Chalk Howard Street and Chicago Pizza Oven Grinder Co

I heard about Chalk Howard Street from a co-worker and since I'd already missed it last year, I was determined to make it this year. We made it... but we were a tad... early. It had just sprinkled a bit and it seemed like a lot of the artists were just getting started. The upside is we breezed through traffic which is completely choked with construction and we found easy parking. The downside is we didn't want to stick around for hours and hours until everyone was finished. As such, we quickly saw what we could. 

This one in particular blows my mind because it looked so different in person than through the lens of a camera. These artists from all over the US really know how to make these look good specifically for pictures and that is really incredible.

Like I said, most of them were really just getting started. I'm bummed we couldn't see the finished creations because they all looked amazing!

Northwestern University had a whole section for people to just freestyle which the girls were happy to do.

This little girl took a liking to Liesel. She kept handing her chalk and "helping" with her drawings. Her mom tried to apologize and I explained Liesel has 3 little sisters and she's chill. We exchanged glances because it was so adorable how they made their own little connection.

We helped chalk Howard Street!

I really do love living near Chicago so much. There's always something going on.

We grabbed Starbucks on our way and no one was super hungry. I thought it would be a good idea to play at the Picasso a bit but we were illegally parked and it was a very little bit. Basically the girls were able to slide down it just once- haha!

 Even though we still weren't too hungry, we made our way over to Chicago Pizza Oven Grinder Co to try out the pot pie pizzas that were all over Tik Tok. As luck would have it, finding parking took a bit and there was a wait, not to mention a park around the corner. The girls worked up an appetite on the playground while I chatted with Brent about the church leadership training he'd been at all morning. We actually didn't have to wait very long before my phone buzzed and our number was up!

Oh man, the hype around these are well-earned. They are SO good!!!

Look at that cheese pull!

The menu had a bit about the history of the restaurant. Turns out we were just kitty corner from the location of the St. Valentine's Day massacre. They even mentioned Capone's men may have holed up here to watch for those guys to arrive at the parking garage. Probably just to play up the history of the place but still, so fascinating!

It was really dark so we didn't get the best photos, but you get the idea. We had a lot of fun chatting as we ate that delicious pizza pot pie.

When I looked up the St. Valentine's Day massacre, there was a wall indicated who had stood where and I was determined to find it. We crossed the street and walked up and down... all to no avail. I was distracted when I spotted the coolest antique store and I asked the girls to wait outside while I checked it out. The owners overheard me talking to the girls and insisted they come in as well. I told them I was concerned about all the breakables and they said they had chairs. 

Not only was it indeed an incredibly cool antique store, they were SO sweet to the girls! I'd say they weren't giving anything away (the merchandise was pretty pricey) but the owner offered them shells and little knick knacks and they chatted and even shooed away some customers until we were done taking in the incredible store.

Their collection of chandeliers was just incredible. We really loved spending time here!

Gita realized she needed to run to the restroom so Liesel took her and Sydney back to the restaurant before we headed home. While Ireland and I waited, we caught this picture of her in front of a confectionary. Love that cake with all the macarons spilling down the side!

It was such an unexpected day. I mean we wanted to do Chalk Howard Street and the pizza pot pies but the incredible people we encountered all day really made it special. This was also Liesel's first time trying downtown driving. I had to laugh when she visibly breathed a sigh of relief once she made it to the freeway. Most people are terrified of the freeway! I'm super proud of her though and she did a good job getting us home.