Packing for Adventure

New Haven, CT: A Short and Sweet Day Guide

September 3, 2025
I’ll be honest up front: New Haven is not a great tourist location. Come for the pizza.

We still managed to enjoy our time there, as limited as it was.

Getting Around:

We did a bit of every transportation option:
- Train – we arrived via from New York City to New Haven Union Station
- Walking – we did a lot of it
- CTransit – the New Haven bus system was convenient and much cheaper than Uber
- Uber – when it was time to head back to the train station we opted for a quick ride
Sight Seeing:

East Rock Park

Our first stop upon arrival was Sally’s Apizza. We had to get back to the train station in 4 hours, so we couldn’t go far. From there we made our way to the East Rock Park.

It was a nice enough park, but I imagine March is not the ideal time to visit. The hiking loop was a bit too swampy so we didn’t do the 10+ miles of hiking trails that are available there. We were the only ones there and we were able to walk around to our hearts content. There was a cool red covered bridge with a sign that said “STAGE ROAD TO BOSTON 32 MILES TO HARTFORD.” I was very intrigued by this and had visions of walking along a historic bridge that the Revolutionary War era men and women used in the nation’s infancy.

The charming Frederick Oberlin Covered Bridge

Turns out it’s a historic “style” mileage marker, and not a true relic from the original stagecoach era. It’s called the “Frederick Oberlin Covered Bridge.” It is a rather charming pedestrian bridge, not meant for vehicles.

Chris enjoying the Frederick Oberlin Covered Bridge

Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop

We stumbled upon this cute museum and workshop while exploring the East Rock Park. It was free to enter. It was built on the historic site of Eli Whitney’s original gun factory. It seemed like a pretty neat place to bring kids.

Giant lounge chair at the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

From that point we hopped on a bus that took us to Yale. I specifically wanted to see the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. It is free to enter. There is a security checkpoint you have to pass through to ensure preservation standards are enforced.

I love reading and I love literature and anything old, so I was interested to come, but I didn’t think I would actually enjoy it as much as I did! There are so many books! The Gutenberg Bible is the pinnacle of the visit, but all the books were awesome on their own!

The Gutenberg Bible is the first major book printed with movable type, marking the start of mass communication and modern printing.

This Yale University library is home to 1 of only 21 complete Gutenberg Bibles known to survive!

As a book lover, it was frustrating to see all these amazing books behind glass doors and not be able to open them and read. But you could clearly see the titles and it was exciting for me.

A giant cube of rare books and manuscripts!

Chris does not enjoy scholarly pursuits as much as I do… or at all. He found a spot to sit.

Yale University

The Beinecke Library is right on Yale’s campus, so we took a short stroll through the historic university grounds. The Gothic-style architecture and peaceful courtyards made for a lovely walk—especially on such a mild spring day.

Beautiful alcove at Yale University

I am a sucker for an intricate ceiling

I loved the architecture of these old Yale University buildings

After one more pizza stop at Modern Apizza, we headed back to the train station and returned to NYC. Our New Haven adventure was short and sweet.

Next up: the last day of our Pizza Crawl!

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Best Pizza in New Haven, CT: Cross Country Pizza Crawl

September 1, 2025
Since we were coming by train from NYC and couldn’t miss our train back, we only had about 4 hours in New Haven. It was really hard to pick as New Haven has some very heated competition for best pizza. Fans are loyal, opinions are intense, and ratings across the board are sky-high. However, these four are generally considered the best.

The Top Contenders:
- Sally’s Apizza
- Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
- Modern Apizza
- BAR
We were originally going to try Sally’s and Frank Pepe’s. They are old family rivals. Frank Pepe’s Apizza opened in 1925, and then Frank Pepe’s nephew Salvatore Consiglio opened a competing restaurant in 1938…. across the street.

It seemed fitting to compare the two. Remember how the night before we were packed like sardines at Lazzara’s in NYC? Well to one side of us was sitting some enthusiastic pizza lovers from Colorado, and to the other side of us was sitting another enthusiastic pizza loving couple from none other than New Haven, CT! They all loved hearing about our pizza crawl and offered their favorites. The couple from Colorado is who suggested we try Carnegie Pizza. The couple from New Haven told us we HAD to go to Modern Apizza. They seemed to have a similar passion for pizza and we decided to trust them.

So do we cut out Sally’s or Frank Pepe’s? This was a HUGE struggle of a decision. Frank Pepe’s came first, and we tried the first Chicago and Detroit style pizza. But we ultimately went with Sally’s because it just seemed like the reviews were slightly better.

