Small joys in Chicago

a lesson in joy from my 4-day solo trip

Jul 02, 2024

This post was going to be another roundup of news since you guys enjoy those, but I went to Chicago last week and have lots to share - both from places I visited and things in my list that I didn’t get to check off. It was a short work trip, and I caught a cold in the middle of it. From someone who knew they had one. I’ve made peace with it, even though I couldn’t expense the subsequent trips to CVS for DayQuil.

But, I digress. I stayed at the Thompson Chicago and don’t recommend unless it’s at a discounted rate. The view was nice, but that’s about it (sorry). It was an okay (not inexpensive) hotel that wanted to charge $50 for travel-sized toiletries and for breakfast, even though their restaurant has been closed for ~2 years and their alternatives are a limited in-room breakfast menu or a pancake house across the street.

Still, I had a great time, and did a good job *pats back* of enjoying those few days and capturing things that made me smile. To keep this recap short and sweet, I’ve classified things into small/medium/big joys. Enjoy!

Small Joys

There silver lining of a breakfast hotel was that I had an excuse to go to Ralph’s for 3 days straight, and my heart was happy. The servers were nice, the branding is impeccable, and the jazz playlist makes it the perfect ambiance to start your day in.

Ralph’s Coffee [5 min walk from my hotel]: It was so hot/humid that I ordered an iced maple latte and it was SO GOOD. When I ordered a hot one (for my newly-developed sore throat), the girl suggested I add cinnamon on top and I love her for it.
Gotham Bagels [10 min walk]: An egg & cheese sandwich on a plain or everything bagel.

Speaking of jazz, another little joy: the P.O.S.H store in River North. Their online bio reads “An eclectic assortment of vintage Hotel and Estate Silver, Restaurant China and Dinnerware and an ever–changing mix of European Flea Market Finds.” Jazz music as you browse cute little trinkets is the recipe for inner peace.

I landed on a Sunday at noon and was lucky that my room was ready earlier than expected, so I dropped off my bags, took a quick shower and walked about 10 min south to the riverwalk. It had been cloudy that morning, but you couldn’t tell - the sun was out in full force, and so was everyone else.

Medium Joys

Going on a weekday walk alongside the river. Weekdays = less people. I got a coffee at Tiny Tap and sat at a small table overlooking the river and the people paddle boarding on a Monday morning,
The L train in the loop - I ride the subway in Boston every day and would love to see a cityscape instead of darkness during rush hour.
Rose Mary in the West Loop - great food, great spritz, and nice bartender who made me feel less awkward about eating alone. Him and my friend who I texted the entire time (thank u Carol <3)
The pistachio + rose + honey profiterole at Avec
The sunsets from my hotel room

Big Joys

Big joys are small joys - aka none of these are anything out of the ordinary. I think that’s what makes them so special!!

The Riverwalk, and the couple in the yellow boat
The Bean, which reopened 4 days before I arrived
The Marina City buildings - I thought it was so silly that I loved these so much, but now I think it says something about being the daughter of two architects because it was named a Chicago landmark in 2016.
The wood-fired squid at Avec
The Oreo cupcake from Molly’s Cupcakes - I’m not a big cupcake person, but I am a Molly’s Cupcake person because wow.