Summer in Chicago

Please join me in welcoming our next guest blogger, the very talented Jen from Grainline and Hound Design. I met Jen on Flickr earlier this year, where we were both attempting (and sadly failing, ha) a 365 project. She is definitely one of those people who you just instantly click with, and I'm crossing my fingers that we'll be able to hang out and chat over a plate of poutine, and go antiquing when she comes out this way later in the year! Thanks for the joining us Jen, and for the beautiful photos!

Summer in Chicago is a pretty great time. I don't know if you've been here, but for about two thirds of the year Chicago punishes you with cold weather, biting winds, one warm day in spring followed by 2 weeks of snowstorms...you get the idea, so when summer actually rolls around for good we know we have to take full advantage. A few of our favorite summer activities: walking on the lakefront, checking out one of the many parks and exhibits with free guided tours (in this case it was the Alfred Caldwell Lilly Pond in Lincoln Park), lounging on our rooftop in the evenings, Chicago style dogs + fries and the beaches. Chicago has so many beaches and they're so easy to get to, we take the water taxi down the Chicago river and get off at Michigan, there you're just steps from the beach, which is where I'm off to right now...happy summer all!