The Final Lineup:
- Sally’s Apizza
- Modern Apizza
New Haven Apizza

Apizza (prounounced ah-BEETZ) is a pizza style distinct to New Haven. It is a source of well-deserved pride among the locals. Its roots go back to Italian immigrants from the late 19th/early 20th century. The term “apizza” is derived from the Neapolitan dialect.

Upon first glance, it will appear similar to New York Style. They are both thin and crispy. However typical New York Style pizza is baked in a gas-fired oven* around 500–600°F. New Haven Apizza is baked on a coal-fired oven at 600-700°F+. Apizza has more of a charred crust and is more dry and blistered. It is also often irregularly shaped.

*Interestingly, John’s of Bleecker Street, our favorite from NYC Day 1, is also baked in a coal-fired oven.

Sally’s Apizza Review: Pizza Crawl 2024 Stop #9 | 237 Wooster St, New Haven, CT 06511

This place is very popular and we were lucky to arrive shortly after they opened for the day and found a seat pretty quickly. The pizza was good, but I do not love the taste of char that was prevalent in the crust. Some people love the char – this is the place for them!

Sally’s Apizza

Modern Apizza Review: Pizza Crawl 2024 Stop #10 | 874 State St, New Haven, CT 06511

This pizza was AMAZING! It’s been Chris’s favorite pizza from the whole trip as of yet, and I also loved it. There’s nothing bad to say about it. It’s like pizza from Sally’s but without the heavy taste of char. We were not originally planning to come here, but destiny intervened when some New Haven locals heard about our trip and talked us into coming here instead of one of the other famous New Haven pizza places. We are so happy we came!

We were seated quickly, our waitress was great, and we just loved everything about it!

Modern Apizza

Final Verdict:

Chris: Sally’s Apizza 8.3 | Modern Apizza 9.1
Rosie: It was no question for me – Modern Apizza was far superior!

We didn’t make any reservations, but try to do it if you can!

When we headed to the train stop to head back to NYC, we noticed tons of people also heading there holding pizza boxes from Frank Pepe’s. Should we have stuck with our pattern of picking the original? Maybe next time, Frank.

BONUS PIZZA

When we got back to NYC, we found time and room in our bellies to try one more pizza place for the day.

Denino’s Greenwich Village Review: Pizza Crawl 2024 Stop #11 | 93 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

This has been my favorite pizza of the whole trip so far, which is saying a lot since I’ve had a lot of pizza the last few days!!
It’s obviously similar to many of the other NYC pizza places, but it’s done really well! I have zero complaints. I loved the crust, which additionally helps it stand out. It was greasy and packed with flavor and just super delicious!

Deninos pizza

Chris: Deninos 8.7
Rosie: FAVORITE PIZZA OF THE DAY! (Chris felt this was blasphemous as he preferred Modern Apizza, and I had to remind him that his ranking system is arbitrary and I eat as much pizza as he does….)

Overall a VERY STRONG DAY for pizza!

Next post: Tourism in New Haven, CT

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New York Hidden Gems: A Pizza-Centric First Day

August 31, 2025
I will kick off this post describing our first day in New York by telling you what we did NOT do.

Chris had never been to NYC, but I had. Literally a week or so after I first met Chris, I left for a trip to NYC with one of my college besties. I had only been on 3-4 dates with Chris at that point, but I already knew he was special and made sure to make mental notes of what to see with him in the future.

What We Skipped

Central Park

Sure, it’s iconic. But Chris and I hike all the time, and Central Park just doesn’t compare to some of the national and state parks we’ve experienced together. So we passed.

Empire State Building

When I went in 2012, we didn’t specifically make time to visit the Empire State Building, but I didn’t want to miss it. So while my bestie went to bed early, I headed to the top of what was then the 2nd tallest building in the USA (second only to the Sears Tower – now Willis Tower). While I loved the visit, we didn’t go in 2024 for two reasons:
- Price
  - Back in 2012, it cost me $25 to get to the 86th floor or $42 to get to the 102nd deck
  - Today it is $44 to get to the 86th floor or $79 to get to the 102nd deck
- Willis Tower
  - We just saw the Willis Tower, which is taller than the Empire State Building
View of the Chrysler Building from the Empire State Building

Broadway

That’s the last thing Chris wants to do, but I LOVED seeing Phantom of the Opera in 2012!

