Today is a great day ~ An interview with CGC and a New Weekend Warrior!

Today is a great day. Not only is it Good Friday, superb weather, and a day off work - but it's also the day I'm featured on fashionable friend Whitney's blog Fauxshionable, including an interview with me on my style. If you don't already know Whitney's blog, and even if you do, hop on over and check it out!

AND we also have a fabulous new Weekend Warrior post with you from the design diva Alaina at Live Creating Yourself. Alaina and I became blog buddies immediately when I discovered she was packing up and heading to the city to create a life for herself here. It's been a blast following Alaina in her journey, and she's obviously had plenty of fun in the city already as here she shares her excellent ways to be a warrior in our beautiful city of Chicago:

Favorite restaurant fit to bring a foodie: Honestly, I'm not a foodie and I don't know any so I can't say for sure. That being said, I have dined at Japonais a couple of times and the food is out of this world (so are the prices). Both times I've had an array of sushi and both times looooved it. The first time there, I tried octopus and eel for the first time, and I've been hooked ever since. They're also famous for The Rock: an appetizer dish comprised of raw seasoned steak and a scalding hot rock about the size of my palm. Customers cook the steak on the rock. It's pretty fun, not to mention delicious! And the outside patio area along the river is pretty fun to sit and enjoy a cocktail - before or after dinner.

Favorite place to imbibe: Not to be lame and give the same answer twice in a row, but I'll have to say the riverwalk/lounge/outdoor patio at Japonais. It's swanky, the view is industrial and kind of grimy which I think makes it cool, the sunsets are breathtaking, and the cocktails are delish. That being said, I've also been dying to try the Rooftop at the Wit - all my gf's have been and we keep trying to plan a girls' night there. I've seen pictures and the white contemporary decor is pretty fantastic. Plus it's fun to have an excuse to get all glammed up just for a cocktail (or two... or three).

Most loved romantic date night consists of: My favorite thing to do for a date consists of dining and a show. There are so many great live theater venues in Chicago, you can find something going on almost any night of the week. Two suggestions: dine near the River (Smith and Wollensky if you want to be on the River) and follow it up with a musical or concert at the Chicago Theater or the House of Blues, both nearby. Or I suggest dining in Old Town or Wrigleyville and go to a comedy show at Second City or Improv Olympics, respectively. Add a bottle of wine with dinner, and you're guaranteed a night to remember! : )

Elected ladies night out agenda: Drinking, dancing and laughing. We typically start out at Mad River on Sheffield. We grab a booth, order cocktails and chat. Another favorite bar is Kirkwood, across the street - they have a great patio for hanging out in the summer. After that, we almost always end up dancing - The Hangge Uppe being a favorite place although it can get insanely crowded or Shenanigans in the Gold Coast neighborhood. We almost always end up stopping at Burton's Place in Old Town and grabbing Bacci's Pizza before heading home in the wee hours of the morning.

Preferred place to shop fashion: I love shopping on Michigan Ave. although I don't do it nearly as often as I should. The Saks, Bloomingdales, and Nordstrom are great, and it doesn't get more fun than peeping in the windows of all the designer boutiques around Michigan and Oak St. The Ralph Lauren store is also the most beautiful store I've ever been in. You can't help but get lost in what feels like an old mansion. Try it sometime.

Favorite place to shop for fun: Andersonville. This cute neighborhood up North offers an array of thrift stores, furniture shops, and boutiques all along the N. Clark Ave. strip. Heaven for a design junkie on a budget.

Ideal place to shop food: In the winter: Jewel Osco. It's cheap, close to my apartment, and they've got everything. In the summer, however, I hope to hit up the Farmer's Markets - notably the Southport Green Market - more regularly for fresh items.

Best place to sightsee: Walk Michigan Ave. And I'm not just referring to the streets surrounding the old Water Tower. I mean start at Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, take in the view of the Lake and the Sears Tower, then walk toward Millennium Park, see the Bean, and start heading north up Michigan Ave ALL the way until you reach Oak Street Beach. This way you'll see it all: the parks, the skyscrapers, the architecture, the river, the Wrigley Building, the shopping, and the lakefront. Just wear comfy shoes. The OTHER best option for sightseeing is getting on a boat and going out on the Lake on a sunny day. It. Is. Breathtaking.

Favorite way to enjoy Chicago culture: Cubs game. Hands down. And to REALLY experience it, you have to sit in the Bleachers and follow it up with a bar crawl through Wrigleyville. I've never had a more fun day in Chicago than with my girlfriends in the Bleachers on a day when the Cubs win. It's loud and exciting, and everyone you meet is your friend. I recommend it to anyone visiting Chicago.

Favorite way to enjoy a Chicago weekend:

Friday night - sushi with the boy - either Tank in Lincoln Square or Coast in Bucktown, the latter of which is BYOB but insane to get a reservation for (call at least a week in advance) - followed by a movie at home. I know. We're crazy.

Saturday morning, we wake up early, grab Starbucks, and head to Wiggley Field in Lincoln Park with the dogs (or Belmont Harbor dog beach in the summer). After a good hour of watching the dogs frolic and cover themselves in mud, we head home, hose them off, and get ourselves ready for the day as the two four-legged friends settle in for a long nap. I then normally do some shopping. My favorite option is to head to the Brown Elephant thrift stores - both their Lakeview location on Halsted and their Andersonville location on Clark - to scour for new, cheap finds. I also like trekking down to the North Ave. shopping district to stop into my favorite chains: West Elm, PB, J.Crew, and CB2. Nighttime normally consists of cracking open a bottle of wine, cooking dinner with Nate, and getting ready for a night out with our friends. That can take place anywhere from Sheffield Street bars I mentioned, to Old Town, or the Southport Corridor (Blue Bayou or Southport Lanes being two faves for a group hang out - the latter of which used to be a speakeasy during prohibition, so the bowling lanes were added as a front).

Sunday = me sleeping as late as possible before the pups wake up and want to go to the park again. If I need a big breakfast, we head down the street to Julius Meinl for the most delicious chicken salad sandwich in the world or Southport Grocery for the French toast. Delish.

Thank you to Alaina and Whitney, and may you ALL have a fabulous Easter weekend!