chicago
A Night at The Aviary
Chicago Cocktail Crawl