Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
There is something to be said for living it up every once in a while, savoring the moment and loosening up the purse strings a bit. On our next road trip, we’ll be back to budget hotels and it’ll be just fine. But, in our memories, we’ll always have the Four Seasons.
Every year around my birthday, my family and I like to enjoy a staycation in Chicago. For me, it’s a chance to return to my stomping grounds in the city where I grew up. Before my parents realized their immigrant dream of buying a house in the suburbs, we lived in Chicago. I went to school, learned to parallel park and got my first big newspaper job there. For my husband and son, spending a long weekend in Chicago is an opportunity to visit some of the world’s first rate museums, dine at some amazing restaurants and go for a swim with a view of the city’s gorgeous skyline.
It’s a cocktail jungle out there. Drink menus are increasingly becoming so large, they sometimes rival a restaurant’s actual food menu. With a resurgence of the fashionable Cocktail Hour at area lounges, clubs and hotel bars, it can be quite daunting to decide which fabulous libation (or two) you simply must have. What’s in? What’s passe? What is the latest ‘It’ drink? And just hou much does it coset to be cocktail cool?