Around the beginning of this year when I was still living in Korea, I was on the phone with my mom, and she told me that she won a trip. At first I was skeptical, because let’s be honest, who actually wins free trips these days with no strings attached? Well, this one was legit. My mom works as a car salesperson, and one of the rewards for being the top seller in a particular category was a free weekend hotel stay in Chicago for two people along with some spending money.

Luckily for me, the trip didn’t expire until 2020, so I asked my mom if she could save it for when I came home and could travel with her. My mom and I both have birthdays in October, so we figured that it was the perfect present for us. So my mom took Friday off and we set off for the 4 hour drive to Chicago.

Before we left, we booked tickets to see the ballet, Jane Eyre. As a musician and literature major, I could think of nothing that fits my interests this perfectly. But other than booking the tickets for the ballet, we didn’t have any other plans of what we wanted to do, which was what we both preferred. Whatever struck our fancy was what we would do, as long as the other person was okay with the plan.

So on Friday afternoon, we stopped at the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was in walking distance of our hotel. When I was in college, I took a sound poetry class, and the exhibits in the museum reminded me of this class, which was enjoyable for me. Visual and sound art can sometimes draw out emotions that paintings wouldn’t normally do.

After the art museum we walked toward the river to see a building known for its architecture, but it was unfortunately closed and blocked off for construction. But the evening wasn’t ruined because we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner, which was where I had the best meatballs ever.

On Saturday, we spent the morning at the Chicago River Walk, bringing back memories of my walks at the Nam river in Korea. We ate delicious donuts, did some light shopping, and then saw the ballet, which was extremely good.

This was technically my second trip to Chicago, but the first time I went I only stayed for 1 night, so I wasn’t able to see all of the tourist destinations. So of course this time I couldn’t leave without seeing the bean. While it was a bit crowded, I was still glad I went. It turns out that there is a reason why places become tourist spots. Sometimes they are overrated, but this one wasn’t.

After the bean, we went to a vegetarian-friendly restaurant for dinner and then stopped for a tea before bed. Sunday morning was spent relaxing and eating a delicious breakfast before the drive home.

All in all, while it was a short vacation, it was still nice to get away for the weekend with my mom and spend some quality time taking in the scenery of a big city. If you haven’t been, it’s a trip I would suggest!

Thanks for reading! Stay safe and stay happy.