I feel like my friends rarely NEED something to celebrate to have a good time but GETTING to celebrate Xi's milestone birthday made this weekend extra special! We checked into our suite at the Hotel Lincoln in Lincoln Park by the Lincoln Park Zoo on Friday night to start the weekend on the right foot! Paris 312, Alpha-Lit Chicago, and Danica Rose Wine helped us set up for the birthday festivities.
One huge perk of staying at the Hotel Lincoln is that you have priority seating at the J Parker. This rooftop greenhouse rooftop has fun cocktails and amazing shareables as well as burgers on potato buns! The views of the skyline were also next level.
After dinner, we headed back to our suite and began our cocktail party. Unlike the Bachelor, we made cocktails on the fly with alcohol we got from Nipyata (no drama!)! Nipyata sent us a pinata filled with candy and tiny shooters of alcohol. I shared all our mixed drinks here.
The next day we started the day off with coffee from Elaine's Coffee Call in the hotel lobby. I tried the Lavender Vanilla latte with almond milk and it didn't disappoint.
We drank our coffee as we got ready for brunch at Park & Field. We Uberred over to Logan Square for the $45 unlimited brunch. You can choose from Mimosas, Rosé, Bloody Marys and beer. They have a nice spread of brunch food to chose from that you select on a form and they bring right to your table. (In normal times it is a buffet.)
If you wanted to stay close to Hotel Lincoln when dining out, Ranalli's, The Vig, 80 Proof, and Utopian Tailgate are all within walking distance from the hotel.
In the afternoon we batched content, explored the hotel, and walked through the park across the street. Lincoln Park Zoo is also across the street. In warmer months, you could head to the beach as well. It's a really good central location to a lot of attractions for families and couples alike!
We started the evening with a charcuterie spread and taking photos with the marque sign from Alpha-Lit Chicago. We had an 8:30 pm Igloo reservation at Bar Cocina. The igloo allows you to preselect your food and alcohol options and upon arrival, you are able to pair your phone with a Bluetooth speaker and relax in their comfortable seating options. We enjoyed our spread and once we finished dinner we headed down the street to Replay for the Schitt Happens pop-up bar.
I LOVE Schitt's Creek and loved the decor of the bar, however, I would recommend getting tickets for the day or early evening. We got tickets for 10:30 pm and Last Call was shortly after they sat us. We did not find the wait staff to be extremely friendly and they were abrasive at times. To me, it was worth it because the bar broke up sections to have Moria's wig room, the town sign, Rose's Apothecary, the Front Desk, and Cafe Tropical. They also have really unique cocktails based on the show and they play Schitt's Creek episodes on a loop on all the TVs.
I always have a good time with my girlfriends and this weekend was a fun way to celebrate our girl Xi and warmer weather. One of my favorite parts about Chicago is that there's always something new to discover. You will never get tired of where to eat, walk, workout, shop, drink and so much more! I got to try some new places in my own neighborhood - I live right down the street from Hotel Lincoln! If you haven't tried something new around you lately - whether it's ordering in or walking a different way - it's worth it. It will give you new energy.
