local

Feel the Illinoise

Every summer, I am without fail bombarded with photos of people’s glamorous vacations. Drinking vino in Portofino. Roadtripping across New Zealand. Ramen-shop hopping in Tokyo. From celebrities to friends to acquaintances, it feels like everyone took an epic vacation this summer but me.

It almost entices me to book an international getaway.

Almost.

As I Google “nonstop flights to Oslo”, I’m reminded of how wiggly G is and how much she’d hate being cooped up on a plane for 9 hours. How restless Bub would be waiting at a busy baggage claim when all he wants to do is run around. How neither of them could care less about trying new cuisine, taking photos, and admiring scenic landscapes.

They don’t care where we are. They want freedom to play. They want food when they want it. They just want to be with Steve and me.

As much as my free-spirited, restless heart wants to roam the earth, it’s not the right time.

So instead, we made the most of our summer staying local. We visited every nature center in the county, played in our neighbor’s garden, and treated my sister’s home like an Airbnb when she went on a trip.

Now with the sun setting earlier, the temps getting cooler, and the trees beginning to turn, I look back fondly on our summer. The summer Bub was four and G was a baby.

The Morton Arboretum

Fabyan Villa Museum & Japanese Garden

Hickory Knolls Discovery Center

Springbrook Prairie

Shabbona Lake State Park

HOME

My Sister’s

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Oh, Carmel. How do I love thee.

Let me count the ways…

I love the ocean views.

I love that the entire village is walkable.

I love that the cottages have names instead of numbers.

I love how dog-friendly it is.

I love that it’s only a two-hour drive from the city.

If I had $3 million lying around, I would buy a home here in a heartbeat. Carmel is the epitome of “cute” and “quaint”. I think I say “how cute” at least a hundred times when I’m visiting.

Dare I say it, I love Carmel more than Napa. The wine culture can be found here as well. There are wine bars, extensive wine lists, and specialty wine shops every few feet. But, I get the ocean when I come to Carmel and that has made all the difference.

Where to stay

Carmel is a touristy town and there are adorable inns throughout. There aren’t many Airbnb options (I’m assuming so as not to take business away from the long-standing inns here). Most inns offer breakfast and are dog-friendly. Carmel is the #1 dog friendly town in the US after all.

Where to Eat

Cottage for breakfast

Carmel Bakery for a sandwich (built in 1899, they’re the oldest running retail business in town)

Stationæry for a salad (their homemade chai is good too)

Patisserie Boissiere for a sweet treat

Mission Ranch for an awesome view

There are plenty of delicious places to eat, not only in Carmel but in nearby Monterey and Seaside. I haven’t had a bad meal in the area yet!

what to see

Carmel Beach is one of my favorite places because it’s huge and filled with happy, frolicky dogs. It’s truly a dog’s paradise. We love going straight to the beach when we arrive, tiring our pup out first, and then walking around town.

17 Mile Drive and Pebble Beach are cool to see at least once. We paid an entry fee at one of the gates ($10 cash) but there’s probably a way to get onto the drive for free. We just haven’t found it yet. The drive takes you along the coast, which is scenic for sure, and there are plenty of lookout points to stop at. You also get to see the famous Pebble Beach and the Equestrian Center.

The Carmel Mission Basilica Museum is beautiful to see and walking distance from Mission Ranch. It has a $10 entrance fee.

Ocean Avenue is the what I’d consider Main Street in Carmel. It’s filled with little shops and restaurants. It’s where you’ll find Carmel Bakery. Once you’ve seen Ocean Avenue, you can explore the side streets, like Lincoln and Dolores, and the charming courtyards and secret passageways sprinkled all over downtown.

580CB63E-17F5-431D-A32E-7164ECC6C37A.jpeg
EE45F09B-E764-4669-ACD8-34C5BC0E6D4F.jpeg
11A46562-E203-4C98-9F21-CDB267C303C7.jpeg
99329852-8E7C-4BE8-9D67-756A5D862899.jpeg
AF8010E7-DED1-4DE2-8658-59132DE5E3AA.jpeg
7C2461A6-121B-496D-93CF-F3B4C202C786.jpeg
E54F79EF-F8DA-4173-B4C8-2E72045DA4B6.jpeg
55DBB11F-BD5D-462F-910E-B3AFE5DEDC14.jpeg
70EAAFF0-8885-43E6-8BA0-A9BA0CB7697D.jpeg
56CC4FC7-A5AF-4412-BF3A-817B461C3BA3.jpeg
03773110-1026-4672-8A85-4C63D7AA2AD3.jpeg
CA72D573-D174-4E81-A9A2-8A17353EFAE1.jpeg
EB8EC703-1074-4EAE-9548-DB174690B13B.jpeg
57CFC5A5-9B21-4C03-8C45-62B19C711BCF.jpeg
5D93CC55-1DBB-4676-A2B0-486FF6D8F245.jpeg
33D5706F-FFFE-4DA9-946C-ABC9DFE7E7C2.jpeg
3C9DBB6C-2799-4DE8-875F-CCB4325414F7.jpeg
D4E3A5E2-D254-4B3E-942E-142B73D09BEF.jpeg
5B7469AE-D0F8-4AB5-92DC-37FA483AB452.jpeg
A7B97709-422C-489A-A859-AD64B490C4F7.jpeg

Goodbye Jane's

66F9C903-AF21-424B-8FFE-A6FFBF67053B.JPG

I have a soft spot for restaurants that are about to close after decades of serving customers. I think, deep down, I know my parents' restaurant will experience it soon and that I'll need to go through the emotional roller coaster of saying goodbye.

When I heard that Jane's was closing on July 9th, I quickly made a reservation to go. Jane's is a little, cozy, neighborhood spot in Bucktown near the corner of Cortland and Paulina. I must have biked or walked by half a dozen times but never stopped in and I wish I had earlier. 

Most of the customers at Jane's seemed like regulars and seemed to know each other and the waitstaff. The interior of the restaurant had dark wooden panels and a high wooden ceiling. I instantly felt like I was in a small town, pretending for a moment that I wasn't in the middle of a gigantic concrete city. It's places like Jane's that make living in a metropolitan area sometimes bearable. The sudden realization that there is a community around me that is inviting, friendly, and kind.