EC’s Summer in the City

It’s June 21st — the longest day of the year, and the official start to summer. Yas!

At EC, we take our business and our pleasure seriously and we *love* our summer nights and weekends. We did a little team roundup of our favorite spaces and places for summertime hanging.

For a bite:

Piccolo Sogno – great food & cocktails and a beautiful outdoor patio that is a real hidden gem.  My favorite neighborhood haunts right now are Hearth & Crust and Pisolino.

Green Street Smoked Meats, Parson’s, Cira, Cabra — always delicious, always fun.

*Photo cred: pinterest.com/restaurantguru

Weekend getaways:

Hiking and camping! Everyone should check out Rock Cut, Chain O Lakes and Lowden State Park.

I love a good stay-cation – there is so much to do here in the city!  Walking tours and boat tours from the Chicago Architecture Foundation, concerts in Millennium Park, the Art Institute, theater.

*Photo credit: therealchicago.com

Music venues:

The Old Town School of Folk Music – an amazing concert series in a fantastic listening room.

Soldier Field for Rolling Stones, Ravinia, the Rooftop at Cerise.

Outdoor activities:

Walking in Horner Park, gardening in my yard.

Jumping into the lake off of North Avenue, biking trails – like North Branch, or anywhere near the water!

Free summer activities:

The farmer’s market – I particularly love the Wednesday night market in Andersonville.

In general, you’ll catch us:

Soaking up the sun, throwing a picnic, and making our friends test drive cocktail recipes at our patio BBQ.