I can’t believe it’s been more than a month since I got back from the beautiful and breathtaking city of Chicago. Since the moment that I stepped off the plane in Denver, I began to miss the chaotic traffic, city lights and even the humidity of Chicago. I’ve been to other cities across the United States and one thing is for sure; there is no other place that even comes close or can compare to Chicago.
Chicago is not only a beautiful place that I recommend everybody to visit, but it’s a city that I hold close to my heart. Most of my father’s family lives in Chicago and in other small suburbs of Illinois. Ever since I was a young girl, I have been fascinated by the chaotic, noisy and crowded city of Chicago. Now that I finally had the opportunity to go back, I knew that I was going to make the best of it. Fortunately for me, since I have many wonderful cousins, aunts and uncles who love me dearly, I was able to get a full on experience just as if I was a Chicagoan. Not everyone has the opportunity to go to local and unique neighborhoods and sites that represent the real essence of a city. Many times tourists only get the opportunity to go to the touristy sites. Not that there is any problem with going to these places, but it’s amazing when you are also able to go to the unique undiscovered corners of the city where tourists don’t go to. Why? Simply because you are able to et a full on experience just as if you were a native.
I have always wanted to live in a big city where the chaos and party never ends. All my life i’ve heard how my dad talk about Chicago and its sports teams. Maybe it’s because of this that I have always been obsessed with the windy city.
Four years had passed since I last visited the beautiful city of Chicago. I can still clearly remember how the last time I was in this magnificent city, I had promised myself that I would try to go back more often. Sadly, I didn’t go through with my promise and I allowed four very long years to pass by. The last time that I was in the Chi-Town I was only 16. Fortunately, this summer I decided that no matter what I was going to make time to go back to Chicago and explore some of its beautiful and unique sites, as well as try some of its food staples.
This year in Chicago I went back to some of the tourist sites that I had previously been too such as Navy Pier, Millennium Park and even the Willis Tower. Although, I am absolutely in love with these places because of its immense and unique beauty, I was happy that I got to go to other places around the city that aren’t visited by many tourists. As I mentioned previously, I wanted to go to the places where Chicago natives go to so that I could get an authentic feel of what it’s like to live in a city like Chicago. This is exactly what I did, and let me say it was amazing.
One of the first places that I got to visit was the old Italian neighborhood which Chicago natives know as ‘Little Italy.’ Little Italy is a neighborhood located in the west side of Chicago. My cousins drove me around this beautiful neighborhood where I got to try the signature Italian Ice. For those of you who might not be sure of what Italian Ice is, it’s simply a sweetened frozen dessert made with fruit. It’s very difficult for me to describe the real texture and consistency of Italian Ice as it’s something that is very different from anything that I have ever tried before. Italian ice is something between shaved ice and ice cream meaning that it’s of a thicker consistency that shaved ice and less thick than ice cream. All I have to say is that Italian Ice is something truly delicious and delicate.
As soon as my cousins and I approached the small business ‘Mario’s Italian Lemonade’ my mouth began to water as I saw the many different flavors of Italian ice there were. I must admit that I had a hard time choosing which Italian ice flavor I was going to choose. At the end I decided to go with the Pina Colada flavor because honestly how can anyone ever go wrong with Pina Colada? I can still clearly remember how rich and refreshing the Italian ice tasted as soon as I tried the first spoonful. Italian ice is a delicious dessert that is great especially on those warm summer days. After I happily indulged my dessert, we drove around the Little Italy neighborhood, and I quickly fell in love with it’s old historic and charming architecture as well as its new and modern infrastructure.
For those that might not be aware Chicago is not only known for its beauty and charm, but it’s also known as a place where there is amazing food. Deep dish pizza is a Chicago food staple that’s a must try. According to historian Tim Samuelson, it’s uncertain who was the creator of deep dish pizza but two things are certain; deep dish pizza is delicious and is one of Chicago’s most famous dishes. The last time that I visited Chicago I did not have the opportunity to try deep dish pizza. As a person who loves pizza I knew that this year it was time for me to try this dish which so many Chicagoans brag about. About a week after I arrived to the windy city I tried deep dish pizza at Gino’s East with my cousin and her boyfriend. Gino’s East is a Chicago based restaurant chain that is most well known for it’s deep dish pizza. Deep Dish Pizza has thick crust and large amounts of cheese and tomato sauce.
My experience at Gino’s East was a very good one as the atmosphere, people and pizza were great. My cousin and her boyfriend took me to the Gino’s East that is located in the downtown of Chicago. I must admit that before I tried this pizza I was a little afraid of what it was going to taste like. I remember that once I saw the pizza placed in the center of our table I was somewhat overwhelmed by the size. Then after I took my first bite of the pizza immediately I fell in love with the rich flavors and overflow of cheese.
Since I loved deep dish pizza very much, my amazing cousins Sebastian and Val took my brother and I to Giordano’s ; a pizzeria that specializes in deep dish pizza. There is only one word to describe the pizza from Giordano’s: AMAZING. The deep dish pizza from this local joint was probably the best pizza that I gave every tried in y life. The tomato sauce along with the overflow of cheese was simply delicious, perfect and AMAZING. So to anyone planning to go to Chicago soon or in the future, remember to go to Giordano’s because I can guarantee that it will blow your mind away.
There you have it, these are just a few of the reasons why I am so in love with Chicago and its food. Also remember to keep some of the places that I mentioned in this post in mind if you decide to visit the windy city. Chicago is one of my favorite places that I can’t wait to go back to.
Natalie Torres 