Hey guys, happy Friday!

We have finally had a consistent week of decent weather in Chicago and the sunshine has got me feelin’ like a new person! With the sunshine comes me writing down all the things I can’t wait for this summer in my bullet journal and queue even more excitement.

Speaking of excitement as of this weekend I have officially locked down a fabulous roommate(aka Joel). We are moving into a one bedroom in my building in the Gold Coast. I love my building so much and am beyond happy that this worked out. But! before we move into our lovely newly renovated 1 bedroom we will be living in my studio for 2 weeks. I’m telling myself this will make us love our new apt even more right? More to come on the new apt in a future post! I have already gotten a few requests for a tour!

Below are all the things I cannot wait to do this summer including things I have done in the past, new things, and some super simple things that are just awesome because everything is better during summertime chi right?

1. OLD TOWN ART FAIR – This is one of my favorite kick offs to Summer in the city! This year the Old Town Art Fair is June 9-10th and is right on Wells street. My family will be in town this weekend and I can’t wait to show them all that Old Town has to offer. I’m sure we will be hitting up Happy Camper after(my fam is obsessed with Home Slice so they obvi have to check out Happy Camper!)

2. MORE CUBS GAMES – I love going to a Cubs game as much as the next person, but with all the new amazing things going on around the park I am making it a priority to go to more Cubs games this year. If you have yet to check out the new area, GO IMMEDIATLY! Big Star is awesome, the Hotel Zachary Outdoor Patio looks beautiful(and is reasonably affordable for Chicago standards!) and currently under construction is a restaurant being opened by the Boka Restaurant Group(Hey Stephanie Izard).

3. MILLENIUM PARK SUMMER WORKOUTS – What could be more summertime Chi than working out in Millenium Park? Not to mention it is free! I personally love the Tuesday and Thursday morning Yoga classes 7:30-8:15am. This year the classes run 6/5-8/31. There are also classes offered every Saturday morning including Yoga, Pilates, and Zumba. More information on these workout can be found here!

4. CONCERTS IN THE PARK (Millenium Park and The Park at Wrigley) – Agin with the free activities at Millenium Park, what can I say I love em. Concerts in the park are one of my favorite weeknight activities. Not to mention I officially feel like a well seasoned concert goer with my mini table to hold my snacks and wine. I got one like this as a gift and I love it! This year The Park at Wrigley is also doing concerts!

5. BEACH READING – One of the things I love the most about my neighborhood is the close proximity to the beach. While I love going to the beach on Saturdays as most Chicagoans do, I love walking over to the beach on a weeknight even more. This year Joel and I plan to get chairs like these to make the experience that much more lush!

6. PATIO DINNERS – Patio drinking is my fav(I could do another entire post on this), but so is patio dining. My absolute favorite nights throughout Joel and I’s relationship includes dining at an old school Italian restaurant, drinking wine, consuming lots of carbs, and finishing with limoncello and after dinner espresso. Whenever we want a “date night” this is normally what we turn to, and I don’t think I could ever get sick of it(maybe one day soon we’ll even get to do this in the Italy!) This summer I want to do exactly this but on a patio, and first on our list is Orso’s. We’ve been here before, but when we saw the patio we knew we had to come back during the Summer!

7. BREWERIES – If you’re into beer you probably already know that there are SO many amazing breweries right in our city! MY favorite in the summer is Begyle. Begyle has some pretty tasty liquid and a super cute casual space to spend an afternoon. When the doors are open in the Summer it is hard to beat.

8. OTR TOUR – Okay I had to add this because Beyoncé is my queen. I saw her a few summers ago in the pouring rain and still had the most magical time. This time around I’m sitting a lot closer and AM SO EXCITED, not to mention it’s a day after my birthday. Last time I listened to strictly Beyoncé 30 days prior to the concert and I’m sure things won’t be much different this time around.

9. CAMPING (near Chicago) – Joel and I camped a handful of times last summer and it was so fun. One of our favorite spots was Weko Beach in Michigan which is a quick 1-2 hour drive away. There is something so amazing about getting out of the city every now and then and just having some time to recharge.

10. STREET FESTS – In my opinion this is the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Chicago. Bonus! This is the perfect way to check out neighborhoods you’ve never been to, especially if you are in the market for a new apt! A few of my favorites are Do Division and West Fest!

Cheers to Summer 2018, it’s going to be a good one!