I know several people who are over 60 who have had it that had No fever. No headache. No respiratory. Just aches pains very tired then diarrhea at the end and a bit dehydrated. Their doctors told them those can be alternative typical symptoms. So that scares me that temperatures are demanded sometimes because if the above is true then taking a temperature does not really matter :( I loved the road trip. Nice to be able to travel via you :) Enjoyed all the food the things brought and the helping Connor. And I would have done the same got my two the donut! It looks amazing. Very glad you bought yourself some champagne. Well deserved. Loved this :) hugs
Your son learning to make hot pockets is maybe the cutest thing I’ve ever seen😭. I also love in a small town and have sourcing ingredients, so I love visiting grocery stores when traveling too!
You made me realize how much I take for granted where I live and how easy I have access to all the special things! Thank you for making me have some gratitude for where I live!
Jen, thanks for taking us along to Chicago. I was an RN for 44 years mostly in direct patient care. It’s so interesting to me to see you in this aspect of nursing. So necessary for quality. I just broke my hip 3 weeks ago so I’m always happy to see another “Jen” video 💓💓💓Take good care of yourself. Glad you could help Connor in the kitchen😊 Oh yes. My husband and I are fully vaccinated and thankful
Fun Blog. I went to college in a small town it was so hard to find ingredients I'm old, we couldn't order food online then. All my friends would return with suitcases full of unusual things from home. It was so much fun trying everything.
Years ago my brother was studying in Finland where they had only a very grainy chalky peanut butter. We would send cases of Skippy to him and thought it was so nice of him to give it to the people he met there. Later we were informed that he used it instead of money when he played poker. His losings were supplying all his friends with smooth creamy peanut butter!
re: the breakfast buffets. we stayed at a drury inn last september (not sure if you have stayed at that chain before, but it's our fave any time we pass through the midwest, so maybe!). they have the most delicious breakfast buffets, and i was worried it would be canceled. but their solution was to just have it staffed. so instead of serving yourself, a staff member (behind plexiglass) served it to you on your plate. it worked out very well! i wish more hotels with hot breakfasts would go that route instead of just scrapping the breakfast altogether.
I bought that same pill container a few years ago when I was having trouble remembering my new pill regimen. I thought it would be great for travel and it is! I bought one for my husband too and we use both sides and just make it a two week container. Now we can store all the big bottles out of sight and just keep the two small containers on the counter. We’re fully Vax’d as of last week and Chicago is actually our first trip in a few months! My sister in law is due with her first baby in a few weeks so we’ll be headed there to visit my husbands family. His mom is there for a few months too and she’ll be so happy to see him, the pandemic hit her hard mentally so seeing all the kids, being vax’d and a new baby are all great mental lifts for her!
As you know, I love our “girl talks” (reminds me of way back in the day in the dorm at college)❣️. And the quick pics of Chicago were delightful for me, I’ve pretty much been all over the world, yet never have visited Chicago).
We did get our vaccine and the second one was brutal. I haven’t had the flu or symptoms in 15 years! Glad that is over😕. In the DFW area most are still wearing the mask and I’m thankful. I went from working at the hospital to an Oncology clinic. So, I feel like it’s still Important to be mindful and considerate of people you are around. You just never know what people are going through. Love the visit to Chicago
I’ve had breakfast in hotels in Dubai. They just don’t allow self service but the hotel staff serves you off the buffet from behind a screen. When I was in Abu Dhabi they just let you choose whatever you want from the menu and served it to your table. And maintained sufficient distance. No issues. When I stay in a hotel I want breakfast! Edited to add: Have been vaccinated fully since February as the country rolled out a free vaccination prgram for all citizens and residents as soon as vaccines were approved.
My husband and I are fully vaccinated and my 17 year old just got their first dose! We have to travel to Denver in a couple of weeks to shop for a house and I am stressed out about being on an airplane, but at least being vaccinated takes a little of that stress off of me.
I traveled from NJ to Florida this past New Years. It was definitely an experience. Everyone had to wear a mask unless you were eating in the airport or on the plane. However you’re literally shoulder to shoulder on the plan and some areas of airport... 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
I agree I've been to a few of them with really robust take away meals or full on delivery of breakfast, but for a lot of hotels they don't have the staff to support that and service breakfast.
