When Tavi and I began planning for our #Adultditchday we thought of what places would we want to go to in our home sweet home Chicago!  A few helpful hints!  When planning your perfect ditch day you will cater it to the things and places that YOU like.  If you like to sleep in by all means do so!  Just do not sleep in so late that you are not able to make it to any of your desired locations.  Check the weather make sure that it’s a perfect day to be out and about. Also check out somewhere you have never been to really make it an EXPERIENCE! Adult Ditch Day does not have to be expensive! So try to do your homework ahead of time that way you may also be able to take advantage of specials that those locations may be offering at that time.   Lastly do the Adult thing and let your boss and coworkers know you are taking the day off no one wants to hear about your adult ditch day on social media and you come back to work to no work!  😉

 

Breakfast Meli’s Café– 540 N Wells Street, Chicago, IL Open for Breakfast and Brunch 7 days a week  www.melicafe.com

First stop!  Girl’s gotta eat and you definitely do not want to kick your ditch day off on a empty stomach!  You want to be ready to take on the city and all it has to offer.  What better place to start than Meli Café it is indeed a Chicago staple!  With various locations around town if you have never been here before you are truly missing out!  On this day we stopped into their River North location.  Fresh, healthy and a wide variety to choose from for even the pickiest of eaters!  We decided to share a couple items, Tavi picked the sweet item the maple butter pancakes and I selected the savory salmon omelet.  These were the perfect pairing of sweet and savory!  Service is top notch at Meli Café and the staff is more than willing to offer suggestions if you need them!  Enjoy!  Lord knows we did!!

 

 

Educational Experience Chicago History Museum-1601 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL Open 7 days a week http://chicagohistory.org/

 

The Chicago History Museum was our next stop!  I cannot think of a better stop on the #Adultditchday to make!  When we checked in we were introduced to our private tour guide Leslie, she was beyond passionate about Chicago and its past which made for a truly enjoyable outing!  We started at Chicago: Crossroads of America which is a permanent exhibit, here you are able to explore the city’s history through a series of galleries that highlight artifacts, interactive features, and multimedia presentations. Climb aboard ‘L’ car no. 1, visit a jazz club, or picture yourself in the retro fashions of the Marshall Field’s store window. YES Marshall Field’s NOT Macy’s!!! IJS!

 

 

 

 

We also checked out their newest exhibit Lincoln’s Undying Words this exhibit the exhibition, created in partnership with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, explores this historic period through five of Lincoln’s key speeches:

• A House Divided, 1858
• His first inaugural address, 1861
• The Gettysburg Address, 1863
• Lincoln’s second inaugural address, March 1865
• His speech on Reconstruction, April 1865, given three days before his assassination

Showcased in the exhibition are rare treasures and artifacts related to Lincoln, including his family’s carriage, on display at the Museum for the first time in 30 years, and his deathbed.  Plan accordingly to see this amazing history lesson as it is on display for a limited time it ends  February 20, 2017. Check out their website for further info as well as discount days! http://chicagohistory.org/

 

Whew! After our educational experience at The Chicago History Museum we were definitely ready for a lunch break!  So we bid farewell to Leslie and made our way to another one of our fav spots that I must say I had only experienced after work and on the weekends for brunch!  Theory!

Lunch-Theory-9 W Hubbard Street, Chicago, IL Open 7 days a week for lunch, dinner, happy hour, late nights  and brunch on the weekends.  http://www.theorychicago.com/

Theory is a upscale sports bar which has been in the area for about 7 ½ years!  When we arrived the spot was in full swing with the patrons cheering to a soccer game, which made me almost wonder were they also doing an adult ditch day?!  Hmmmmm.  Any who Tavi and I are not big sports fans more so FOOD fans!  So we decide to start with the steak nachos which I must admit is one of the most thoughtful items on the menu!  Why?  Because each chip includes a perfect amount of steak, guacamole, sour cream it ensures that each bite is consistent!  And they were delicious!  The shrimp wrap is also a fav of mine on the menu but hey they have so many options you may want to pick a few to share!  Great cocktails, large wine selection and great service you will not want to leave!   But be sure to come back and check out the HUGE happy hour menu!  Every day is something different!