Phantom of the Opera was the longest running show on Broadway. It was spectacular! Ironically, I did NOT eat at the pizzeria in the background of this photo back in 2012.

Wall Street

You may have noticed from my Chicago post that I am a major financial nerd. But there’s only so much you can do as a tourist on Wall Street, and I already had a picture of myself cupping the balls of the Charging Bull
- While there in 2012, I was actually in between jobs. I was starting a new job based out of Wall Street as soon as I got home from this trip, and the trip was timed in such a way that I got to meet the HR at the headquarters to fill out paperwork in person instead of doing it over email. It was pretty cool to see an actual Wall Street office space! She mentioned her favorite part of sight seeing in NYC was walking the Brooklyn Bridge – I made a mental note to make sure to do this with Chris one day.
The Charging Bulls Testicles – you know you’re jealous! From 2012 trip

Isn’t he cute?

FAO Schwartz

The BIG piano! I was so enchanted by this scene from “Big” as a kid! But in real life, it seems much smaller, and it’s in a small room, and it’s mostly kids playing on it, making me feel out of place as an adult.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

I did love this back in 2012, but we skipped it since this trip was a gift to Chris, and he would have hated it.

What We DID Do

Catacombs by Candlelight at the OLD St. Patrick’s Cathedral

This was a pretty cool tour we did on Mulberry Street. We were planning to visit Paris a few months later, and part of our Paris itinerary was the Catacombs of Paris. I’ll talk about that in a future series. Anyways, I was expecting it to be a similar experience as what you could expect in Paris, but unfortunately, no bones. But the historical insight and eerie beauty still made it memorable. Our guide was a born-and-raised New Yorker and incredibly knowledgeable.

It’s still an active Cathedral, we completed our tour right before services would be starting.

Beautifully intricate ceiling

This was the old entrance to the Catacombs. They closed it off with plexiglass so you can still see the sunlight coming through.

Closest we got to seeing bones. You can’t go inside the crypt, but they keep a mirror in there so you can see.

Just a closeup of one of the epitaphs. Quietly haunting.

High Line

A coworker recommended this as a lesser-known gem. It’s a 1.45-mile elevated park built on a former railroad track. We were intrigued… but underwhelmed. It’s a nice stroll, but not particularly memorable. Worth a stop if it sounds like your thing, but it didn’t wow us.

Times Square/Rockefeller Center/St. Patrick’s Cathedral

You can’t visit NYC without a stop to the iconic Times Square and Rockefeller Center! Having already visited the OLD St. Patrick’s Cathedral, it was neat to see the new one. Very modern, very beautiful, and very conveniently located around everything else!

Times Square, baby!

St. Patrick’s Cathedral brightly lit up the night NYC sky

That’s all we had time for on the first day, but keep in mind that we had made time to eat at FOUR different pizza places. The bulk of our NYC sightseeing was scheduled for our last day in NYC.

It would have to wait another day – tomorrow we would be visiting New Haven, CT!

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A is for Australia

August 31, 2025

I’ve joined a blogging community that is “By Humans, For Humans” meaning no AI allowed. I’m proud to be part of it!

I will use this platform to detail my travel wishlist as opposed to documenting places I’ve already been.

Check out this post about Australia!

A is for Australia
Best Pizza in New York City: Cross-Country Pizza Crawl

August 28, 2025

With Chicago, we had to narrow down the top pizza contenders from 5 to 2, and with Detroit it was even less. New York City is a whole ‘nother story.

There’s a different pizza place on every corner!

The other complication came from the fact that there is SO MUCH to see and do!

So much pizza, so much to do, such limited time!

We did have 3 days in New York City, but one of those days would be spent in New Haven, CT.

There was really only one pizza restaurant on our MUST TRY list: John’s of Bleecker Street. Our strategy for selecting the remaining pizza restaurants ended up being to choose based on proximity to our sightseeing events.

On our first day in NYC we came out swinging with visits to FOUR different pizza places!

New York Pizza

Where I am from, my favorite style of pizza is Detroit style. Good New York style pizza is really hard to come by. It turns out that is not the case in New York City. They have it figured out! It’s been fine tuned over the years to perfection.

It’s an oversized pie with thin crust that is usually slightly crispy on the bottom with a chewy outer crust. You can often buy it by the slice. The slices are huge! A slice can be folded in half to make it easier to eat on the go while keeping it in one piece. The more grease the better!

