Girls About Town Day Trip to Chicago

TownePost Network staffers joined the Girls About Town for a day trip to Chicago’s Miracle Mile (left to right) Austin Vance, Alyssa Sander, Toni Folzenlogel, Tom Britt, Rachel Quade, Janelle Morrison, Allie Nash and Chalene Braun.

The holiday season is upon us, so what better excuse do we need to head to Chicago for some shopping and fun? With its close proximity to Indy, the Windy City and its Magnificent Mile attracts the shopping and food enthusiast in all of us! As home to the White Sox, Bulls and da Bears, Chicago really does have it all. Not to mention, it’s bordering the southern shores of the always beautiful Lake Michigan!

So much to see, so much to do- but we’re short on time. Can this be done in a day? Challenge accepted!

First off, to do this city properly and in Girls About Town fashion, we need a ride! Enter David Mosey with Bada Bing Limos! We need more than just a ride though — we need a party bus. We’ve got whole a day after all!

Secondly, we need some partners in crime. Who better to have a good time (while keeping us on a leash) than our very own, Tom Britt. Party with the boss man! Always the ringleader, Tom brought the rest of the circus — the TownePost Media Network staff! Clear your calendar, grab your plastic money and fill your flask! We are heading to Chi-town!

Thanks to the party bus provided by Bada Bing Limo Service, the trip to Chicago was most comfortable!

On an unusually beautiful day for November, we all gathered at Tom’s offices and boarded the swanky and stylish Bada Bing Party Bus. With comfortable seating for 14, our party of eight, laden with roadies and supplies, were in for a big treat!

This is how you show up in Chicago! The bus had a fully stocked bar with whiskey, vodka, tequila, bourbon, and rum — all on tap! There was plenty of outlets to keep our phones charged, comfortable leather seating, fun lighting, and an awesome TV and stereo system to host our very own party! WOW!

So, here’s our day in Chicago. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

8 a.m. (EST): We arrive at the TownePost Network headquarters. Chalene had her suitcase for the day in hand, complete with makeup, iPad, numerous phone chargers, a hat, gloves, and a change of cowboy boots. #havebootswilltravel

8:30 a.m.: The rest of the group straggles in. They were headed up by our fearless leader, Tom Britt, who was loaded down with bottles, including champagne for, you guessed it, mimosas!

9:30 a.m.: The drinking games are already underway! Don’t doubt us! The auxiliary cord for our tunes would disconnect, so we decided to drink every time the music went out. #weneedapitstop

10:30 a.m.: We are at Love’s Truck Stop. We are assigned the duty of bringing a toy to share on the bus! With so many novelty items here, we loaded back up with goodies and hit the road again! The extendable light-up bayonet was a perfect ninja accessory.

Lunchtime at the Purple Pig.

11:55 a.m.: We have arrived! Magnificent Mile — here we come! Heading straight down Michigan Avenue, we decided to stop in at Burberry. For a mere $450, we can get a walking umbrella at Burberry! Luckily, it wasn’t raining, so we passed. Continuing on down the street, the girls decided to peek in La Perla. We didn’t stay here long though, as our male friends looked like creepy peeping toms as they loitered outside. We met up with a few of the many Horses of Honor that line the Magnificent Mile. Benefiting the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, these amazing individual works of art make for fantastic Kodak moments. So of course we took a few pictures!

12:30 p.m.: Based on the popularity among our Facebook friends’ suggestions, we headed towards the The Purple Pig on W. Illinois. Inspired by a love of pig and wine, this extremely popular hot spot makes for an unusual dining experience. After all, what happens when a pig drinks too much wine… it turns purple! The twenty-somethings are not quiiite sure what to order! Rachel passed on the highly recommended bone marrow smear, but decided she was woman enough to tackle the fried pig’s ears. Wait! Don’t dogs eat pig ears? Well, let’s just say, don’t opine until you’ve tried this bovine! Crispy fried pigs ear sliced up with kale, pickled cherry peppers, all served up with a fried egg on top. Sounds delicious, right? Well it actually was! It was fantastic! Chalene, our lactose-intolerant dairy lover, ordered the cheese plate of sheep, cow, and goat cheese — ewe calf to be kidding! This is a must have for all cheese connoisseurs. We wined and swined and finally were done with our over-the-top leisurely lunch. Oink! Oink!

