Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went to the Taste of Chicago. It was his first time going and my second! At all the different entrances to the park they had these giant archways that say Taste of Chicago on them so naturally I made my boyfriend take a picture with me. 😛 Unfortunately the sun gave the picture kind of a weird glare :/.

Once we got inside Grant park I had to take a picture of the iconic fountain (of course!)

Then, we met up with one of my friends from college and her sister who were both in the city for the day. Since the last time I went to the taste was over ten years ago I had forgotten how big it was! We took a lap around before making any purchases (well several laps for me, one for everyone else :P).

My friend from college and her sister  had already been at The Taste for a few hours so they had already grabbed a few bites. They were raving about the Fried Ravioli so my boyfriend decided to try that first.

(Fried Ravioli from a place called Punky’s Pizza and Pasta)

Next, my friend mentioned that they serve smoked alligator and that she was curious about it… As a vegetarian and somewhat picky eater I’d never in a million years try smoked alligator, but I supported my group in the search! We decided to hunt for the place that served it. Once we found it my friend said she  had already filled up on too many other things and changed her mind.  Or maybe she was too scared to try it (If you are reading this now, know I am teasing and I’ve never, ever try it either! ). My brave boyfriend decided to try it though! He said it tasted like sausage and wasn’t bad…hmmm.

(My boyfriend’s smoked alligator from Chicago’s Dog House)

After my boyfriend tried the smoked alligator, we all wandered around to see what also they had, check out the concert stage, and take some pictures by the lake shore across from the park.

(Man I could get used to this view. )

Then since my friend  and her sister commuted to Chicago from a suburb and it was getting semi late, she headed back home. My boyfriend and I stayed to get some more food and checkout the free Janelle Monae concert. At that point we still had 8 tickets left and I had to find something to taste still! We compromised on two more items, some jerk chicken for him and a mini frozen chocolate covered banana for me!

(My boyfriend’s jerk chicken with red beans and rice from VV)

(My mini frozen dark chocolate covered banana from The Fudge Pot).

(The free Janelle Monae concert, sorry for the bad quality pictures of the screen-I was pretty far back).

My boyfriend liked everything he tried, even the smoked alligator, but said his favorite by far was the Fried Ravioli. I loved my frozen dark chocolate banana and highly recommend it. I’m hoping to go to the Fudge Pot later this summer to get one again. My friend and her sister also liked the Fried Ravioli the most. They said the frozen banana from Mariano’s comes in a close second though.

One of the things I was most impressed about with The Taste, besides the sheer amount of food available, was the diversity and options. As I vegetarian I had options, there were several places that served veggie burgers, bean/lentil dishes, pasta, and salads. Furthermore, there were healthier options too for those people who wanted them. I personally think The Taste is a good time to indulge a little though .  Also, many different types of cultures and their cuisines were present. I highly recommend the Taste of Chicago to all of you and can’t wait to come back next year!

small victories

Now, onto today’s happenings! My boyfriend commented earlier today that I “need to celebrate the small victories” and I really liked that so I wanted to share it with you all! As many of you may already know, I currently have IT band syndrome, one of a runners’ worst nightmares.  So, today my small victory was getting a 2.83 mile run with my boyfriend in and only being in minimal pain several hours after the run. I have been keeping up with yoga, rolling out, IT band rehabilitation exercises, and cross training so hopefully I’ll be better soon. I just long to be able to run everyday again and to go for longer, effortless, pain free runs and start training for another half marathon…  Oh well, I need to stay positive and continue to look for the “small victories”.

Well, I hope you all have a great rest of your Friday and have something fun planned for tonight!  Later tonight my boyfriend and I are thinking of getting some deep pizza and/or  maybe grabbing a few beers (everything in moderation, right? ). Then, tomorrow morning we getting up bright and early to check out the Farmer’s Market and I’m probably way more excited than I need to be!

Have you ever been to the Taste of Chicago? If so what was your favorite thing you tried? Also, what was your “small victory” today?