John’s of Bleecker Street Review: Pizza Crawl 2024 Stop #5 | 278 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014

This is the place we’ve have been most excited to try. It was actually the idea of coming to this place that spawned the pizza crawl idea to begin with. I was pleasantly surprised that we didn’t have to wait long for a table, and the turnaround time for our pizza was fast. We shared a cheese pizza and it was delicious! It’s light, so I don’t feel sluggish. The vibe is exactly what you’d imagine for a downtown NYC pizza restaurant and I found it charming.

John’s of Bleecker Street Pizza did not disappoint!

Joe’s Pizza Review: Pizza Crawl 2024 Stop #6 | 7 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014

This was not a planned stop, but it was located between John’s (Stop #5) and the subway station we were headed to, and the line was not long, so we grabbed a slice! It is cash only, so be prepared. I didn’t know and had to scrounge for cash. We got pepperoni slices, which are very generously sized. It was delicious and just what I was hoping for! The thin crust makes it light so we aren’t sick from our two back-to-back pizza stops!

Joe’s Pizza

Lazzaras Pizza Cafe Review: Pizza Crawl 2024 Stop #7 | 221 W 38th St #2, New York, NY 10018

When we got there, the line was out the door, but we ended up only waiting maybe 15-20 minutes before we were seated, though we were seated in between two other couples and we were all packed in pretty tight! But we were among pizza lovers and it was great! The atmosphere is cozy and fun.

As for the pizza itself- okay hear me out- I actually really liked it, and it reminded me of Totinos pizza, like the frozen pizza. I love Totinos pizza, and it was definitely 1000 times better than Totinos, but the sauce tasted similar to me. Plus the thin crust. The sauce is on the sweet side, which in my opinion is a good thing. The pepperoni is in sticks, not circles. It’s definitely unique!
If I ever get the chance to return, I’d want to try the lasagna as it looked amazing!

Lazzara’s pizza was definitely the most unique of the day!

We were packed like sardines!

Carnegie Pizza: Pizza Crawl 2024 Stop #8 | 200 W 41st St, New York, NY 10036

This was not a planned stop, but it was located between Lazzara’s (Stop #7) and Time Square, and it had been recommended to us by the couple we sat next to at Lazzara’s. We got pepperoni slices, which are very generously sized, and my husband had mushrooms on his. It was super hot! The thin crust makes it light so we aren’t sick from our two back-to-back pizza stops!
There are tons of options, and they all looked so good! I wish I’d had the room in my stomach to try the upside down pizza!

Carnegie Pizza

Final Verdict:

Chris: John’s of Bleecker Street 8.9 | Joe’s 7.9 | Lazzara’s 8.2* | Carnegie Pizza 7.4
Rosie: All were delicious, but John’s of Bleecker Street and Joe’s were my favorites of the day.
*Chris ended up wishing he’d scored it lower, but he felt morally obligated to honor his initial impression.

John’s of Bleecker Street was the clear winner, proving the trip was worth it!

We never got around to making reservations, and again, we got lucky and didn’t have to wait to long anywhere we went. If you can, it’d probably be wise to try for reservations at John’s of Bleecker Street and Lazzara’s.

Next up: details of our first day in New York City!

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Detroit in One Day: Delays and Desperation

August 26, 2025

The obvious choice for site seeing in Detroit would be the various Ford-related museums and tours. I had pre-booked certain parts of this trip prior to presenting it to Chris, but not the Ford museums as I wasn’t sure which one Chris would want to see. With only one day, we couldn’t see them all.

Turns out Chris didn’t want to see any of them, which was quite baffling to me. He loves seeing car shows, and he loves Top Gear and The Grand Tour. I wasn’t devastated to skip it by any means, but I would have appreciated the historical aspect of it. I mean Henry Ford revolutionized American industry!

Without seeing Motor City’s main attraction, tourism was tricky.

Not that any of that mattered- our flight from Chicago to Detroit was delayed by six hours. We spent more time in the Chicago airport than I probably will the rest of my life!

It made us question our decision to fly from Chicago to Detroit to begin with. We considered taking a train or using a rental car. The pricing for the three options was close, with flights being the most expensive. But the major advantage to flying was that it saves 3-4 hours over the train or driving. With already limited time, flying was the best option.

We had pre-booked a rental car to pick up at the Detroit airport. We picked a rental car in Detroit for the same reasons we drove a rental car around Chicago.

With the six hour delay on our flight, we may as well have taken a train and saved a few bucks! It would have been much less miserable than waiting around indefinitely at the airport! What was originally going to be a half-hour delay kept getting longer and longer. Anyone who was flying through Detroit as a layover caught different flights. We attempted getting alternate transportation but were ultimately unsuccessful.