 

Next up on our ditch day was a 2 hour boat cruise with Vantage

Fun Activity-Vantage Boat Share-600 W Chicago Ave. Chicago, IL . Your Friend with a Boat-Check site for deets. http://www.vantageboatshare.com/

What is a boat share you ask?  It gives you the opportunity to rent a boat and make your own Chicago experience!  Yes there are several guided boat tours which are fun and educational BUT this way you make your own experience and can pretty much create your own tour!  Vantage was founded in 2010 to provide everyone access to the incredible waterways in the city of Chicago.  Their mission -to provide our members with unique and enjoyable experiences on the water -to operate at the highest safety standards with the youngest and cleanest boats -to offer a variety of boats to match various member needs at affordable prices -to ensure a safe and informed introduction for new boaters.

 

This is a wonderful way to view the city from the Chicago River.  We grabbed a few snacks, drinks and what a great friend indeed Vantage is they even loaned us a portable speaker so we could jam to Beyonce along the way!  As we boarded the 24 ft Pontoon named the SEA ESTA, it is one of the newest Pontoons to their fleet.  It seats 12 people quite comfortably and offers a covering just in case it rains. Although the weather was not the greatest it did not take away from our fun outing and gorgeous skyline, our captain of our pontoon was Ryan and he took us by some great spots and Tavi (chiataglance) directed him on where we wanted to go so we took our route down the river and up to Navy Pier which offers some pretty amazing views!

 

 

Whew!  What a fun and festive day we have had thus far and guess what?!  We are not done, just yet!  What better way to finish off our #Adultditchday than at one of Chicago’s newest and hottest rooftops?!  So we make our way to our final stop…….next up Raised!

Happy Hour-Raised at the Renaissance Hotel-1 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL

Open 7 days a week.  Check site for hours http://raisedbarchicago.com/

Raised is a gorgeous addition to the Renaissance hotel, its located on the 3^rd floor and offers some amazing views of our city.  It is described as an urban roof top bar, again the weather that day was not the greatest so we were not able to take advantage of the adorable cabanas but we did not let that put a damper on our day!  NO WAY!

 

We took a seat at the bar and our bartender was awesome!  One of the first things I noticed in being a Rose’ fan was they had it on draft?! WHAT?!  I thought  out loud how could that be and would my snob level allow me to partake in such a thing?!  Well our bartender advised me that he too, thought the same but it was definitely a must try!  And it did not disappoint!  He offered some great suggestions for not only beverages but bites as well.  We had the Lobster rolls which are prepared Chicago style with citrus and tarragon , Beef Tenderloin sliders with mushroom and truffle cheese OH MY ,  Chilled shrimp with caper berries (oh how I love capers!!) remoulade and lemon relish and Parmesan rosemary frites that are served with a molasses ketchup and garlic aioli….none of these bites disappointed!  I truly enjoyed all of the dishes and could not pick a favorite!  Although a perfect version of surf and turf would be those yummy Beef tenderloin sliders and the lobster rolls!  AMAZING!! Lastly, was the dessert which YES by now we were getting full so this tiny bite was perfect!  We had the burnt caramel ice cream sandwiches and trust me even if you think you do not have room for these YES YOU DO!!!

 

So about those beverages?!  I love a well thought out crafted cocktail as many may know I even more so love a good bourbon, rye or whisky!  Raised has us all covered!  From tequila, vodka, bourbons, etc there is a bevy for everyone’s taste!  I had the Fruited Reserve which is made with a seasonal stone infused Woodford Reserve Rye which was AWESOME! We absolutely were having a great time when we looked up we had been there for nearly three hours!  Great conversation, music, ambience in addition to the food and drinks made this a great conclusion to our ditch day!

 

I definitely look forward to coming back to Raised on a better weather day to be able to take full advantage of that beautiful roof top!

 

We want to help you get a jump start on your very own Adult Ditch Day adventure, I will be giving away a $25 Visa giftcard to one lucky follower.

Head over to my Chigirlabouttown Instagram page or https://www.facebook.com/chigirlabouttown for further details!

 

Good luck!  XOXO