You may have noticed that we’ve been traveling quite a bit this year. I haven’t tallied up just how many trips I’ve been on, but between work travel and family exploration, I’d be willing to bet that 2016 is my most adventurous year yet. Things haven’t slowed down now that it’s winter either. This past Thanksgiving weekend we road-tripped all the way to Chicago to simply explore the city.

The Loews Chicago Hotel hosted our stay and was the perfect home base to play tourist. We checked-in on Thanksgiving evening and were happy to see the lobby already decked out for the holidays. We made our way up to our room, where Iris was thrilled to find her very own tent and “campfire” set up to stay warm. As part of the Snowed Inn package, this also came with homemade cookies and hot chocolate delivered to our room for Iris and valet parking for me (in downtown Chicago that’s an amazing score).

We were in the Windy City for three nights and two full days, but the first morning was actually spent driving to Munster, Indiana. Yeah… You read that right – beautiful Munster! Turns out, it’s quite the destination for beer lovers and only about 45 minutes away from the hotel. Home of 3 Floyds Brewing, Todd stocked up on their famous Zombie Dust Pale Ale while we filled up on a surprisingly delicious meal at the restaurant side of the brewery.

After that random detour, we headed back over to the Loews where, thanks to the perfect-o location, we didn’t need to drive again during our stay. With our car safely tucked away in its valet spot, we walked nearly everywhere. We hoofed it to the Magnificent Mile for a little shopping, Navy Pier for a little Ferris Wheel riding, the Chicago Children’s Museum for a little exploring, the famous “Bean” for a little photo taking, and Maggie Daley Park for a little playing.

We also were able to walk to some incredible food and drinks around town: Pasta at Rosebud on Rush, Eataly for a nice little happy hour, and devoured Stan’s Donuts for breakfast. And it didn’t hurt that there was a Starbucks perfectly situated when we got of the hotel elevator every morning. On our last day we wanted to venture a little farther, so we took an Uber over to Willis Tower where we used our CityPasses and braved the SkyDeck. From there we Ubered even further over to the Wicker Park neighborhood where we ate pizza at Piece Pizza and got some treats from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

Exploring made us exhausted each day, but coming “home” to the comfort of our hotel room was a treat all in itself. The beds were beyond comfy and the view was incredible. Looking out through the high-rises, we could see Lake Michigan and even the Ferris Wheel back at Navy Pier. We had quite the adventure in Chicago, but I would have been just as thrilled to have stayed in and relaxed all day. Maybe another trip is in order…