Girl I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels the same way about baths. Even if it’s squeaky clean, I always say it’s a tub of foot jam I just can’t do it lol 😂
I stay at home with my kids, homeschool, and my husband is a pilot so he's gone about 60% of a month. All that to say is the other day I told him I could use a few nights in a hotel by myself. 🤣 To bring all the pampering stuff is an excellent idea!
Getting tired from the car - it's not just sitting in the car, it's the amount of concentration and focus! I recently realized that too after taking a 4 hour drive (from not driving at all).. So. Much. Focus. LOL
My grandmother suggested we plan to do this with my auntie... right before Covid hit 😔 Everybody's safe and healthy thank goodness, but I've been dreaming of it for over a year. We're all sewers so we were going to go to the garment district and go wild, plus Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum 💞 Hopefully we'll all be vaccinated and healthy by my birthday in September 🤞
The restaurant tents/igloos are pretty standard in Michigan. They don’t take our temps but we do have to give our number for contact tracing. Also since you asked, I’m fully vaccinated, Baybeee!
Hi Jen, I’m fully vaccinated and just got home to Southern California from visiting family in Virginia. Flew into Charlotte then to Greensboro. Flights there and back completely full. No social distancing on planes or in airports. Too many people traveling again for that. I was surprised. I had to travel, as my dad passed away, otherwise I would avoid it on planes anyways. Conner is so cute!!! Your pizza looked soooo good! 🍕
I’m a nurse so I’ve been fully vaccinated since mid January. No one else close to me was vaccinated though so it was like I wasn’t either, if that makes sense. Now that my partner is vaccinated we’ve finally started venturing out in the world and it feels great! We live in Seattle and people are VERY Covid compliant.
That bagel looked amazing! I haven’t been to Chicago in years. It’s fun to shop for clothing, food, etc. because their variety and amount of sale items are amazing.
Love this! I live about 30 minutes outside of downtown Chicago. Yes, the streets are closed down so restaurants can expand and seat people far apart! Chicago stores and restaurants suffered tremendously when everything got shut down. The fancy Michelin star restaurants really weren't equipped for providind a takeout style experience, so they pivoted and created full family style takeout meals with fancy sauces and paired cocktails/wines with a set menu. The microbreweries had tons of kegs going bad so they ended up selling full kegs lol. One of the big fancy seafood restaurants had like hundreds of lbs of fresh shellfish it had to figure out how to give away, so they made crab boil bags for takeout!
I've driven cross-country 3 times (leaving for my 4th and hopefully last drive in a couple hours) in the past year to spend extended amounts of time in my hometown with my parents while I was working from home/unemployed and I've stayed at all Marriott (mainly Fairfield) hotels. I'm not much of a breakfast eater, so the lack of breakfast options at the hotels haven't been too bad for me, I know they're just trying to limit the crowds. I have noticed some of the Marriotts have the setup like you mentioned with baskets of things and some have pre-packaged boxes with a yogurt, piece of fruit, and a muffin, but some have just gotten rid of breakfast completely. I mainly stop in smaller areas and stay away from the densely populated cities, I get takeout and eat in my car or in a park if the weather is nice. Looking forward to getting my vaccine as soon as I get back home!
I'm a Whole Foods junkie too. I live in central IL, so whenever we go up north I always have to stop there and at Trader Joe's. Looks like you had a nice trip. Chicago is always a fun time!
My husband and I are both fully vaccinated and 2 weeks post 2nd vaccine so full immunity right now. We will eat dinner out for the first time in over a year this Friday!!!
I usually stop at the Naperville Whole Foods when I visit my parents who live in the middle of nowhere Illinois. The Willowbrook Whole Foods looks amazing.
@@laurastr1 I miss the Whole Foods' hot & salad bar. I'm slowly getting back I had their sushi and bake goods last weekend. Yes, I miss my co-workers and work lunches as well.
We LOVE Quartino! The polenta fries are a fav too. Fun fact: a quartino is a quarter liter of wine, a little more than a glass. They sell wine by the quartinos at the restaurant.
Some great Chicago coffee places to try: Big Shoulders, Dark Matter, Dollop. Glad you enjoyed Chicago during your work trip! I’ll be fully vaxxed by Memorial Day and am looking forward to seeing family again!
