Hello friends! At the beginning of March, I began my spring travel season for work with a trip to the Midwestern USA. Despite everything currently going on in the US, I am still obligated to travel for work reasons. On these trips, I choose to do what I can to look for the hope amidst the current situations. These are some moments of hope, whimsy, and joy that I managed to find during this trip. I primarily visited the Chicagoland area in Illinois and Milwaukee in Wisconsin. Read on for my recap of March in the Midwest!

Chicagoland – Lake Forest & Elmhurst

The trip started off strong with getting a mustang as my rental car for the week. Under normal circumstances, I might have asked for a different vehicle – but when I arrived at ORD, I was under a time crunch to get to an event. So the mustang it was! It wound up being very fun to drive and was a hoot for my younger self. When I was younger I always dreamed about driving a red mustang convertible – who knows why. This wasn’t a red convertible, but a ‘stang all the same! It was a blast and made driving around that much more fun.

Most of the week had a lot of driving and exploring the suburbs of Chicagoland. When I wasn’t working or driving, I squeezed in some moments of fun. I explored a couple of great indie bookstores in Lake Forest (The Lake Forest Bookstore) and Oak Park (The Book Loft). Wandering around a bookstore is always a treat, and these two indie locations were awesome! I had many café stops as well, with my favourite being Brewpoint Coffee in Elmhurst. My afternoon of appointments was well spent at this café with amazing baked goods and the cutest drinks. I had a poetry & prose latte – so fun!

Milwaukee

Though most of my week was spent in Chicagoland, I did take a day trip up to Milwaukee for work. I really enjoy visiting Milwaukee, and it’s only about an hour and a half from the Chicagoland area. After working during the day, I decided to do a bit more exploring in downtown Milwaukee before the drive back to Chicago. I chose to visit the Milwaukee Public Market. I’ve visited before and it’s one of my favourite spots to go back to! The market is filled with great restaurants, local vendors, and unique shops. One of my personal favourites is The Spice House, featuring an array of blends for cooking and baking.

I also did some shopping in the nearby Third Ward area as well, and got some cute things at Anthropologie. Then I ran back to the market for dinner: amazing empanadas at La Masa. After dinner, I grabbed a quick treat for the road, and made the drive back to Chicago. I strongly recommend visiting the Milwaukee Public Market if you’re in the city. It is super cute and they’ve been voted the best public market in the country for 2 years in a row!! Definitely worth a visit.

Chicagoland – Oak Park & Elmhurst

After my brief visit in Milwaukee, I had my Sunday free in Chicagoland. A rare day off in the middle of travelling is a treat, and I definitely wanted to make the most of it. The day began with hot yoga at a sun-filled studio in Oak Park. It was much-needed after a very busy week! Following that, I went for brunch in downtown Oak Park at The Breakfast House Chicago. It was a joy-filled and lively place with whimsy décor (check out the strawberry salt and pepper containers!) and delicious food. Definitely a great brunch option if you are in the area!

Post-brunch, I wandered around Oak Park a bit to explore some of the shops in the area and a nearby park. It was finally sunny out, but still very windy. Upon returning to my hotel later that afternoon, I did some relaxing and decided to order in for dinner. I had some amazing food from Gia Mia in Elmhurst, including their tiramisu – highly recommend checking them out! Chicagoland truly has great eats all around and never disappoints. Many of the spots I visited also had specific signs prohibiting ICE access in their business without a warrant, which I loved to see. I did my best to support these businesses whenever possible during my travels. All power to the people! ✊

Here’s a quick list of a few favs for you to visit if you find yourself in the Midwest:

• Milwaukee: stop by the Milwaukee Public Market and hit up The Spice Market for great spices, and La Masa for yummy empanadas
• Elmhurst (Chicagoland): visit Brewpoint Coffee to try a delicious & fun latte, and swing by Gia Mia for dinner and tiramisu dessert!
• Oak Park (Chicagoland): hot yoga at Yoga Loft Studios, brunch at The Breakfast House, and bookstore browsing at The Book Loft

I’m heading back to Chicago in June for a conference, and despite all that is currently happening, I am still looking forward to it. Here’s to chasing moments of whimsy, joy, and hope – and doing what we can during these trying times. ♥