CHICAGO

Chicago is an incredible city. It was my first time visiting, and I was taken aback by it as soon as I saw the city skyline upon the airplane's decent.

Since the main purpose of the visit was to see my husband's family, majority of my time was spent on the north side and not downtown. I was able to see a bit of downtown my first day. Some of the buildings are simply out of this world. I was quite taken with the Holy Name Cathedral (shown below). It's breathtaking inside and out. Since Sunday mass was in session when I was there, I decided it wouldn't be appropriate to take photographs of the inside. It has a colorful history as well, burning down multiple times and having it's facade at one time being home to many bullet holes from tommy guns of the 1920's.

Next to the cathedral, my second love was the marvelous landscaping throughout the city. It made the city the prettiest urban area I've ever seen. Each block had lush and unique plant life. I was so in awe of it that I probably missed some interesting buildings completely and I definitely became so engrossed that I failed to take more pictures of each of little oasis.

The rest of my trip was spent in the north side of the city, which is much more residential and has very high Puerto Rican and Polish populations. My tummy was in pure heaven the entire trip. My taste buds were so exhilarated that I think it's necessary that I name and describe each eatery and bakery I visited.

Our first sweet spot was Baker's Square. It's a national chain (and apparently there's one in the state I live in), but I had never been there nor heard of it. I recommend the key lime pie. It was perfect, not too sweet and just enough tartness. The banana cream pie was likewise mouthwatering. The filling was a perfectly prepared banana pudding nestled in nicely done crust.

Next was Roeser's Bakery. It's been in business for 99 years and has been able to be kept within the same family. Inside the shop, above the door are the faces of the Roeser men, senior to the fourth. I had an apple turnover, which was slightly too sweet, but I happily devoured it in only a few bites. We bought a strawberry cake for my husband's birthday that was pretty impressive. You can't go wrong with a strong cake recipe and layer of perfectly glazed strawberries inside the cake. The cream of the crop was the pecan coffee cake. Words cannot describe how delicious it is. I simply cannot do it justice. You just have to taste it for yourself. I may go so far to say that it's worth a trip to Chicago to just pick up a few of these beauties.

Last, but not least, is Richard's Polish Bakery. It is as they say "old school", and therefore don't have a website, at least not one that I can find. They're located at 6006 W Belmont Ave, if you're ever in the area and wish to partake in the sweet smorgasbord they have to offer. This was by far my favorite of the three. I have a taste for Eastern European baking and Richard's does it very well. There is an incredible smell that first hits you as you walk in. Then, you're surrounded with completely stocked shelves of breads, cakes, pastries, cookies, and sweet breads. They have one cookie that is simply to die for. It consists of two shortbread cookies, half of which is dipped in chocolate. The inside contains a fruit mixture which I cannot quite pinpoint, but plum is definitely in there. The thing I love about the sweets at Richard's, as well as most baked goods from the eastern block, is that it's very subtle on the sugar. Most of the sweet is pulled in through the use of fruit. They, however, go hard on the richness. While we bought a lot of goodies from the shop (various sweet breads, apple slice, and cookies), they didn't last very long. Richard's will most definitely be my very first stop next time I am in Chicago.

There is a staple sweet spot that should be mentioned, Andrew's Carmel Apples at 5001 W Belmont Ave. It's a factory where you can place orders for pick-up. Their standard apples are pretty impressive, but it's their specialty apples that are astonishing. We picked up some that are coated with caramel, pecans, and then a rich dark chocolate. I'm not sure if it's possible to eat an entire one in one sitting, but I was happy to attempt it.

As for "normal" food, we spent most of our dinners eating at home, which I was more than happy about because my momma-in-law makes some incredibly scrumptious beef with rice and beans. We did make one lunch stop, however, that I cannot stop thinking about. The place is called Luke's and good god can they make a sandwich. I had the combination sandwich (which is really the only way to go if you're eating there). Picture it. A thick hoagie roll, soaked with grease. Spilling out of it is a large, perfectly seasoned Italian sausage with massive amounts of roast beef and sweet peppers piled on top. It is pure heart attack inducing heaven. My salivary glands are in over production just thinking about.

All in all, I had an unbelievably amazing time in Chicago. Great food and great company with the adventure of being in a new place, even a hermit like myself has to give in to the enjoyment of it.