Visiting the Thompson Chicago

My husband's from Chicago, I’m from Australia, and we live in L.A. At the time, we had our Frenchie Cutter and we decided to travel to Chicago for Christmas. As my first trip to the windy city, our visit was a blend of sightseeing and gatherings with family and friends.

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We decided to stay downtown at the Thompson, and it was perfect for us. Located in the historic Gold Coast we could walk to most places for some easy sightseeing. Every day we would start our morning by taking Cutter on his walk. We wandered around the local streets looking at all the historical mansions or strolled down Oak St with its array of pretty boutiques for some window shopping.

Other prime locations we visited were Miracle Mile on Michigan Avenue, River North, and of course the Cloud Gate otherwise known as “the bean” at Millennium Park. We clocked up a lot of miles walking around the city, but for me it’s always the best way to get to know somewhere new. For my husband he got to play proud tour guide.

Apart from its location, the Thompson welcomes dogs for no additional cost, and the staff were very friendly towards our pup during our stay. We stayed in a King Suite and our room was spacious and cozy for a winter trip. I don’t know if it’s a Californian dog or a Frenchie thing, but as soon as any rain or snow developed Cutter was very happy to be left snoozing the day away in the room whilst we were out-and-about.

Located downstairs is Nico Osteria, the service was impeccable and the food simply delicious. We ate there twice on our visit, once for dinner and once for breakfast and both times didn’t disappoint.  More on food, down the road is the famous Lou Malnati’s where I tried my first real Chicago deep dish pizza. I have to admit deep dish isn’t quite my favorite type of pizza but I can appreciate its popularity.

On our last day it snowed, and for an Aussie, the thrill of a white Christmas never wanes. We’re used to the holiday being in summer so a wintery and white Christmas was the icing on the cake, and for Cutter it meant another day snoozing in bed at the Thompson.