Getting Around:

When we finally landed in Detroit, we went to pick up our rental car. The rental car agencies are not conveniently located within walking distance like some other airports and we had to take the airport shuttle to get there. We were very disappointed to find the line going out the door! We had already been delayed six hours. We had already paid for the rental though. So as we were in line, I was calling Priceline to cancel the rental car and get a refund. It took about 45 minutes, and by the time we were done, we’d barely made any progress in the line.

So at this point, it’s already late afternoon. It’s a good thing we hadn’t booked a tour for any of the Ford Museums as we would have missed it. We took an Uber from the car rental agency to Shield’s, and from there we walked to the Detroit Main Library.

Sight-Seeing:

Detroit Main Library

It is the biggest library in Detroit and has some beautiful murals on the second floor. But those beautiful murals were inaccessible. I never quite understood why… the second floor had been closed since even before the Covid lockdowns. I guess maybe the elevator was broken or something? Isn’t that what stairs are for??

I tried to peer up the stairs as far as my neck could crane, but could see nothing. I hear it is open now if anyone is in the area, tell me in the comments what you think!

Burton Historical Collection

So we tried to see the Burton Historical Collection which is on the other side of the library. But they had just barely closed when we got there. Google reviews showed pictures of the beautiful murals, and after the disastrous morning we’d had, I was determined to see it! I hunted down a library patron, who very kindly hunted down someone with keys to the collection. I mean, they’d only closed a few minutes ago!

They got their keys and confusedly let us in for a few minutes.

There were definitely lots of books! Mostly historical documents and family journals that have been collected over time from what I understand. People go there to conduct research. Some documents are open to the public, many are not.

No murals. I had spoken with passion and zeal for books and learning and after the hassle I had caused, I had to pretend to be amazed! I do have a genuine passion for reading and learning, but I really wanted to see the murals.

After the hassle I caused getting in, I had Chris take my picture to sell the passion in front of the kind library patron…

Where We Stayed:

That was it for site seeing. We’d already had a really late lunch, and now we were taking an Uber to Buddy’s for an early dinner, and then off to our hotel near the airport – the Comfort Inn.

Original Plan:

If our day had worked as planned, we would have driven in our rental car from place to place. We would have stopped at either the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation or the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum because why not? Since we arrived so late and it wasn’t exactly a bucket list item for either of us, it was the first to get cut. After lunch at Shield’s we would have seen the Detroit Main Library and then headed over to the Financial District, specifically the Guardian Building and the Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

From there we’d get dinner at Buddy’s. We maybe would have had a second dinner at the Detroit Style Pizza Co. Pizzeria, but a third pizza meal wasn’t an ironclad plan as St. Clair Shores is further away from everything else we were doing. Since we were relying on Ubers and each drive starts to add up, we cut a lot out.

Detroit was sad to me overall. I am sure it was once a thriving place and it’s clear to see that time has not been kind.

Next up: New York!

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Best Pizza in Detroit: Cross-Country Pizza Crawl

August 22, 2025
Our day in Detroit did not start as planned… I’ll detail it in the next post. This post is about the pizza!

The Pizza Lineup:
- Buddy’s
- Shield’s
There were not as many top contenders to select from as there were in Chicago. The clear winner from our research was Buddy’s, so it was the first on the list. Second choice was Shield’s. Just like in Chicago, they both claim to be the original. I won’t be able to settle that debate, but our research indicated that Shield’s was probably first, despite Buddy’s being the clear crowd favorite.

We were originally planning to make a stop at a 3rd Detroit restaurant called Detroit Style Pizza Co. Pizzeria to add some variety, but it was the furthest away and the first to get cut when we ran into timing problems.

Detroit-Style Pizza

Detroit-style pizza is closer to what I always thought Chicago Deep Dish would be. It’s baked in a square or rectangular pan with deep and crispy crust. The tomato sauce is applied on top of the cheese and toppings in lines. The best part is the cheese, which is applied liberally all the way to the edge, resulting in a deliciously caramelized crispy cheese crust. It’s nothing short of amazing. I was pretty excited to give it a try in its birthplace!

Shield’s Review: Pizza Crawl Stop #3 | 5057 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202

Shields is the birthplace of Detroit style pizza. This location is not the first however.

