Over the past several months, I’ve started prepping for MBA applications and had the opportunity to travel to several cities to explore different programs. Chicago has several top programs – and I took the opportunity to visit to see what had changed since I last visited Chicago (and, more honestly, it’s suburbs).

Downtown Chicago is beautiful – with the river, the Loop, and a variety of different sites, there was plenty to see during an afternoon walk.

The walk down Michigan Avenue’s “The Magnificent Mile” was a beautiful walk – with standard sites like the art museum, the Bean, and many sculptures. Of course, I treated myself to a hot dog with the ‘Chicago’ toppings, like relish and peppers.

One of my favorite things was walking along the river to see the different sculptures – and to duck into a tiki bar down a small alley! I also tried Chicago pizza but ended up at a chain, which was relatively disappointing.

After my afternoon walk, I decided to treat myself to an incredible dinner at Proxi, one of Andrew Zimmerman’s restaurants. Fortunately, I had a seat at the chef’s counter, and Chef himself was in! It was amazing watching him run the kitchen from a front row seat. 

The following day, I ventured out to MBA programs and enjoyed seeing more of the city. I also grabbed drinks with a great friend from high school – sadly, we didn’t grab photos of our drinks, but we had a good time. Overall, Chicago is a much cooler city than I would have expected – and I hope to get back soon!