Danny’s Bar

A few Fridays ago, a friend had sent out a facebook invite to her birthday weekend bonanza.  She listed all the things she would be doing from Friday-Sunday.  She noted, if anyone wanted to join in the festivities to contact her.  I wasn’t 100 percent sure what my plans were yet, and as the day went on, I called up one of our friends to see if she was going.  She told me her and her boyfriend would be heading out soon to the party, and asked if I needed a ride there.  I told her I would uber it since I was not ready yet.  In the end, I got there before my friends, but I did not see the birthday girl.  She chose to celebrate at Danny’s Bar in Wicker Park.  It was my first time there, and the place was packed.  I saw my friends walk in and we found a spot towards the back.  Her boyfriend went to the bar, and me and my friend took pictures to kill some time.  After about 20 minutes, we texted the birthday girl to see what time was she coming.  We waited and enjoyed our cocktails.  5 minutes later, she texted us back that she had fallen asleep on her couch.  She was trying to get rid of a cold and was not coming out.  Me and my friend decided to go back home.   We were both tired from work earlier and were not up to hang out at the bar.  It was funny if you think about it…

Labor Day Weekend Saturday

Not only were our friends from North Carolina in town.  My good friend from Rhode Island showed up as well.  She let me know a few days beforehand that she was flying in.  She wanted to catch up with some friends in Chicago and was hoping a rooftop would be included.  But the clouds looked a bit funny, and since it rained the night before, we weren’t sure what was going to happen.  We waited patiently until we decided to risk it.  She came by and picked me up and we headed over to Wicker Park.  I insisted for us to uber it over there but she wanted to drive.  Regardless, that set off my nerves and my anxiety took over.  I wanted to get over it, but my guard was up the rest of the night.  

She had looked up Tricycle Chicago and wanted to eat there before heading to The Robey Hotel.  Luckily her friends showed up the same time we did.  It was an adorable pub and everyone ordered some appetizers.  It was nice catching up with her.  I miss her a lot.

We walked over to The Robey Hotel but the rooftop was at capacity.  They suggested we have a drink at the Cabana Club while we waited.  It was also a rooftop lounge (but not the penthouse) so we were outside regardless.  We were having a good time.  At one point we checked on the status of the penthouse lounge but they were still at capacity.  What can you do?  Better luck next time…

The Robey Hotel

Ending that weekend I hung out with my friend who wanted to hear how my trip went.  It was another hot day in Chicago, and she decided The Robey Hotel would be the perfect place to catch up.  I was finally settling back to my regular chores; doing laundry and tidying up the apartment.  I knew I wanted to get back into the swing of things both mentally and financially.  Sometimes it’s hard adjusting to regular life when you come back from a trip.  As I’m traveling more frequently, I’ve adjusted to jet lag pretty well.  It was nice seeing my friend.  We found a spot at the Up Room and ordered some cocktails.  We couldn’t believe we lucked out on the sunset!  It turns out the Blood Moon was happening, and we took a ton of pictures.  Unfortunately, it didn’t show up too well on our iphones.  Oh well; what can you do?  It was still amazing regardless…

Bar Deville!

Following the race, I had a birthday party to attend that Friday.  I didn't think I was THAT out of shape!  Since I didn't train at all, my legs were terribly sore the next day.  I knew I was in trouble because I had to think about what I was going to wear at Bar Deville.  I looked in my closet to see what I could find.  I had done some shopping in Greece and bought some new tops.  I also didn't wear everything I packed with me for my trip in Europe.  I decided to wear my new orange dress I got from Akira back when I purchased it during Memorial Day weekend on clearance.  I was going to wear that out in Mykonos, but I decided I was going to skip that island at the last minute.  I knew offhand that I was not bringing heels on my vacation so I was prepared to wear my dress with flat sandals.  That night I lucked out with the weather here in Chicago.  It was pretty warm that day and I wore my dress without any worries.  I knew wearing flats were going to be a life saver for me.  We had so much fun at the party!  They played 90s music and I couldn't stop dancing!  Needless to say, my legs stayed sore throughout the weekend.  lol 



My leather lace up sandals were a life saver!  Luckily my dress was "tropical" to pull it off...

I sewed my mini Bottega Venetta purse strap and made it into a wristlet.  It was more practical for me...

Drinks!

Dancing!



The birthday girl with her boo

Good crowd...

Her bff



It was pretty dark in there and we had no idea how the pictures were going to come out.  Luckily our flash did us justice!  lol.  I love how they came out!

Rooftop Action Part 2!

The next day, me and my friend decided to run some errands before she headed back to the suburbs.  She was going to fly out the next day and wanted to spend one more night with family.  My friend insists that American skin and makeup products cost 3x more in Italy, so she wanted to stock up.  We drove and shopped in Wicker Park before we settled back in downtown.  We visited Saks 5th avenue and did some shopping there.  I suggested we have lunch at the Godfrey Hotel's rooftop since she's never been.  She really enjoyed it!  The sun was beating hard but we didn't mind.  I was sad when our night had to end, but we made plans when she got back from her short trip.  Time surely flies when you're having fun!

