The One Where We Met Antoni

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If you don’t follow me on Instagram, you might not know that last week I traveled to Chicago with one of my very best friends to attend a book signing for Antoni from Queer Eye and….MEET HIM.

YES! I got to meet him, hug him, say hello, sit front row for the event, receive an amazing goodie bag from Williams Sonoma, and got a signed copy of his new cookbook “Antoni In the Kitchen'“. It was an amazing experience and he was exactly as I hoped he’d be in person; funny, passionate, excited, and kind.

I created a little IGTV video that summed up the whole trip here but if you’d like to read a quick summary of our trip, keep on reading!

Day One:

  • Took the Amtrak to Union Station. Finished up reading Middlesex, ate yummy banana bread, did my makeup and made friends with a cute little 8 month old and her momma.

  • First stop, the Chicago French Market, where we shared a yummy proscuitto sandwich, and then we headed to the Doughnut Vault, where I ate a chocolate glazed doughnut as big as my face.

  • Next, up we dropped off our bags at our hotel (Inn of Chicago) and headed out for a little bit of shopping. (Inn of Chicago was a great location, super comfy bed, but that’s about it. The actual room was kind of dirty and I doubt I’d stay there again unless I got a stupidly cheap deal).

  • At Gap, Margaret and I both scored some awesome clearance finds, including a leopard print skirt, stripped button-down dress, and tank for me!

  • Headed to Eataly to show Margaret my little slice of heaven. Picked up some items for a pre-Antoni charcuterie in bed!

  • The ‘Antoni In the Kitchen’ event was next. Amazing. Speechless. I’d do it again in a heartbeat for his next cookbook so GET WRITING Antoni!

  • We then headed to the rooftop terrace for a little moment to slow down before bed. We were tired and knew the next day would be busy so we chose to head to bed at 10:30 instead of going out like we had planned.

Day Two:

  • We both woke up early at 6 am so we decided to stay in our PJ’s and head to get some donuts and coffee at Stan’s Donuts (one of my faves in Chi).

  • Headed back to bed for some reading which was nice.

  • Slowly got ready for a day of shopping in Wicker Park/Ukrainian Village.

  • Visited Credo Beauty, Aesop, Deciem, Buffalo Exchange, Paperish Mess, Dark Matter Coffee, Peach Fuzz, and Humboldt House. I may have missed a shop or two that we stopped at, but we sure crammed a lot into a short amount of time!

  • Next we headed back to the hotel for a quick nap and then I got ready to meet one of my college bestie’s Nick for a yummy dinner at Luxbar to celebrate his 30th birthday.

  • After dinner, Margaret and I headed to The Darling, an old Speak Easy, for a drink with her friend Olivia, and then we headed over to the Sparrow which felt like we time traveled back to Havana in the past.

  • What better way to finish off the day then to spend the night dancing away until 2 in the morning.

  • Our alarms woke us at 6 am promptly the next morning to head back on the Amtrack to Michigan, but it was worth the few hours of sleep!

Overall our trip was amazing! We packed so many amazing memories into such a short amount of time! I put together a mini capsule closet for the trip with only 5 clothing items and I’ll be sharing that post soon so stay on the lookout.

Where do you like to visit when you go to Chicago? Tell me below.

Have a beautiful day!