My kind of town.

I should really try to infuse some more excitement into my weeknights because I dread every single Monday. I have really good reason this week, though, because Wheat and I finally took our long-awaited trip to Chicago for some wonderful date time.

We arrived late on Thursday night and parked in a nearby surface lot (which I highly recommend, by the way, if you're looking to avoid ridiculous hotel parking rates) before checking into the Congress Plaza Hotel. Although the place was old, it was the perfect location and had a cool, old-school vibe that I loved. Our window looked out onto Grant Park and the Buckingham Fountain, which would have been amazing if we had visited while it was running.

Even our hotel was excited about the city.

The next morning, I pretended I forgot that Wheat hates brunch and we made our way to Yolk for breakfast. Fortunately, this place was good enough that even he approved when his chicken and waffles were placed on the table. I ordered the pumpkin swirl french toast with cream cheese and cranberry-infused apple slices on top, diced red potatoes, and strawberry-orange juice. I'm still thinking about it.

After breakfast, we fought against the wind as we headed to the Field Museum for a few hours of exploration. We sprang for the all-access pass and enjoyed the Vikings, Vodou, and Underground Adventure special exhibits. We also watched an Egypt 3D movie before checking out my personal favorite, the dinosaurs! The museum is home to Sue, the most complete T-Rex ever found and I was in awe of her sheer size. Her head, which weighs 600 pounds, is too heavy to be displayed on her body, so the one here is a replica.

Other highlights of the museum were the incredible totem poles, the replica Pawnee Earth Lodge, and the exhibit on the Man-Eaters of Tsavo, the two lions that killed over 140 workers on the Kenya-Uganda railway in 1898 and serve as the inspiration for The Ghost and the Darkness. After we blitzed through the final exhibit, we made our way back to the hotel to recharge for a bit before taking the Metra to meet Wheat's friend, Dong, for dinner.

He made us reservations at David Burke's Primehouse and after one quick look at the menu, I was intimidated. I basically let Dong order for me and I regret absolutely nothing. We went with the Caesar salad, cheesy popovers, and ribeye that was dry-aged for 75 days. I had never eaten dry-aged steak before, but I instantly melted into my chair. As the steak ages, the fat ferments, creating a divine blue cheese-like taste.

After dinner, we ventured to the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Tower. Somehow, we lucked into the best table in the place with a gorgeous view of the North side of the city. We ordered drinks and triple berry cobbler and soaked in the incredible views before heading to Disotto Enoteca, a laid-back, basement wine bar, to close out our night.

The next morning, we checked out of our hotel, left our bags at the front desk, and headed to Millennium Park for our obligatory pictures with the Bean. We slowly made our way to the theater district for lunch at a busy, Italian place called Petterino's. For my birthday, Wheat bought us tickets to see Beauty and the Beast, so after lunch, we found our seats at the Cadillac Palace Theater. The show, as I expected, was absolutely wonderful. The set was gorgeous, the cast was perfect, and the songs were amazing. I'll let you decide whether I cried several times during the show. Spoiler alert: Of course I did.

We ended our trip by waiting in line at Garrett's Popcorn for my favorite Chicago mix. Then, we took the Metra back to our hotel, picked up our bags, and hit the road...to Merrillville, where my fiance with the sweet tooth of a seven-year-old insisted we stop for gummy bears at the Albanese Candy Factory. Don't let me fool you - I love those things, too. Just nowhere near as much as I love this guy.