A Lady in London

After a great weekend in Bloomington, Indiana, I planned a long layover in Chicago. It had been five years since my last visit to the Windy City, and I wanted to explore one of the less touristy neighborhoods. Chicago’s Wicker Park restaurants and shopping spots were the highlights of this agenda.

A friend that I went to Mongolia with last summer generously offered to pick me up from the airport and take me around for the afternoon. Given Wicker Park’s relative proximity to O’Hare, we went there to explore the trendy area. I had never been to Wicker Park before, and I was excited to see a new part of Chicago.

As soon as we arrived, we walked along Damen Avenue to a restaurant called Francesca’s Forno. They were still serving brunch at 2pm, so we ordered french toast and eggs while catching up with one another.

After brunch we walked down Milwaukee Avenue. Both sides of the street were packed with trendy shopping boutiques, hip cafes, restaurants, and bars. The buildings were painted in bright colors accented by murals and other decorations.

We went into several shops, including one that had a special sale offering two tank tops for $10. The deals made me miss shopping in the States. My friend bought a few items, and then we continued down the road.

At one point we veered off onto a side street in Wicker Park that had fewer restaurants and less shopping. There we passed an old house that almost looked abandoned. The front lawn was decorated in faded garden gnomes and sculptures that were both amusing an eerie at the same time.

Back on Damen Avenue, we made our way back towards my friend’s car. On the way we stopped into a new Wicker Park shop called Arts n Spirits. The owner, Jessica, told us that the store’s concept was to host events where people could work on an art project while drinking wine and other spirits. It sounded good to me.

Back in the car, we had a bit of extra time before I had to be at the airport. We made our way to O’Hare along the back roads, taking in a diverse array of Chicago neighborhoods as we drove. Of all of the ones I saw, though, Wicker Park was definitely my favorite. It was a unique part of the city, and the Wicker Park restaurants and shopping were a great way to spend my long layover in Chicago.