Restaurant Review: The Grand Lux Cafe - Chicago

The only meal we ate in Chicago was lunch.  Before leaving Heather's apartment, she asked her roommate for lunch recommendations.  She told us we HAD to go to the Grand Lux Cafe, located on Michigan Avenue (aka the Magnificent Mile).

Via
 

LOCATION: The restaurant is actually located on the second floor and is assessable through a door on the right side of the building (the the view pictured). 
600 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

 ATMOSPHERE:  The Grand Lux is beautifully decorated throughout!  There was definitely a mix of Italian and Modern and I loved it.  There was also huge windows throughout the entire cafe.  No matter where you were sitting, you had an amazing view of Chicago!

SERVICE:  The staff was great!  The host, server and food runner were all very pleasant.  Our server was great and very friendly.  He also knew the menu very well.  I had some questions about ingredients and he was able to answer all of them.

EFFICIENCY:  When we walked in there was one group ahead of us making a reservation but after that we were seated right away. Our server came to greet us within 2 minutes and got our drinks to us quickly as well.  Our food took approximately 15 minutes which is reasonable for what we ordered.  We also had bread delivered almost immediately after we placed our order.

PRICE: My first thought when walking in was, ummm ... how are we affording this?
  Once we were seated, I immediately grabbed a menu to look at the prices and Heather and I were pleasantly surprised.  It was a little pricier than I usually go for lunch, but it was definitely reasonable.

  
This was the view from where Heather and I were sitting.

FOOD: I got Fettuccine Alfredo which was delicious.  Of course, I forgot to take a picture before I started eating, but it looked amazing when it came out.  The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the shrimp.  They were just too big and way too expensive ($1.00 per shrimp), I would get the chicken next time.

Would I recommend the Grand Lux?  Absolutely!  We really enjoyed our meal, the service was great and we just loved the atmosphere.

Rating:  A

Travel Tuesday: Chicago 2013

Our adventure driving from Chicago to Maryland was interesting, to say the least.  We never made it to Cleveland and I'm pretty sure the woman at the hotel we decided to stop at almost called the cops on me.  Let's just say, I don't think I'll ever be using Hotels.com again, but I'll share that story next week.

Today, I'm going to share the 8 hours that we spent in Chicago before heading out on our adventure.   My flight from BWI was at 6:15am.  I was obviously thrilled to be waking up at 2:45 in the morning.   The flight was on time and really smooth, thankfully.  It also went by surprisingly quick, though really it was only 2 hours long. 

I arrived at Chicago Midway at 7:15 (time change) and Heather picked me up from the airport.  We headed to her apartment to drop my stuff off and chill out for a few minutes before playing tourists.

Unfortunately, it was super cloudy and we didn't think it would be worth it to do the Sky Deck at Willis Tower, so we skipped that.  We did head to Millennium Park to see the Bean, of course!

We walked around the rest of Millennium Park as well. I really want to visit Chicago again when it's warmer and all of the fountains are going.

We decided our next stop should be Navy Pier.  Unfortunately, they were doing construction so it was a bit underwhelming.   We did spend some time inside getting warm and buying my souvenirs.

After Navy Pier we walked Michigan Avenue and stopped for lunch at the Grand Lux Cafe which I will be writing about tomorrow.  Love that place!!

And a few Random Chicago pictures:

Around DC: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of my favorite memorials in DC.  The names of every victim of the war is etched into this 493 foot long wall.

In my opinion, The Vietnam Memorial is the most humbling of all of the memorials in DC.  They have papers that you can take and etch the named of family and friends onto that paper from the wall.  Every time I see someone doing this, my heart goes out the them.  It's a sharp reminder of the repercussions of war even decades after it is over.    I am so thankful to the men and women who make the choice to be this countries first line of defense and I am glad that they have been memorialized. 

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was constructed specifically to honor the people who served.  Construction of the wall was started in March 1982 and finished in November of 1984.  

Currently, there are approximately 58,272 names etched into the wall.   The names are ordered chronologically by date and time of death (approximately).   

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is located northeast of the Lincoln Memorial.  It is not technically on the National Mall.  Also, right by the Memorial is another Vietnam memorial called The Three Soldiers.

This memorial was actually placed here in 1984 because people so strongly objected to the concept of the wall.   One man is white, one is black, and one is Hispanic.  The concept of the memorial was chosen in a contest and this was actually the concept which came in third place. 

