On Saturday I left sunny San Diego for a long weekend with great friends in Chicago. Although I’m a lot further than 30 miles from home, the trip has still been packed with fun and noteworthy cultural finds. Should you find yourself in Chicago check out some of the following:

Drake Hotel With the gorgeous weather, we found ourselves at the beach right next to the Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago.  This weekend it seemed to be the gathering spot for Brits celebrating the Diamond Jubilee. The Drake is famous for its high tea in its Palm Court.  Served daily, the high tea is definitely a cultural experience worth the small splurge. Even the Queen approves – she was entertained in the Drake back in 1958.

The Paris Club
One of the newer chic places in Chicago happens to be of the French persuasion. For dinner on Saturday we headed to the Paris Club to experience a “French awakening” by Chef Joho. It was a little loud but the food was worth having a yell across the table. Goat cheese pâtè, scallops in butter, and gruyere fondue made up my – dinner. Check out the more thorough review of our dinner  this Thursday at Chewable Chicago.

Julius Meinl
And finally today I sit in this lovely European style cafe in Southport Corridor. With only locations in Vienna and Chicago, this cafe has managed to maintain European charm in the middle of an American neighborhood. In fact as I sit here, conversations in French surround me. Love it! The coffee is superb and so are the cookies.

P.S. Blogging from an iPad is a pain.