Goodies at the Godfrey!

Good times!

Cinco de Drinko!

Yesterday was Cinco De Mayo and of course, my friends wanted to celebrate.  I was SUPER TIRED because I've been having trouble sleeping lately.  My brain won't shut off when I lay down and it's driving me crazy.  I figured if I do step out, at least when I get home I would be able to knock out right away.  Ha!  Only in theory...
I rushed home from work to shower and change and made my way to Lottie's Pub (where Chicago Fire is filmed).  I've never been there before but I loved it!  I'm not a Pub-type of girl but I would definitely go back to this place.  It combines pop music, with sports watching, and a neighborhood bar all in one.  We were attending the Dos Equis Trolley Crawl which included Lottie's, The Pony Inn, and Frontier on Milwaukee avenue.  The trolley ran every 30 minutes and picked up patrons to hop on and make their way to the next stop.  It was a safe, fun alternative to celebrate the festivities.  We made some memories on that trolley ride!  I felt like a kid going on a school trip.  Good times...

Time to hop on the trolley!

First stop, The Pony Inn...

Had my only margarita there.  At least I celebrated...

Next stop Frontier..

Final stop back at Lottie's Pub.  We had the most fun there...

Thank you the world's most interesting man for the drinks!  Good times...

FUN FILLED WEEKEND part 1

Out of no where, you get these weekends where there is too much going on.  You don't even know where to start.  I hope everyone had a great holiday.  It's pretty slow at work so far.  I'm assuming it's because of Spring Break (?).  Regardless, my staycation so far has been filled with family and friends.  I think I packed in too much action as usual.  I definitely need to monitor my spending before I get into trouble again.  My financial goals are coming together and I don't want to risk setting myself back.
Good Friday was pretty quiet.  I didn't do much.  Saturdays are usually my cleaning days, but this time, I went for a run instead.  The weather was good for it (for a change) and I've been itching to do some cardio.  Boy am I out of shape!!  My asthma was going strong.  I'm glad I got a chance to try to push myself out there.  I really want to get into a routine whenever Spring decides to come to Chicago.  lol.  I apologize for not blogging as much this week.  Still feeling under the weather.  I'll post part 2 soon, I promise!

I finally ran the 606!  I entered on North Avenue in Wicker.  Perfect day for a run!

Had some Korean tacos at En Hakkore.  They were delish!  I can't wait to go back!



Fake it Till You Make It

Ha!  So of course I didn't win the Powerball.  BUT that doesn't stop me from wanting to do the same things I would have done if I won.  I still want to pay off my debt and take care of my family and friends.  It may not be with money but there are other ways I can contribute.  My time, my companionship, my winning personality (lol).  Regardless, just because you wished for something so bad doesn't mean it can't come true.  Riches doesn't come in forms of money.  You can live the life you want by believing you have "that life" already.  If you try this little trick, you will notice the difference in the way you see things.  You will be grateful for what you have and will appreciate the people you share your time with.  Remember, tomorrow isn't always a guarantee.  That's a fact.  Make the most of your experiences, the good and the bad, and you will understand their purpose from a different perspective.
Now we continue with December events!  I usually get my "seasonal" haircut 4x a year.  My hairstylist jokes that he would like to see me more often than that, but in reality, my hair is thin enough as it is.  There's not much he can do to it to make it fuller anyway.  I've been blessed with no grays but the occasional strand here and there.  I have my mom's genes to thank for that.  But I also have my Dad's genes too.  He went bald pretty early in life and I fear my hair has been thinning lately too.  I don't have any patches yet but I know it will be a problem for me later on.  I always ask my hair stylist if I've gone bald yet but he says everything looks the same.  Maybe it's my imagination but I can't help it.  I know my hair was much fuller when I was younger. 
Regardless, I felt fabulous after my haircut.  I was his last client and it was a Saturday night.  My friends called me up and invited me out for drinks.  I figured why not since I was already out and about.  We met up in Wicker Park and walked over to Taus restaurant on Division.  I loved the fact that we made our way to the fireplace area.  It was nice and cozy plus we talked up a storm!  It was a perfect spot for us to tell stories about what we've been up to.  We ended up grabbing something to eat afterwards and the next thing you know, we were in River North heading towards Y bar.  lol.  It turned out to be one of those nights but we were having so much fun.  We finished up at Cuvee before I headed home.  I did not expect to be out all night considering I left the house earlier in the day for a haircut!  Luckily I wore a black tunic with my black fleece lined leggings and riding boots on my way out.  I'm going to have to pay more attention to what I put on in case I end up being out the rest of the night. 

