The Windy City. Chi-Town. The City by the Lake. Whatever you call it, Chicago is one of my favorite cities. Since I’ve only been to Chicago during the winter months and I’m not quite ready to brave international travel again, this seemed like the perfect destination for another summer getaway. This is also another “no rules” trip where I plan to do whatever I feel like doing in the moment (though I do have a general itinerary planned this time). Which is why I decided to drop my stuff off at my hotel, enjoy the amazing river view for a few minutes, and then take a 30 minute train ride to try the pizza at Spacca Napoli in the Ravenswood neighborhood.
Chicago’s public transit system, the “L”, is an elevated train system, where you are riding above street level. The wooden platforms shake precariously when a train arrives at the station. Around downtown Chicago, the trains form a circle (the Loop), and lines branch off from there. Since the tracks are elevated, one can see easily into offices and homes along the tracks. The downtown office buildings quickly gave way to homes and rowhouses as the train left the Loop. One of the things I love about Chicago is its architecture. This is no cookie cutter city. Every building has its own style and curb appeal and it was fun to glimpse the different styles of homes and tree lined streets as I rode along.
Dinner involved my favorite pizza style and toppings: a Neapolitan pizza topped with Provola cheese, prosciutto and basil. I also discovered a new sparkling wine in Spumante and capped the dinner off with a rich and indulgent zabaglione for dessert. A small glass of sweet Moscato delivered as I finished dessert was an unexpected treat to end the meal.
Traveling with Laura 