Architecture & Food Adventures in Chicago

At the end of May, I was thrilled to travel to Chicago to photograph a wedding. Since it was Memorial Day, I went ahead and extended my stay to a full week so I could wander around the city on my own time. Even though I grew up in the midwest and have visited Chicago many times over the years, every trip is still so different, and there are always new sights to see. This trip, I discovered the newest national park, visited two Frank Lloyd Wright sites, and had so many delicious meals with friends, including a fun food & drink tasting experience at The Aviary. See it all below!

First stop, a lunch break at The Pullman Cafe en route to Indiana.

Look at my cute little VW beetle they gave me as my rental car!

 

While I was perusing google maps to see what might be around Dyer, Indiana, where I would be photographing the first two days of the wedding, I just happened to notice that there was a National Park in Indiana… An actual National Park?! I looked it up and it turns out it’s the most recent one, the 61st, and it just received that designation in February. Bizarre, but I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to check it off my list!

Indiana Dunes. Lining Lake Michigan.

Next, a visit to the University of Chicago campus.

The house that brought me to campus: The Robie House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It just reopened this month after undergoing a $11M restoration project. This house is said to be the most mature expression of the Prairie Style.

Art glass all around.

Lamp projections on the wall. And Frank Lloyd Wright’s early logo in the carpet. He was ahead of the game, having a logo when most others did not.

Love the wooden panels in the lights.

Driving up to the city along Lakeshore!

Then I had an absolutely delightful night with Angie at Aviary! I’ve long meant to come here, the bar arm of Grant Achatz’ Alinea & Next, but this was the perfect opportunity since Chase Sapphire was offering a special tasting experience: five cocktails with food pairings.

Bobbleheads!

Crazy contraptions.

Tasty bites. Smoky delights.

All in all, so wonderful. Thanks for joining me Angie! And happy second wedding anniversary, also this weekend!

Before and after going to Aviary.

Next, lunch with Jianghai, whom I haven’t seen since college! The Purple Pig. Highlight: this milk braised pork shoulder.

Selfie with the Chicago skyline. And the bean, if you can make it out in the upper left corner.

I’ve heard only good things about the Chicago architecture boat tours, so I finally decided to join in the fun! First, a visit to the Chicago Architecture Center.

A whole exhibit about skyscrapers.

Then it was boat time!

The tour was very informative and comfortable, weaving our way back and forth along the river. We learned about various architectural styles and some of the challenges in building tall.

Also, I just got so lucky since forecasts had been gloomy all weekend but the weather turned out to be gorgous!

TAF dinner with Carrie, Ming, and Christina! We went for Taiwanese food at Taipei Cafe. Yum.

 

Then it was out to the burbs to hang out with my friend Mitha and her husband Virag! We went for a lovely walk in a nature preserve until it finally did start thunderstorming, and it really rained, with tornadoes around the midwest that night.

But we were indoors and happy with some Mexican and then some Japanese food!

 

And on my last day in Chicago, lunch with Silvia, a friend from high school.

And one last stop, Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio in Oak Park. Yes, I visit a lot of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. :)

Discovered this cool flowering tree in the front yard… it’s a tulip poplar!

So interesting to see this early Frank Lloyd Wright building, which still seems more ornamented than his later styles.

A beautiful playroom for Wright’s family of six kids.

A little nod to Froebel blocks in the bookshelf, originally designed by Froebel for the first kindergarten concept. Wright often credited his early play with Froebel blocks for his sense of spatial relations and sense of how shapes can go together. And in the second photo, a Steinway grand piano which Wright built into the wall because he didn’t want it to take up so much space in the room.

When you go down the staircase behind the wall, you can see the piano sticking out… watch your head… and you walk right under it.

Next, a visit to Wright’s studio which he later built just next to his house.

Love this art glass in the ceiling.

And a little model of the Robie House which I visited earlier!

And that’s it for another beautiful visit to Chicago. ‘Til next time.

Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco but often traveling and working around the world. She creates beautiful, soft, and timeless imagery while capturing the most fleeting of moments. View her work at annawu.com, follow her daily adventures on instagram, or contact her to book your own session today.