This is the style of pizza I have been most excited for on our trip, and it did not disappoint! The cheese crust is so good! There is not a lot of sauce, and it is too sweet to boot, but the overall pizza is amazing!

Shield’s Pizza

Chris as excited as a kid at Christmas!

Buddy’s Review: Pizza Crawl Stop #4 | 17125 Conant, Detroit, MI 48212

This is one of the pizza places I have been most excited to try as I love Detroit style pizza. There is not a lot of sauce, but the sauce that is there is good. I did not love the Parmesan in the crust. Overall it was very good!
Vibe is what you’d expect of a pizza parlor and the service is decent!

Buddy’s Pizza

Cute settings at Buddy’s

Final Verdict:

Chris: Shields 6.7 | Buddy’s 7.6
Rosie: Both were delicious! I preferred the crust from Shields, but the sauce at Buddy’s was better.

Like in Chicago, we didn’t make reservations ahead of time and we had no trouble being seated.

Keep reading for our tourism misadventures in Detroit!

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Chicago in One Day: Sight-Seeing Between Slices

August 20, 2025
Chicago is a great place to spend a day or two! Remember that the whole purpose of this trip was to try the best pizzas in the country, so tourism was a lesser priority. Even so, we really enjoyed our time there!

Where We Stayed:

With such a limited amount of time, we prioritized convenience over luxury when it comes to sleeping. We stayed at the Best Western near the O’Hare Airport. No complaints!

Getting Around:

As for inner city travel, we opted for a rental car. The factors that led to this decision were money, convenience, and safety. Our other choices were using Uber or the “L” Train (elevated subway).
- Money– with all the stops we were planning to make, using Ubers would start to add up, making a rental car or Ubers about the same. The “L” Train would have been our cheapest option at $2.50 per ride.
- Convenience– it doesn’t get much more convenient than driving yourself around! Even picking up/dropping off the car at the airport was pretty slick. Ubers are also pretty convenient, but it involves less independence. As for the “L” Train, navigating a new subway system in other cities can be intimidating. We didn’t want to get lost or waste too much of our already limited time figuring it out.
- Safety– driving ourselves around seemed to be the safest choice. I’m sure we would have been fine using public transportation, but we’re from a small town and didn’t want to worry.
We were worried about difficulty finding parking, but we didn’t have any trouble. Maybe we got lucky.

Sight-Seeing:

Willis Tower Skydeck + The Ledge

Our first stop after eating lunch was the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower). We had booked tickets to the Skydeck and the Ledge ahead of time, so we had timed tickets. We did not pay for an expedited entry, but the wait was not bad. We went up and walked around and enjoyed the view of the city and then got in line for the Ledge: plexiglass extending out of the building you can stand on to feel like you are in the air. Pretty nerve wracking, especially for the nation’s 3rd tallest building! But it was fun, and we got some cool pictures.

Stepping on the Ledge at Willis Tower!

Our love defies gravity at the Willis Tower 🙂

Even without the Ledge experience, the building felt like it was swaying, which is definitely an unsettling feeling. Maybe don’t take anyone afraid of heights.

Chicago Cityscape

Chicago Federal Reserve Fed Money Museum

As a banker, I was excited to see the Chicago Federal Reserve Building. I have a coworker who had been to the building for a training a few years prior, and he said it was a really cool building. So I was disappointed to find out they do not allow tours. They do, however, have a free Fed Money Museum. It was pretty small, but interesting enough. Swing by if you’re in the area.

Financial geek

Architecture in the Financial District:

Chicago also has some pretty neat architecture. Just walking around the financial district is pretty cool. All the places we visited were within walking distance of each other.

The Rookery: It has a lovely interior and some pretty cool stairs (but you are not allowed to climb them).

The Old Post Office: I was excited to see this. Reviews make it sound like it’s really amazing, so I think I was expecting it to be more than it was. The exterior looks like… wait for it…. An old post office. The inside is completely different and very modern. It’s a really nice space, and we sat and just kinda tried to take in our surroundings. Special events can be held there, and that’s exactly what it would be great for. People also take their laptop to work from home away from home.

Missed Opportunities:

My native Chicagoan colleague had said to come on St. Patrick’s Day (our anniversary is mid-March). They have a parade and dye the river green. I tried really hard to make it work, but it would have put us there on a weekend and the flights would have been more expensive and it just would have thrown off the whole trip. I’m sure it’s a lot of fun!