I live in South Florida in the Fort Lauderdale area. We’ve only done takeout, but I’ve never heard of temp checks in restaurants. My husband and I are fully vaccinated and my 2 teenagers are getting their second shot later this week. I preordered your cookbook and can’t wait to get it Tuesday.
Loved this video. U r awesome. A lot of useful info about traveling. We haven’t been in a restaurant for almost a year. My husband and I are fully vaccinated. Waiting a little more before going in a restaurant.
Definitely getting vaccinated - in the summer when it’s my turn. Here in Denmark we have to wait for our age group to come up, unless we are at risk. It’s fine but it’s a long wait. Thanks for taking me to Chicago - it was nice to get out for a bit 🥳
Love Whole Foods. They always get my delivery order perfect. I just got a delivery the other day, and it was perfect as always. Expensive, but perfect.
Fully vaccinated. Can't wait to travel again. This is not how I pictured retirement. LOL. Really enjoy your videos. Love going along on your trip. Hope you take us again on your next trip. Like you, I love groceries. Just discovered a new store where I live here in Florida, Sprouts. Had no idea we had one in my area of Florida. Really nice. Wegman's in Northeast is my absolute favorite store of all.
Hi Jen. I'm from Chicago and I absolutely loved this video. I know you were here for work but hope you enjoyed your time as well. The Chicagoland area is so diverse and thats what I love about it. So happy you visited! Btw, I love your videos and how real and friendly you are.
My husband and I are fully vaccinated. Our 17 year old gets her second shot tomorrow. We left the decision up to her. We are huge travelers and we're ready to get back at it. Fun vlog. I've never been to Chicago.
I love your shopping videos. You are a wonderful person that i don't know personally but it feel like i know you. I love it when we travel with you LOL!!
I got the J&J vaccine just before they stopped it. My husband has his first of two shots. We are flying and moving 3,000 miles in June, I'm glad we're vaccinated!
Hi Jen, I live in Chicago. Glad you enjoyed your trip. The streets were closed down to help the restaurants expand their outdoor dining. Some of the suburban downtowns did the same.
We did little bit of road trip travel last summer and the only hotel that had hot breakfast was in a small coaling mining town deep in the mountains of VA. Instead of self serve they had a server plate whatever you asked for. Then you had to take the food back to your room and eat. All the hotels we stayed in were not busy so I don't know why more hotels could've done something similar.
Hi Jenn. I’m in New Jersey and I just got my 2nd vaccine a week ago so I’m fully vaccinated. My daughter(31) is also fully vaccinated. She’s considered a healthcare worker because she works with disabled adults. My son (27) is also fully vaccinated. He’s type 1 diabetic so it was really important to get him vaccinated. Here in New Jersey most people are compliant with wearing masks and most places take your temperature before you enter. Even some nail salons. Definitely restaurants and doctors offices their taking your temperature before you enter.
Fully vaccinated!! The restaurants are like that also here in New Jersey and of course NY. I have Whole Foods about 20 minutes from me. Liked the haul you did.
I have those ziplock bags that are reusable. I got them at Costco. I gave them as stocking stuffers last Christmas. My whole family is fully vaccinated. Proud of that. I told Steve I want to go out for lunch for Mother’s Day but there are only take out and diners around here. Some of them have outdoor seating. I will most likely have to work that day and I’ll have to be there at 2 so we will go out the next day. I’m going to Whole Foods today too. First Trader Joe’s and then Whole Foods. Yeah! I also live in the middle of nowhere but the store I work in does have mascarpone cheese, only one brand though. I think our store is pretty good, although I’ve heard ppl complain about it. They sell Rao’s frozen entrees in my store. They are much smaller than expected. I thought they were ok.
I loved this vlog. I haven’t traveled solo in a while and Chicago is definitely on my list of places to go. The rose Veuve is the first one I’ve ever tried and it’s soo soo good. I’ve had the yellow label but not the demi sac. I recently learned that Trader Joe’s carries Veuve at a great price; something like $10 less than every place else.
Thank you for the video so happy to see a happy face. I love to cook but I miss going out to eat. Had been about 1 1/2 years now. Well for me anyway... I love the video from Connor. So sweet. My son did that to me a couple days ago. I love it because he wants to be an adult but still needs his mom...every now and then.
