Chicago Trip

    My partner and I went to Chicago this weekend to visit a friend of ours, and it was really fun!

The first day we were there we visited Myopic Books, which is a really cool used bookstore downtown. I picked up a few interesting occult texts, as well as Project Hail Mary, which I've heard really good things about and am excited to read. 

    We also visited quite a few vintage clothing stores, a cute stationery store, and a pop up art gallery. It was a very shopping-ful day, even if we didn't get anything at any place other than Myopic. 
    Later that night we went to this tiny ramen bar in the basement of another restaurant, and it was without exaggeration the greatest ramen I've ever had in my entire life. It was an hour and a half wait to get in, they had like ten seats total in the place and like five items on the menu. I do appreciate a restaurant with a limited menu, I've found that the food quality tends to be a lot higher.

    We went to the aquarium on day two! I really enjoyed their exhibits; they had an extensive section about the Great Lakes and local flora/fauna. I feel like a lot of people go to aquariums to see things like sharks and penguins and dolphins, and that's fine, but I personally enjoy exhibits that focus more on the local ecosystem. They had a touch tank of lake sturgeons as part of the Great Lakes section, which I was extremely excited about. Sturgeons are my favorite type of fish, so getting to see one up close and touch it was incredible. They have leathery skin and bony plates that made for an interesting tactile experience. Thank you sturgeon I love you forever sturgeon. Another highlight for me was their Amazon river segment, which hosted a singular, massive, beautiful Arapaima. I think at this point in my life I'm a lot more excited about seeing my favorite fish in person than I am about meeting like, celebrities lol. 

    Anyways good aquarium 10/10 would recommend. We also walked past the Field Museum where the Pokémon fossil exhibit was hosted, but we didn't go inside. Maybe next time.

    We got pizza for lunch, which feels appropriate given how famous Chicago is for their pizza. It was decent, but I'm not really a pizza person to begin with so the ceiling was only so high.
    One thing I've really enjoyed about visiting the city is the robust train system. I appreciated not having to get in a car and drive everywhere for once, everything we wanted to go do and see was a train ride away.
    Later that night we got gelato and walked along the Chicago River for a little while. The weather was absolutely perfect for a night walk, I quite enjoyed it.

    On our final day there we has pastries for breakfast and went to Atlas Stationers, which I had a blast at. It was really cool to get to chat with people who have been into stationery and calligraphy for decades, and get some really good recommendations for pens. I've always wanted to try working with fountain pens, and I found a couple that suited my skill level really well. I was also able to snag the 2027 insert for my Hobonichi Techo! I'm really glad I got one without having to pay the massive import fees I dealt with last year @_@. I know Hobonichi is like a super popular brand and everyone talks about it, but I do recommend them if you're looking for a personal planner. They have a ton of different options to suit a wide variety of purposes, and they have a bunch of fun accessories if that's your thing, too. Maybe one of these days I'll share my Techo with y'all.

    I had so much fun in Chicago. It's been so long since I've had a vacation, and getting to go experience a new place was refreshing. 

    Before I wrap this up here's a pic of Beetroot on the go. I think we were on the train? I took him everywhere lol.