Picture this: a day that starts with a flight of French toast and ends with tiramisu. What could be better? That sums up my last day in Chicago, along with a visit to the zoo and a sail on Lake Michigan.
My stomach was really growling by the time I arrived at Batter and Berries for breakfast, which didn’t open until 9AM today. I have eaten at Batter and Berries on all of my trips to Chicago because it is that good. I mean, how can you go wrong with a place that offers French toast flights? The restaurant itself appears to have seen better days, with a cracked window, boarded door, and lack of air conditioning, but the food was still pretty good. I ordered my usual French toast flight which included blueberry, strawberry, caramel, and lemon French toasts. It was as good as I remember it, however, the novelty of it has worn off.
Since my foot/leg is still bothering me, I took my time after breakfast, walking through the Lincoln Park neighborhood (breakfast was just a block away from last night’s dinner) and over to the Lincoln Park Zoo. If I had to pick a city other than Boston to live in, it would be Chicago. Specifically, the Lincoln Park area. The homes are gorgeous, the tree-lined streets are inviting, and there are restaurants galore at your doorstep.
The Lincoln Park Zoo is one of Chicago’s free attractions but it would definitely be worth paying money to see. I enjoyed watching the monkeys, giraffes, and polar bears the most and spent about an hour and a half wandering around taking pictures of the animals and flowers.
Since I didn’t have anything but water to drink with breakfast, I backtracked to a little cafe I had passed on my walk to the zoo and had an iced mocha on the patio at Bourgeois Pig Cafe. After my mocha, I made a stop at a parking garage. A parking garage, Laura? Yes, a parking garage. The Mart Parc Wells garage has a view of the “S” curves along the L tracks and is reputed to be a top spot for pictures. The lighting wasn’t the greatest, but I got my pictures.
On my last trip to Chicago, I enjoyed an afternoon sail on Lake Michigan aboard the Tall Ship Windy and decided to replicate the experience today. Unfortunately, they had a gimmicky pirate theme going on but the boat ride itself was enjoyable.
In my many online searches for the best Italian restaurant in Chicago, Acanto was mentioned several times as a hidden gem. It’s not exactly hidden (it’s right across from Millennium Park on Michigan Ave.), but in terms of food, it was exceptional. I had an Italian cider, rigatoni bolognese, garlic rosemary focaccia, and tiramisu. I always forget how much I love bolognese until I have it again. I won’t need to eat again for days after that meal!
I walked over to the Bean one more time and then headed back to my hotel. I want to take an early morning walk and have a breakfast picnic before heading back to the airport tomorrow.
Traveling with Laura 