I love the travel videos… So I’m looking forward to seeing more. Also I am 57 years old… I will be 58 May 6… I plan on getting my vaccine next week. Also… Thanks for sharing the medication organizer… I am legally blind and when I travel and have to take my medication’s with me it will be very helpful. I take different pills several times a day. This was a great view video
Girl, I totally agree about the whole “no food” situation. It’s like they just do whatever makes it seem like they’re “complying with covid standards”, but really, it’s completely irrelevant.
What a fun mini trip. We live in the Chicago burbs. Our son graduated from Loyola Chicago, currently lives in Lincoln Park and is moving to River North. Our favorite restaurant,,Bavette's is there. Our daughter went to grad school at DePaul, lived in Lincoln Park and recently moved to Dallas, TX for her career. We love our trips to the city. We have Whole Foods very close to us. Our favorite one is in Naperville. So fun to see this vlog. You were so calm driving in the city. I'm still terrified, but traffic isn't what it normally is right now. Thanks for sharing your adventures!
Thanks Jen. Yes! I’m excited for more travel videos. The closest thing to travel I did was go to meetings on the other side of campus! Watching your travel/work vlogs allows me to see what I’ve been missing! Yes, I am fully vaccinated. We Americans are blessed with great health care and access to the medicines we need. I will be ordering your book on May 1st. Alas, I’ve already spent my mad money for this month. Cheers!
My husband and I are fully vaccinated but I’m pregnant and we have a 2 kids at home so we are still playing it pretty safe. We go shopping but still haven’t made it to a restaurant
I donate blood every 5 weeks (or whatever the minimum waiting time is) and they check for antibodies every time, since I got Covid late last fall it;s been positive every time. I'm going to wait to get vaccinated until it comes up negative. I'm totally fine with vaccines, but this one was done so fast and with some of the reactions (though rare) makes me hesitant. I figure it gives more time for vaccine reactions to get sorted out, but I'm still decently naturally protected from getting sick last fall.
I loved this vlog. Highlights: you giving instructions on how to heat up a hot pocket via video all and the random Whole Foods just bauce it was possible. It reminds me from my own work trip life (still quite far away fro us here in Europe) One of my bucket list items is to go to Costco and Wallmart one day :D I've visited New York four times for work and those have been so internsive that there has not been a chance to do literally Anything. BUT the one thing I made sure to do everytime was to go to Whole Foods. I bought my very first kombucha from there and last time I saw Lärabars and felt like a real suburban mom getting thibgs to her kids lunches (lol, the pov of a suburbam mom when you are infact child free millennial from Finland).
I like getting my produce and meat at Whole Foods. My teenage son and I volunteer on Sunday's at a food pantry stocking the shelves and refrigerators. Sunday is Whole Foods pick up day. We see some interesting things come in that's for sure. Thanks for sharing your haul. I will have to check out some of those items next time.
If you are ever in Texas you have to visit Central Market by H‑E‑B. Amazing! One of the stores in Austin has a cheese section with around 600 varieties. Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston
Thanks for sharing your trip! I’m excited to go to Chicago in August for a conference! And I’m jealous of anyone that can get Thrive or Grove or Imperfect shipped! ☺️ In Alaska, we can get Amazon and it usually takes 7-10 days. But AK does attempt to make it up to us with wild blueberries and all the salmon we care to eat. During the sockeye run, because we’re Alaska residents, we can and do go to the Kenai River and literally put nets in the water (from shore or a boat) and pull red salmon out. Your limit is 35 for head of house and 25 each additional family member. We have 4 kids, so that’s definitely enough to fill the freezer, provided we can hit the run right. Have a good week!
I wouldn't know what to do if I had to travel alone to a large city. I'd be petrified. I'd be lost and petrified. Ok, I'd be lost, petrified and a bawling mess.
Ive traveled so much for work, truly it can be daunting but honestly SO freeing!! You would be ok, I totally recommend if you ever have the chance to do it, try it!