Me and my anniversary love in Chicago

The other thing I was bummed to miss was the Art Institute of Chicago. Any Ferris Bueller fans out there know the painting I’m talking about: I really wanted to see “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat, but the museum is not open on Tuesdays. I tried really hard to make it work! But I ran into the same problems I did for the green river. Plus this trip was a gift to Chris and he would have hated it.

Spoiler alert: I came back about seven months later on a work trip by myself and got to see it without worrying about Chris being bored.

And just like that, our day in Chicago was over! We packed a LOT into a half day and we were excited to continue our Pizza Crawl! Stay tuned for Detroit!

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Best Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago: Cross-Country Pizza Crawl

August 18, 2025
Chicago was our first stop! We flew three hours to taste authentic deep-dish pizza directly from the source!

Chris had spent the last few months researching and deliberating which pizza places to try. I also had a work colleague from Chicago giving me his insights as a native Chicagoan.

The Top Contenders:
- Pizzeria Uno
- Giordano’s
- Lou Malnati’s
- Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company
- Pequod’s
We would only be in Chicago for ONE DAY, so we had to narrow it down to 2 places. How to choose?

We decided Pizzeria Uno’s was a must – not the highest-rated, but many consider it the birthplace of Chicago Deep Dish. Though all Chicago Deep Dish restaurants claim to be the original, research indicated that Pizzeria Uno was the real deal – hence the name. As the likely first, it must be tried as a point of reference.

We ruled out Pequod’s early on based on reviews (though when comparing the top-tier Chicago pizza places, the competition is fierce).

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company fell off the list next. It’s famous for their pot-pie-style pizza, which veers a bit from the traditional deep dish we were there to try. We figured it was best to stick with purity for the sake of the experiment. Though I am told it is top notch!

So now it’s down to Giordano’s or Lou Malnati’s. Based on reviews and research conducted in multiple ways, it was sixes – we may as well be flipping a coin from what we could tell. Seemed like we’d have a similar experience either way.

It turns out my Chicago colleague has an in with Lou Malnati’s, and they can ship out frozen pizzas anywhere in the US. He shipped us TWO to try! We were able to try the cheese and the sausage varieties. This left Giordano’s as our second pick.

The Final Lineup:
- Pizzeria Uno’s
- Giordano’s
We stopped by Pizzeria Uno near the airport first, then wrapped up our day with Giordano’s for dinner after sightseeing.

Chicago Deep Dish

Now I will be honest- Chicago Deep Dish, it turns out, is not our jam. I always assumed “deep dish” meant like a really thick crust- but it’s more of a pie crust. I am oversimplifying this, but imagine a Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie that is filled with tomato sauce and cheese instead of pumpkin. A lot of people LOVE it, just not us. I knew this going in, so I was expecting to be very disappointed and ended up pleasantly surprised.

Pizzeria Uno’s Review: Pizza Crawl Stop #1 | 4200 N River Rd, Schiller Park, IL 60176

Pizzeria Uno is the (likely) birthplace of Chicago style pizza.
Tomato sauce was spectacular and there’s tons of cheese. The pizza came HOT in a pan and it was delicious! I don’t love the thin crispy pie crust, but that is Chicago style for you. Overall, it was better than I expected and it’s easy to see why this place has been around so long and spawned a whole style of pizza!
Service and ambience was great as well!

First stop of the trip at Uno’s

Giordano’s Review: Pizza Crawl Stop #2 | 730 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611

Tomato sauce was spot on, and there was PLENTY of cheese. Back home I have to ask for extra cheese on most pizzas, but no need to do that here! There’s already more than enough, and that is a good thing! The pizza is THICK, and so there’s a lot of layers to bake. I was afraid the pizza would either be too cold or too hot. But it was just right; the cheese was completely melted through and I could take the first bite without scalding myself.
The pizza was clearly made with top notch ingredients and baked with love. Excellent service and lovely ambience!

Giordano’s had a really fun vibe

Aren’t we adorable?

Final Verdict:

Chris: Pizzeria Uno 7.6 | Giordano’s 7.8
Rosie: also preferred Giordano’s slightly more

* A note about Chris’s scoring system… it seems pretty arbitrary to me, though he will try to make you believe his method is complex and expertly calculated.

We didn’t end up making reservations at any of the restaurants we visited, but try for a reservation at Giordano’s if you are worried.

If we ever end up in Chicago together again, we will not likely get Deep Dish pizza- but Chicago is home to another pizza style- Tavern pizza. Maybe we’ll try it one day! We didn’t have time for it this time, but I hear Chicago hot dogs are pretty spectacular as well.