2:30 p.m.: Now back to the shopping and sightseeing! Half our group heads straight for the famous “Bean” at Millennium Park. Dubbed by Chicagoans as “The Bean” because of its legume-like shape, this stainless steel wonder is the most recognizable sculpture in Chicago. Not to mention, the most photographed and “instagrammed” of selfies because of its mirror like qualities. After you’ve knocked yourself in the bean a few times whilst capturing those selfies, keep walking and admire all the artwork in the park as you escape all the skyscrapers in the backdrop.

The rest of us headed to the Shops and North Bridge. We particularly liked Pistachio’s, a cutie pie boutique featuring handmade and unique jewelry items! Men- your wives would love any gift from this shop!

Chalene, Rachel and Janelle broke from the pack to visit Eataly Chicago.

3 p.m.: The shopping group heads to Eataly Chicago– the find of the day! This place deserves its own article there’s so much to experience! Our top Facebook recommended store to visit, we didn’t quite know what we had stepped into here. It’s a sensation overload when you walk into the two-story atrium of Eataly. You’ll be wowed by mirrors, chandeliers, artwork and aromas! Whether preparing a simple family meal or a fantastic Italian dinner party, everything you could want is under this one roof. On the main floor, you’ll find all your kitchen accessories, cookbooks and an Italian grocery market. Stations of deliciousness like Nutella and gourmet baked goods caught our eye. This would be one store our kids wouldn’t complain at if they had to go shopping! Upstairs we found the “food court” of our dreams. We promise you this is like no other food court you’ve experienced! We ordered a few glasses of wine and meandered around the wine shop, the cooking oil section, home baked breads, fish and meat display counters. Wow. Pick a restaurant up here and enjoy your meal! We guarantee you won’t be disappointed! Buon Appetito! Eataly is a must visit where Little Italy meets Martha Stewart in downtown Chicago! Our friends have great taste! Thanks for this recommendation! As one of the many painted quotes that mark the walls of Eataly says, “Life is too short to not eat well.”

4 p.m.: Just around the corner, we stopped in at Bloomingdale’s Home. We loved the beautifully decorated Christmas trees and fantastic home goods you can only find at Bloomingdale’s. Lookout coffee lovers, there’s no need to go to Europe! Nespresso has an expansive boutique right inside Bloomies! Wow, Chalene was in heaven!

4:30 p.m.: We popped in the chic POPS for champagne! Declining a $300 waitress recommendation, we opted for a $58 bottle of the Raventos Rose cava! Cheers to sparkling wine and this absolutely cool vibe bar with its bubbly offerings!

5 p.m.: As the saying goes — it’s 5 o’clock somewhere! So, we jumped in a cab and headed to Division and Rush to meet up with the rest of our group. First stop, Butch McGuire’s. This is a big, old-fashioned pub with lots of woodwork and Christmas lights year-round. With The Lodge and She-Nannigans all on the same block, Division and Rush really feels like the party section of a college campus.

6 p.m.: Since happy hour should always be more than just one hour, we headed further down Rush. We landed at Tavern on Rush. This was a more professional, well-dressed crowd. We enjoyed some dirty martinis across the street at Gibson’s, and then headed over to Hugo’s Frog Bar. All three of these places were crowded and full of friendly people. Cheers!

7 p.m.: A visit to Chicago wouldn’t be complete without to trip to one of this town’s most famous pizza restaurants, Giordano’s. One slice of this super deep dish pie is all you need and probably all your waist can handle! Don’t expect to be in and out of here quickly- your deep dish pizza will take about 45 minutes to cook. It’s worth the wait!

8:30 p.m.: Last stop in Chicago? It HAS to be Garrett’s! Even at nighttime, this place had a line. People huddle up outside in the cold waiting for this delicious popcorn. There are plenty of samples to try. Rachel went with the traditional Garrett’s mix of caramel corn and cheese popcorn. Chalene picked the sweet almond flavored popcorn.

9 p.m.: Much like Cinderella climbing aboard the carriage, these Girls About Town knew our time had come to an end as we climbed aboard the Bada Bing party bus! On the way home, we shared our day’s adventures and started planning our next trip. Many, many thanks to Bada Bing Limos for making this happen in a safe and grand style! Challenge met- Chicago’s Magnificent Mile done in a day! Cheers!

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