Chicao recap.

I finally got my pictures together for a Chicago recap post, just a few days tardy! But it was a blast & I wanted to share our adventures in the city & the 1/2 marathon itself.

The first night we got it, we took the el (or L, or subway...?) train into downtown where we were staying: the Marriott on Magnificent Mile.

Those of us in Northern California aren't that savvy with efficient public transportation. And definitely weren't ready for the craziness of rush hour traffic & what seemed like a million staircases, up & down, with all of our luggage! I took this photo of my mom: the blonde woman straight ahead. Separated & exhausted!

For dinner that night, we went to Rockit, per lots of recommendations from my fabulous bloggy friends!

The food was delish!

We had a blast there & a special treat:

They were hosting a charity fashion show, with many of the previous Bachelor & Bachelorette girls!

And although I didn't recognize most of them, Trista was there... and since she & Ryan are pretty much the show's only success story, she was easy to recognize.

The next day, we enjoyed some much needed shopping along Magnificent Mile.

We walked up and down Michigan Avenue, walked to the beachfront & went to Mike Ditka's restaurant for lunch.

That afternoon, we took the Wendella Architectural boat tour. (Another fine recommendation! Thank you!)

Next up was Epic for dinner! One of the best meals I have ever had! Thanks for the reco!

Great company, great food & I even had a drink with my mom on the rooftop bar! Great night :)

The next day we headed into Bucktown to explore. We went to Northside Bar & Grill for lunch.

Later we went to the Marathon Expo & prepared for our race the next day.

The Expo was a blast & a serious reality check!

To save this from being the longest post EVER... Part 2 to come:

{The Race, the bean & more reco's from all of you lovelies}