I think the best marketing campaign that Chicago, IL, has ever had was a man named John Hughes and his plethora of movies in the 1980’s based in the Chicago area. Most specifically of course, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Ferris Bueller was the first DVD that I ever owned, and from the first time I watched it, I became absolutely obsessed with going to Chicago. And weirdly, especially hooked on making a one-day trip there. It’s only an hour and a half flight from ATL (my home airport) after all.

Well, on a stiflingly hot July day, I convinced my friend Kimberly that this was an adventure she wanted to take with me. We booked our flights, found a ridiculously good deal on a room at The Drake Hotel, and off we went for our approximately 36 hour trip.

We crammed so many things into this trip.

• Pizza at Lou Malnati’s – It was possibly the best pizza I’ve had in my entire life. I got a personal size of the Malnati Chicago Classic which bills itself as “Made with Lou’s lean sausage, some extra cheese and vine-ripened tomato sauce on Buttercrust.™ It’s authentic Chicago!” If you know anyone going to Chicago that’s willing to bring one back, it can go in your carry-on on the plane.
• Walking/Shopping the Magnificent Mile – There’s so many stores. We couldn’t stop at all of them, but we did go to a few. The highlights were Neiman Marcus and the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Do I drink coffee? No. But the building is so cool, especially the terrace.
• Riding the ferris wheel at Navy Pier – Did you know the first ferris wheel ever was in Chicago? It was designed & built for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition. The one at Navy Pier is not the original (that was demolished in 1906), but it’s really cool and offers a great view of the city.
• The Art Institute of Chicago – Of course I recreated Cameron’s mental breakdown moment while he stared at Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte”. This place is way bigger and more confusing than you’re going to expect it to be. Take advantage of the map & accept that you’re going to miss some things. Don’t forget to visit the lions out front!
• Cloudgate – We saw it from a distance. July is hot. There’s no share there. The area surrounding it is insanely crowded. From a distance felt like enough.
• Lincoln Park Zoo – This is a 35-acre zoo right in the middle of the city. It’s the second-oldest zoo in the US (founded in 1868), and it’s an accredited member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Admission is free, and it’s worth a visit, even in the heat of summer.
• Sears Tower – They have a spot on the observation deck where you can put your feet where the actors stood while filming Ferris Bueller. They also have these little glass boxes that hang out over the side of the building that you can step into. Downstairs there’s an exhibit about the history of Sears Tower and a whole area where you can take photos for your Instagram. No, I will not be calling it “Willis Tower”.
• Architectural boat tour – If you poll anyone (except me I guess), they’ll say this is the one thing you HAVE to do on a visit to Chicago. The boat rides down different branches of the river and the tell you about the history of the city in relation to its architecture. It’s definitely cool, but I don’t feel like it would ever been on my top 5 things to do there.
• The Tiffany dome at the Chicago Cultural Center – This is the largest Tiffany dome in the world. It’s neat, in an air conditioned building, and it’s a short walk from the Art Institute. Definitely worth a short stop.
• The beginning point of Route 66
• The original brownie – The first ever brownie was created by the pastry chef at the Palmer House hotel at the instruction of the owner’s wife, Bertha Palmer, for the World’s Fair in 1893. She wanted a dessert that was small and portable for the ladies that were attending. Palmer House still sells brownies made from the same recipe today, and it’s only a short walk away from other popular tourist locations. If you find that you’re a fan of this brownie, you can download the recipe from Palmer House’s website.
• Oak Street Beach – We went to the beach, waded in the water, I and brought back rocks from the shores of Lake Michigan. It was fantastic.

Final thoughts? I’d give Chicago a 10/10. I’ve already got plans for my next trip there rolling around in my brain (more pizza, mob tour, Second City show, Harry Carey’s, the list goes on). One of our Lyft drivers suggested September as the best month to visit, so I may try that one year.