My brother just got back from his own trip to Chicago and sent me this picture of what he said was the “most legendary” hot dog he’s ever had!

In my next post I’ll detail our tourism stops- Chicago in one very fast-paced and action-packed day!

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How a Pizza Box Almost Sent Me to the ER

August 17, 2025

I have a terrible track record when it comes to keeping a gift a surprise. If I’m excited about it, odds are high I’ll blab.

But I was determined to keep this trip a secret. Chris’s birthday is a few days before Christmas, and our anniversary is in March. I planned to tell him about our anniversary trip on his birthday.

But how to contain the excitement I felt?? I ended up telling Chris’s sisters about it at a family get together and they validated my excitement with comments like “wow you must really love him!”

Once the plan was in motion, I booked the flights, a train ticket from NYC to New Haven, CT, and hotels. I researched all the top pizza restaurants in each city we’d be visiting and compiled a list. I looked into the best tourism spots and booked some things to do.

I packaged all the paperwork together including a suggested itinerary and had to figure out the best way to present it.

In mid-November after the kids were in bed and Chris was getting ready for bed, I started wrapping his gift alone in the kitchen. I found a used pizza box and set about putting it all together. I cleaned the grease off the box as best I could and set the paperwork in a folder inside the box. I cut a piece of wrapping paper and found that the box ventilation tabs were in the way of a clean wrapping. I pulled out the box cutters and set about cutting off the tabs…. and sliced my thumb instead.

I call over to Chris that I need stitches. It was well after 10:00 PM. I called my mom and asked her to head over and be with the kids so Chris could take me to the ER for stitches. It was the deepest gash I’ve ever had, and I was bummed to lose my lifelong streak of never needing stitches.

I let Chris know that my mom is on the way and we need to head to the ER, but DON’T LOOK AT THE KITCHEN TABLE!!!

Chris was very sweet and very gentle. I had wrapped my thumb in a paper towel. He asked to look at it. I held my thumb over the kitchen sink and looked away while he gently pulled off the paper towel and started rinsing my thumb. He spoke in the gentlest manner saying things like “we can fix this here” and “this isn’t as bad as you think.”

With the skill of a man who clearly had too many brushes with death growing up, he cleaned the gash and glued the skin back together and bandaged it neatly like a pro. After I called my mom to turn around and go back home, he gently chided me for making too big of a deal.

I guess what they say is true. Maybe women can work through a cold like champs, but panic ensues with a small cut.

I do have a gnarly scar though.

After all this commotion, the pizza box laid undisturbed and the secret was still safe.

Until Thanksgiving no more than a couple weeks later. We had Thanksgiving with Chris’s family and enjoyed a nice day full of delicious food. Later that night at home, we were eating leftover turkey in our kitchen when Chris nonchalantly remarks “you know, I hear New Haven, Connecticut has really good pizza. If we ever do like a pizza trip, we’ll need to make sure to include it.”

Whut? Was he being for real? That is such a random and SPECIFIC thing to say… did he know? Was he toying with me??

I got to thinking… I’m no good at keeping surprises. I have to keep this one. But does he already know? What if he doesn’t know, but by the time he finds out, he’ll think I only thought to include New Haven because of his comment? We can’t have that, I need the credit for the detailed research and thoughtfulness! (I know, I’m not winning any maturity awards any time soon.)

So that was it. I had to tell him. So I pull out the box (my thumb was still healing…) and I have him open it.

I am to this day annoyed at his lack of reaction. There was no shouting for joy and jumping up and down. I do know him well enough to know that he was genuinely thrilled about the upcoming trip – but a bigger reaction couldn’t have killed him.

So now he knows, and he is wondering why I didn’t keep it a secret? I only had another month before his birthday. I said he was toying with me! He had to have already known about it.

Chris: “How would I have known?”

Rosie: “I figured maybe one of your sisters told you about it.”

Chris scoffs: “When would I have talked to them?”

Rosie, clearly annoyed: “Ummmm…. TODAY??!? When we spent all Thanksgiving day with them??!?”

MEN!

So after all the trouble, the secret was out. I went over the suggested itinerary with him and showed him my preliminary research on best pizza joints and gave him the ultimate responsibility of determining which pizza places to pick, and whether or not we needed advance reservations. I also put him in charge of determining the best and most cost-effective way to get around each city.

So with that, Chris commenced on his happy research. He had a little less than 4 months to make the decisions of utmost importance… which pizza places to prioritize??