There’s no better therapy than a weekend getaway with your best girlfriends! A couple months ago, I had the ultimate Chicago girls weekend with some fellow bloggers and friends. Scroll down for all our recommendations!

Although a lot of our group reside in Chicago and have apartments of our own, we decided to all splurge for one room at The Langham Hotel. I have always wanted to do a staycation here, and this seemed like the perfect weekend! The hotel is plush and glamorous in every way. They have PINK details all throughout the hotel, which I obviously really love, but it really amplified the girls weekend.

When Andrea arrived from NYC on Friday, our other friends were still working, so we went straight to DryBar River North to get our hair done for our night out. I loveeee DryBar. There’s honestly no better feeling than getting your hair washed by someone else, am I right? Plus, they always do an incredible job.

After our hair was all “did,” we went the Gold Coast to meet up with our friend Mary for some shopping on Rush Street and Sprinkles Cupcakes from the cupcake ATM The weather that day was beyonddd perfect. Early fall has always been my favorite time of year, when the days are transitioning from summer to fall. The air is crisp and the sky’s sunny to warm you just enough to not need a coat. We ended up strolling along Rush Street for hours and stopping for a glass of champs at Le Colonial.

  

That night for dinner we went tried to go to Happy Camper, my favorite pizza place in the city, but the wait was over an hour and we were starving, so we ended up going up the street to Broken English Taco Pub. Both of these restaurants have great vibes and food. They’re always lively as they are on Wells Street in Old Town, which is a very popular place for 20-30 somethings to go out on the weekends. I spend 90% of my weekends on or around Wells Street.

Photo by: OpenTable

After Broken English Taco Pub we went to The Vig for some dancing and drinks and even continued onto Hopsmith for some “late night” drinks and dancing. These days, my “late night” means barely making it past midnight, but as an FYI for you party animals, there are “late night bars” in Chicago that are open until 4 am on Fridays and 5 am on Saturdays. Hopsmith is actually a late night bar, but we did NOT make it until 4 am. Across the street from Hopsmith is another late night bar called Butch McGuires, which is an Irish Pub and the most magical pub at Christmastime. If you’re in Chicago over the holidays, it’s definitely worth a visit.

Photo by: Life in The Great Midwest

Now a realllllly special spot is located down the alley from Hopsmith on the street behind it called The Hangge Uppe. Now THIS place is a fun time. I’m sure there are some/ a lot of Chicagoans reading this that will never read my blog again for giving this place any credit, but I have never had a bad time at The Hangge Uppe. It’s such a fun place to go on a girl’s weekend because the basement of this place only plays 80s music and there is a tinyyyy little stage that everyone and their mother tries to squeeze on and dance. Because what’s more basic than a group of girls dancing on an elevated surface?

Saturday morning, we woke up and grabbed some coffee and breakfast remedies at Kanela Breakfast Club and chuckled about all of our stories from the night before. If you’re looking to do a boozy brunch, I would recommend SteakBar or Fremont, but make sure to book Fremont as far in advance as you can, as it will book out. Once our bellies we full, we decided to do some sightseeing.

We went to The Bean to snap a few pictures and then hopped on Divvy Bikes and rode along the lake to the Navy Pier.  It’s always fun having visitors in town because you get to act like a tourist in your own city. I have never, not once, been to the Navy Pier or the Bean on a regular day in Chicago, only when I have visitors. But that’s what makes it fun! We acted like kids at the Navy Pier and rode alllll the rides. The swings are much scarier as an adult! But also, just as fun, if not more fun than they used to be. The carosuel however, I’ll leave to the kids… not too thrilling as an adult, but great for photos!

After a day at the pier, we headed back to the Langham to get ready for our night out! We rented a trolley from Chicago Trolley Company for our friend’s birthday! Trolleys are my FAVORITE way to party in Chicago. They let you control the music, bring your own booze, and drive you around to your favorite spots while you dance the night away onboard.

The trolley driver will ask you where you want to go, so I always pick a couple bars to stop at and ask “can you take us to that good photo spot that all the trolley’s go to?” They always know what you’re talking about and the views really are spectacular.

Trolley’s are very popular in Chicago for birthdays, bachelorette parties, wedding parties, or for just random themed party. I mean, who doesn’t love a good themed party? Last year we did an “around the world trolley” and everyone had to dress up as their favorite country and the year before we did an 80s ski party theme, and the year before THAT we had a Barbie trolley (guess who’s idea that was…)!

After the trolley, most of the girls went back to their apartments, but Meghan and I stayed with Andrea at the hotel and had a little PJ partaaay!

The next morning, we ordered everyyything from room service, no really, like almost everything. We had WAY too much food, but it was needed. Everything was delicious, but the lobster benedict was debateably the best thing I have ever tasted in my life.

We took the term lazy Sunday to a whole new level and just enjoyed the luxurious accommodations at the Langham. We took bikini bubble baths and sipped mimosas while admiring the gorgeous views of the city.

Then we remembered, that the Langham actually has an incredible spa and indoor pool, so we went downstairs and enjoyed the amenities.

I can’t say enough about The Langham, the service was impeccable, the beds were the fluffiest, coziest beds I’ve ever laid in, and the food was out of this world. I’m already looking forward to my next staycation there!

 

All photos during this Chicago girls weekend were taken by the incredible Gina Maria Figliolia!