If you are ever in DC, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is definitely worth a visit and is located just adjacent to the mall so it is within walking distance of pretty much everything. 

Location: Constitutional Gardens, Washington, D.C.

Price of Admission: Free 

A Travel Moment

I live for the little moments during my travels.  There are often moments when I am in awe of how beautiful nature is or how small I am in this world.

The first "moment" I remember having was in Colorado in 2005.  This trip was full of firsts for me.  It was my first time flying, my first time seeing real mountains, and my first time out west.

The reason for the trip was my Uncle Steve's wedding, but we headed out for a full week and made it our family vacation for the year.  I was so happy not to be spending another vacation in Ocean City, MD!   One of the days we decided to check out Rocky Mountain National Park.

I know I share this photo a lot but that's because it's so special to me.  This is where I remember having a moment where I felt so small.  In this moment, it really hit me how much there is too see in the world and how beautiful it is.  This is one of the most naturally beautiful spots I have ever had the pleasure of seeing and reminded me why I love nature.   We were the only people at this spot at that particular time and it was so peaceful, I was so in awe of this place.

I always say my trip to Canada started my love of travel, but really it's just what got me curious about all the places in the world.  This trip to Colorado and that moment standing in this spot was like adding fuel to the fire.  After seeing what Colorado offered, I made it my number one goal in life to travel as often as I could.

Standing in that spot, taking in that beautiful view was one of the best moments of my life and I will always remember it.

25 Days of Christmas: Favorite Christmas Movies

 
I love, love, love Christmas movies!  They never get old.  Last year I was watching Christmas movies from mid-November well into January and I am not sorry.  I also randomly watch certain ones throughout the entire year.

I love both the old classics and new movies.  Netflix had a bunch last year that I had never seen, but absolutely loved! 

Charlie Brown Christmas

Rudolph 

Santa Clause in Coming to Town

Frosty the Snowman

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
A Christmas Story
 The Santa Clause

The Polar Express
Jack Frost
Christmas Every Day (so mad that I can't find this anywhere!)

Snowglobe
Christmas Cupid
Christmas Lodge
12 Dates of Christmas
Holiday Engagement
Desperately Seeking Santa

Dear Santa
Christmas Kiss
All She Wants For Christmas
Mistle-tones
Holiday in Handcuffs 

I recommend each and every one of these movies!  If you watch any of these that are new to you, let me know what you think of them! 

Travel Tuesday: Toulon, France Part 2

Our last full day with Miti was nice and relaxing.

Miti had a dentist appointment in the morning so she told us to sleep as late as we wanted.  Kara and I did not argue!  When we woke up, Miti had set out so much food for us for breakfast.  Kara and I were thrilled to see cereal and fruits and NO CROISSANTS!!

When Miti got home she took Kara and I to the flea market for a bit, then headed back home and we just chilled out at the house.  Miti's son then came over to help her out with some things around the house, then they left to go pick up Miti's grandson and his friend.

ahem ... I was not complaining.

We all went for a swim when they got there until around dinner time.  Then something weird happened .... The boys cooked dinner!  And would absolutely not let us or Miti help.  Even after dinner they would not even let us put our dishes in the sink.

After dinner Kara and I gave Miti some gifts that we brought from back home and spent some time with Miti before she went to bed.  Then, of course, we stayed up and watched the world cup game with the guys and then went to our room and talked about how cute the one on the left in that picture is.  Duh, we were seventeen, what else would we have done.

Our time at Miti's was fantastic and I definitely loved living as a local for a few days!  I actually wrote to Miti a few times after I got home and got a few replies :)  She is such a sweet lady!

That is Kara and Miti.  The one of me and Miti is not flattering for either of us.

Miti's dog Rita was the cutest thing!

Now ... who wants to buy my plane ticket back??  I'll love you forever!

Coming up on Travel Tuesdays ... French Home Tour, Chicago, and the Road Trip from Hell (not in any particular order).

25 Days of Christmas

So it is December and I could not be more excited!  Despite the fact that it is super cold, December is one of my two favorite months simply because of all the celebration and good times that always happen in December.  

Throughout December I am going to be posting about Christmas in a small series I am calling the 25 Days of Christmas (totally ripped off ABC Family).  While I will not be writing about Christmas every day from now until Christmas, I do have quite a few post about Christmas favorites that I am super excited to share with all of you :)

Today I am going to keep it simple and share a few photos from Christmas Past :)