Monday Motivation!

Well here it is.  The last week of 2015.  Hope everyone had a great holiday!  I was off the past couple of days, so it's nice to go back to my regular routine.  A winter storm has arrived for us Chicagoans.  I'm glad I got a chance to spend my time off running errands before the slush came in.  It makes my world a lot easier since I don't own a car.  Regardless, I'm almost done recapping October events, but I am hopeful I will be up-to-date with my blogging by mid January.  Not a bad resolution to start off 2016!
Back in late October, my friend had some friends visiting in town from Rockford Illinois.  We decided to show them a night out in town by hitting a couple of spots.  It was fun because seeing their faces get excited about our nightlife is magnetic.  You start to appreciate the city even more on what it has to offer.
Up first, The Drop in Lincoln Park.  A friend was throwing a party there and we stopped by for a few.  I loved it because it felt like a nightclub in downtown.  If you want to go dancing in the Lincoln Park area, I highly recommend it.  They played top 40/ pop/ dance so everyone was up and moving.  It definitely got us geeked up for our evening.
Next stop, The Godfrey Hotel for some cocktails and people watching.  We got a chance to talk too since The Drop was jamming.  We lucked out on a beautiful night.  The rooftop was opened and we enjoyed the city view.
We walked over to the Lite nightclub and stayed there for a bit before heading across the street to Shay nightclub.  We heard Nelly was performing there so we were pretty excited.  It was a bit chaotic to get in, but luckily we made it in on time before the show started.  It was a packed house in there!  Nelly had the crowd going CRAZY!  That was pretty amazing for us to be a part of. 
Our friends really wanted to dance to some edm/house music after that, so we walked over to Spybar since it was right down the alley.  I loved the fact we got a chance to show our friends different venues in Chicago.  Too bad we didn't have more time to show them Hubbard Street as well. 
The following day was Sunday, so we all met up again in Wicker Park for some Sunday funday.  We hopped around some bars and had some quick bites before we ended up in The Southern for cocktails.  I think her friends had a good time because I sure did! 

Bathroom selfie at The Drop.  Since I didn't know what our plans were, I wore black and white to be safe.

Check out that view from the Godfrey Hotel's rooftop! 

Good times at The Godfrey!

Nelly taking a sip before his show!

Can you find us?  We're in here somewhere!  lol

Sunday Funday at the Southern.  We had some friends watching the Black Hawks there and we crashed their party.  lol

The calm before the storm...part 2

After that crazy long Friday night, I relaxed a bit on Saturday.  Towards the evening my friends were meeting up in Wicker Park to watch the Cubs game again.  I made my way down there later on, since I'm not a crazy sports fan anyway.  Regardless, I knew I was going to have a chilled out night because I had a baptism to attend to in the morning.  We lost the game, which was a bummer for our city, but we still were in the running to head to the World Series.  Gotta love Chicagoans!  We're hopeful even when the odds are against us. 
Some of my friends headed home after the game, but I stuck around a bit longer.  Our next stop was Northside Bar & Grill where things got a little silly between us.  Since some of our friends ARE sports fanatics, I can understand people drowning their sorrows due to the loss.  I headed home after midnight since I knew I had a long day ahead of me.
Sunday morning I rode with my friend to the service.  I was glad we were a few minutes late, but my other friends by the way....tsk tsk.  I understand stuff happens but there should have been no reason more than one of us being SUPER late.  It just looks bad on ALL of us.  Regardless, everyone had an excuse.  Luckily it wasn't such a big deal in the end.  That's another resolution I will be incorporating for the upcoming year.  Not to be tardy!!
We headed downstairs for some light bites.  Our friend decorated the area beautifully!  I loved the soft shades of lavender she used.  So pretty!  Her daughter was adorable, too!  We took a zillion pictures with her.  I love that we got a chance to share this moment with one another.  A baptism truly is a special occasion and the fact that we were there together for this melts my heart.  I cherish my friends dearly.  Watching us move forward towards different stages in our lives means so much to me.  They are my rock...

Pretty dessert table!!



Everyone got a card which contained seeds to plant in your yard! 



The girl of the moment!  Zoe!!  She looked adorable in her white dress with lavender accessories!  Most of my friends wore dresses, but I showed up in pants and a cami.  I wore a cardi warp to cover up my arms.  I need more day dresses in my life.  Regardless, I love this pic!

Spoil yourself BUT take care of business FIRST!

