Mario & Michelle
Things To Do
Hartigan/North Shore Beach, Foster Beach or Montrose Beach
The hotel and venue are literally steps away from Lake Michigan! All of the beaches in the city are free to enter (paid parking if you drive) and Chicago weather is truly at its peak in June. Hartigan/North Shore beach is about a 6 minute walk from the hotel, while Foster Beach is a 15 minute walk from the wedding venue. Montrose Beach is a little further south but also a great beach. All these options are far enough from downtown that they typically do not get overcrowded. Would highly recommend at least taking a short walk to one of these options!
Andersonville Galleria
Fun (and huge) shop that showcases art, jewerly, clothing and more from local artists and creators. Located on a very lively street in the Andersonville neighborhood- could easily get breakfast/lunch and shop around in this area! About a 10 minute drive from the hotel. Should be able to find street parking in the area.
Have A Drink Nearby (Koval, Dovetail, or Begyle)
Koval is a distillery and tasting room that has good cocktails and lots of indoor and outdoor seating. They also offer distillery tours/tastings. Nice atmosphere, nice chill place to have a drink. Pretty sure they also have games you can play while hanging out. Bit further from the hotel but still only a 15 minute drive. Lots of parking available usually. If you Uber here, make sure the address is correct (their old location often shows up on Uber) Also nearby are Begyle Brewing and Dovetail Brewing which have nice outdoor areas to sit and hang out, very similar to Koval, just a different type of beverage! You can make it a bar crawl if you want!
Off Color Brewing Taproom The Mousetrap
Brewery that serves Detroit-style pizza Thursday, Friday nights and all day Saturday. Beer is good, pizza is really good. Patio and indoor are both good options here. Located in Lincoln Park/Old Town so it’s a bit of a drive from the hotel/venue but not too far
Loba Pastry + Coffee
Our favorite coffee and pastry shop. They have a lot of unique flavors in their coffees (or you can get regular coffee too) and always have different pastries that they rotate through. All of their flavors are seasonal Show up early if you wanna sit (they open at 9 on weekends, I’d show up at 9:01)
Lickity Split Frozen Custard & Sweets LLC
Get some ice cream in the area! This one comes recommended from our venue owners, this shop serves old-timey ice cream with many flavors as well as other pastries and coffee!
Catch A Ballgame (Wrigley)
Cubs play the Brewers on Thursday 6/19 or the Mariners on Friday 6/20. It’s Wrigley Field, a very classic stadium! Parking is a nightmare so public transit (Red/Purple Line) or Uber is your best bet! White Sox play the Cardinals on Thursday 6/19 if you wanna go down there, but obviously it’s quite a bit further south. Parking there is easier but again, we’d recommend Uber or public transit (Red Line takes you right to the stadium). Tickets will probably be cheaper for the Sox (because they stink)
Workout with Mario (Title Boxing)
You can get a free boxing class here if you say you’re from Chicago. Very welcome to beginners. If you’re in town early (Thursday or Friday), let Mario know and you can go together :) It’s very easy to get started, you’ll get a crash course on what’s gonna happen. You only punch against a heavy bag, no one is gonna hit you, so your face will be great for pictures!