Apples, Pumpkins, and Corn Maze...OH MY!

Welcome to fall everyone!  I embraced fall this past weekend by heading to nearby Indiana to partake in fall festivities!  I had never been to an apple orchard or pumpkin patch in my life.  With my mom coming to visit, what a perfect time to get out of the city, enjoy the fall colors and get in the autumn spirit :).  All the apples were picked already but I did find my special pumpkin that will make great pumpkin seeds and maybe even some homemade plachenta! I tried a few variety of apples as well, which were very crunchy and made great apple crisp the next day!  Chicago is a place of skyscrapers and the bustling city life, but an hour away is a great apple orchard that I got to experience...another thing crossed off my bucket list!

HELLO FALL goodbye alfresco dining...

Alfresco dining is one of my great loves of Chicago!  I'm always excited for the first nice day of spring walking down the streets of Chicago and seeing people out enjoying wine, sangria, or a nice cold draft!  I feel like the city always feels alive with alfresco dining and now that fall is here it's feeling sad again.  I've managed to maximize my alfresco dining this summer including some of my regular spots like Quartino and Feast and trying places I had never been like Nia, El Barco, Market, and Butterfly Sushi. 

Definitely the hightlight of my summer and early fall was dining at the most romantic patio in the city at Piccolo Signo http://piccolosognorestaurant.com/.  I've always wanted to go there and I finally got to go!  The night was amazing, the ambience to die for, food that was scrumptous, and company that was splendid! Squash filled ravioli, grilled vegetables and proscuitto, what could be better!  The trees and surrounding area in the patio, created a feeling of being outside the city and really in Italy.  It's definitely a place I'll recommend to anyone and was happy to have waited as long as I did because it was magical!   

Any chance to enjoy a good glass of wine, the sunset on the city, and great company is always up for grabs for me!  We'll see where alfresco dining will take me next season!