Following up my June events, was a quick birthday party for my co-worker friend at Irazu restaurant in Wicker Park.  Irazu is a Costa Rican restaurant and has been in the neighborhood since 1990.  I LOVE their empanadas!  It's BYOB as well, so I rushed over to a liquor store nearby and brought over a bottle of wine.  We had a good time with her friends and family.  AGAIN, it was pretty nippy out so they had the heat lamps on full blast while we dined outside.  I got a chance to wear my birthday-present-to-myself gift which this year is a leopard print Alexander McQueen scarf!  I was a happy camper knowing I could rock a scarf in June!  lol
As I've gotten older, gifts in general have been a touchy subject for me.  First of all, if people ask what I would like to do for my birthday, I go in a panic.  I NEVER have an idea on what I would like to do, much less, what I would like to receive on my birthday in general.  Boyfriends in the past have gotten me things they THINK I would appreciate, and I do.  I think for me as long as I'm with my friends and loved ones, that's all that really matters to me.  Not some table service bonanza with a few of my "closest" friends.  It's definitely not my style as well as asking for elaborate gifts.
But on the subject of "elaborate", I've had loved ones get me things that I know I could have lived without, but deep down know it cost them a pretty penny.  I started to feel bad because I felt responsible for them spending so much on me especially if I didn't appreciate the thought of their gesture.  To me, I was more mortified they spent so much on me, and always felt guilty about it.  Feeling guilty is NOT something you should feel on your birthday, so I decided a long time ago not to accept any gifts (if they ask what I would like) and get the things I DO secretly wish for on my own.  If friends want to take me out to dinner that's fine, since we will be catching up which I enjoy very much so.  A bottle of wine?  Sure!  Who doesn't love vino?  But costly gifts are not for me unless I get it myself. 
Since I started this I've very much enjoyed my gifts-to-myself.  I treat myself to Valentine's Day and Christmas too.  They are my treasures and I take pride in my taste!  lol!  I know what value my gifts add to my closet as well as my self esteem.  Yes it's true.  Studies have suggested that wearing certain items can boost your self confidence.  But it's important to add not to let material things run your life.  The last thing you want to do is get yourself in debt because you felt you NEEDED a pair of Christian Louboutins in your wardrobe. 
Let's talk about "lifestyle".  It amazes me when people get celebrity obsessed because we clearly know that most of the time, fashion designers give away most of their goods for FREE.  They just want the exposure celebrities will bring to their brand.  For the average citizen, walking around in $1500 pair of heels are not practical.  But people LOVE the luxury of these items so there goes the sound of a credit card swipe. 
I'm no different as anyone else.  WE ALL WANT NICE THINGS.  But you HAVE to be practical and not get into debt.  Since I knew my birthday was coming up and I had my eye on my scarf, I didn't shop for weeks so I could secretly save up in the meantime.  Yes I did pay by credit card, but I made sure I was good to go for the next couple of months on payments.  My credit cards are purposely on a low credit limit so I don't get out of control with my spending.  For some, having a high credit limit makes them believe they have all of this credit to spend, when in actuality it simply means credit card companies recognize how responsible you've been in the past, (and hope you will get irresponsible in the future).  
I've had my share of credit card problems, and I've learned to manage my debt over the years.  Wearing my scarf is proof that I buy practical items that fit into my lifestyle and not one of a celebrity.

Let's get this party started!!

The birthday girl and me with a friend...

B.Y.O.B at Irazu

Stepped out for a bit at a nightclub.  I felt a litte underdressed wearing jeans but we made it a short night anyway.

 

One last goodbye...

Towards the end of April our friend decided to throw one last house party before she transitioned to California.  It has been years in the making for her, and I'm glad everything was working out.  She had a couple of interviews earlier in the month, and an offer came through.  She also managed to find a great apartment by the beach!  How wonderful!
I've been thinking about relocating myself.  It's just something that pops in mind from time to time.  I've lived in Chicago all of my life.  But with recent changes in my life, I no longer find it my home.  Sometimes I feel so unfamiliar with my surroundings.  People are getting married, having families.  It gets harder and harder for me and my friends to get together.  And even then, I don't feel I have much in common with them anymore. 
My friend has had the same feelings as well, but with her, the weather is a HUGE factor in moving to Cali.  I can totally understand.  I hate the cold too.  But she needs to be near water, and with Cali, I feel she will find her joy once more.  I'm so happy she decided to have this party.  She also had a section of free giveaways for anyone who was interested in grabbing some goods.  I managed to walk away with some cookbooks and a cute picture I hung in my bathroom wall.  It was great seeing everyone again.  Our friend even showed up with her new baby!  SHE IS SO FREAKING CUTE!!  I think she had fun with us, too!  lol

Free giveaways in the kitchen!

Love these two! 

A frigid bbq but we managed...

Trying to stay warm under the covers...

My crew!



Admiring someone's Givenchy Antigona bag.  LOVE the color!


The following week our friend wanted to have one last night out before she departed on her new journey.  We had headed down to Wicker Park to Big Star for some margaritas and then across the street to Violet Hour.  I wore white to get out of the funk of it being frigid still.  I remember how I couldn't wait for summer.  Can't believe it's halfway over.