Traci and Jeff’s Chicago

Hello city-lovers! Today’s city of choice is Chicago, and it comes at the hands of Traci and Jeff Dybdahl. Jeff is an attorney, Traci a PhD student, and they love exploring their (relatively) new city together.

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Chicago is My City

The first place I take a visitor from out of town is Millennium Park.

When I crave great pizza and beer I always go to Piece Brewery and Pizzeria.

To escape the winter blues, hit a show at The Second City, The Steppenwolf, or the Goodman Theatre.

If I want to hang out around Nobel Prize-winners and buy great books I go to the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore.

For complete quiet, I can hide away in a Gothic building on the University of Chicago campus.

If you come to my city, get your picture taken with the Cloud Gate sculpture (“The Bean”).

If you have to order one thing off the menu from Wrigley Field it has to be a Chicago dog with everything on it (and an Old Style beer).

Lori’s is my one-stop shop for great shoes and purses.

Locals know to skip the lines at Pizzeria Uno and check out a stuffed pie from Giordano’s instead.

When I’m feeling cash-strapped I go out for tacos in Pilsen.

For a huge splurge I go out for dinner and drinks at Carnivale.

Photo ops in my city include the Chicago skyline and the best vantage points are the Museum Campus and the John Hancock Observatory.

If my city were a celebrity it’d be Barack Obama!

The most random thing about my city is people using lawn chairs to save the parking spot they dug out of the snow.

In my city, an active day outdoors involves biking to the lakefront, cooking out, swimming in Lake Michigan, and volleyball on the beach.

My city’s best museum is a tie between the Art Institute and the Field Museum.

My favorite jogging/walking route is the 20 plus miles of lakefront trail along Lake Michigan.

To find out what’s going on at night and on the weekends, read The Reader or TimeOut Chicago.

You can tell a lot about my city from how fast they clear the snow off the streets so they can still go out during the winter.

You can tell if someone is from my city if the first question they ask after meeting you is: Sox or Cubs?

In the spring you should take a boat tour with the Chicago Architecture Foundation down the Chicago River.

In the summer you should catch an afternoon game at Wrigley Field.

In the fall you should run or watch the Chicago Marathon.

In the winter you should ice skate under the skyline at Millennium Park’s outdoor rink.

A hidden gem in my city is the National Museum of Mexican Art.

For a great breakfast joint try The Bongo Room in Bucktown/Wicker Park.

Don’t miss the Blues Festival in Grant Park in June.

Just outside my city, you can see Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and visit Hemingway’s birthplace in Oak Park.

The best way to see my city is sipping a cocktail at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock tower.

If my city were a pet it would be a big dog that licks your face whenever it sees you.

If I didn’t live in a city, I’d live on the Oregon coast.

The best book about my city is Devil in the White City.

When I think about my city, the song that comes to mind is Chicago by Frank Sinatra.

If you have kids, you won’t want to miss the Museum of Science and Industry.

The Oprah Winfrey Show could only happen in my city.

My city should be featured on your cover or website because it’s the hometown of our President!

Thanks to Jeff and Traci for sending their picks! Share your own by getting our fill-in-the-blank list and emailing it to IntelligentTravel@ngs.org!