Hi everyone!

This week was filled with so many celebrations – such a great one to talk about.

But before I get to those, I gotta talk about the awesome experience I had at Ranalli’s in Lincoln Park. Alex and Claire (who I talked about last roundup) both invited me to the restaurant’s The Bachelor watch party – and needless to say, it was all decked out! Roses lined the tables, The Bachelor branded wines (yeah, that’s a thing – who knew??) were being served, and they had heart-shaped pizzas. Swoon. The atmosphere felt like sports fan watching a game at a bar – everyone reacted at the same time when drama would happen and people gasped when Arie sent *spoiler* home. It was hilarious and so fun meeting a few new girls too. I got the rosé instead (oops) but I did try someone else’s cabernet..I mean Fantasy Suite..wine and it tasted pretty good, not overly sweet so I might brave that and One on One (chardonnay) next time I go. You know I had to get the pizza – I got sausage and onion, which was pretty good and the sauce was relatively sweet. However, when you order pepperoni, they cut them like little hearts so maybe I should have went that route (though I’m not a pepperoni fan)! The pizza size was definitely bigger than I thought so I was able to split it with another person. I would love to go back for the finale and continue to come for (hopefully) Bachelor in Paradise and the rest of the franchise as well. Such a great idea and pricing wasn’t bad either – as for the crowds, it’s not that crowded but you still need a reservation just in case. This week was the most people that Alex and Claire had seen. You can also earn points every time you come into the restaurant with their app AND earn double on Bachelor night toward food and drinks!

Ok, back to the celebrations part. I was so happy to have my cousin come and visit me this week while in for a job interview – thankfully, she got it!! Yay! We went to The Godfrey Hotel in River North to grab a drink before she headed back home and their raspberry moscow mules were so good! Can we talk about how swanky this place is?? The lobby is so chic with its sleek couches and chrome details, plus all the pretty lights everywhere. Not pictured is the wine rack arch ways leading to the first floor bar/restaurant where you could walk under all these perfectly displayed bottles. As we made our way to the rooftop, there were more pretty lights and a really cool fountain with their logo lit up on top. I liked how you could choose to be inside or outside for the rooftop because it was pouring HARD. In the winter, you can rent out igloos though so even with rain you’d be ok. There’s also a ton of fire pits outside too which is a nice touch when it’s a little chillier out. Definitely coming on my next sunny day off!

I also got to celebrate a former co-worker’s birthday at Howl at the Moon (happy birthday Mary!) – a piano bar known for their “bucket drinks”. I had a sip of one and WOW they are super potent! Next time I go, maybe I’ll take the plunge since there were so many different ones to try. It was such a fun time – all the requests were older songs and one that made the night was “Let it Go” from Frozen at the end of the night! Ha! It was a little bit of an older crowd but you could dance on stage and we closed it down so I would go again!

Last thing real quick: my promised champagne gummy bear recipe is coming up on the blog soon! They tasted so good (though I found out the hard way that they are only meant to taste like champagne and rosé, not actually get you drunk) so I knew I had to craft a cocktail with them somehow!

Local Spots I Checked Out: Ranalli’s, Howl at the Moon, The Godfrey Hotel

Events I’m Looking Forward To: Flower Crowns & Cocktails with Alex, Drake Fest, Oscar Parties, St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl, Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

See you in the next post!