By the way, loved the travel blog! Still restrictions on traveling over here, I am waiting for the vaccine. So this was me living vicariously through you 😂😂
We have the same set up in Scotland.. outside and inside dining will be allowed from tomorrow when restrictions are lifted. No alcohol inside only beer gardens can serve alcohol.. booking in advanced for alot of places and masks. Street have lots of tented areas for outside dining. This was our second lockdown.. all kids have just gone back to schools last week. I have had my first Jag. Really liked this vlog. Have a good week. X
Welcome to Chicago! The tents were set up and streets blocked so our restaurants could continue to serve during the pandemic when outside dining only was allowed and they kept them up mostly likely until the mask mandate has ended. I'm a Veuve girl too!!!!!! You were at one of my favorite Whole Foods in Willowbrook!!!!! It's like a celebrity was here!!!!
I understand how you feel about stores. Whenever I would see you guys shopping at Aldi I would try to plan a trip to go. But finally last year here in Phoenix we got our first two Aldi’s.
Enjoyed the video! 💝I'm fully vaccinated! You were in a nice part of the city, Beautiful scenery!🏙️ That pizza 🍕 looks Yummy!😋 Thanks for taking us along for your work trip!🚗
Loved this video.....I don't do much traveling but enjoyed your trip....I am also happy to know that other people just like to go to different grocery store ....every trip I take I plan specialty grocery store stops
Loved the travel vlog... we live in central Illinois and am about 4 hours from Chicago. Loved all the video. Makes me want to do a weekend trip! Thank You Jen for all you do. 🙂
Wow thats crazy that Whole Foods is so far! I can't imagine driving 3 hours. I live in California, just outside of LA, close to Pasadena and there's Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Aldi, basically any market within 10 minutes
I love travel vlogs! I have never traveled alone. I’m missing out. We just got our second doses so we are excited to get back out there. First on the list, hotel away from the kiddos, now that us and grandma are all vaccinated!
Facetiming with Conner(Connor) to cook the hot pocket was adorable! Thanks for shRing your trip with us!
I know several people who are over 60 who have had it that had No fever. No headache. No respiratory. Just aches pains very tired then diarrhea at the end and a bit dehydrated. Their doctors told them those can be alternative typical symptoms. So that scares me that temperatures are demanded sometimes because if the above is true then taking a temperature does not really matter :(
I loved the road trip. Nice to be able to travel via you :) Enjoyed all the food the things brought and the helping Connor. And I would have done the same got my two the donut! It looks amazing. Very glad you bought yourself some champagne. Well deserved. Loved this :) hugs
Your son learning to make hot pockets is maybe the cutest thing I’ve ever seen😭. I also love in a small town and have sourcing ingredients, so I love visiting grocery stores when traveling too!
You made me realize how much I take for granted where I live and how easy I have access to all the special things! Thank you for making me have some gratitude for where I live!
Glad it was helpful!
Jen, thanks for taking us along to Chicago. I was an RN for 44 years mostly in direct patient care. It’s so interesting to me to see you in this aspect of nursing. So necessary for quality. I just broke my hip 3 weeks ago so I’m always happy to see another “Jen” video 💓💓💓Take good care of yourself. Glad you could help Connor in the kitchen😊
Oh yes. My husband and I are fully vaccinated and thankful
Fun Blog. I went to college in a small town it was so hard to find ingredients I'm old, we couldn't order food online then. All my friends would return with suitcases full of unusual things from home. It was so much fun trying everything.
Years ago my brother was studying in Finland where they had only a very grainy chalky peanut butter. We would send cases of Skippy to him and thought it was so nice of him to give it to the people he met there. Later we were informed that he used it instead of money when he played poker. His losings were supplying all his friends with smooth creamy peanut butter!
re: the breakfast buffets. we stayed at a drury inn last september (not sure if you have stayed at that chain before, but it's our fave any time we pass through the midwest, so maybe!). they have the most delicious breakfast buffets, and i was worried it would be canceled. but their solution was to just have it staffed. so instead of serving yourself, a staff member (behind plexiglass) served it to you on your plate. it worked out very well! i wish more hotels with hot breakfasts would go that route instead of just scrapping the breakfast altogether.
I bought that same pill container a few years ago when I was having trouble remembering my new pill regimen. I thought it would be great for travel and it is! I bought one for my husband too and we use both sides and just make it a two week container. Now we can store all the big bottles out of sight and just keep the two small containers on the counter. We’re fully Vax’d as of last week and Chicago is actually our first trip in a few months! My sister in law is due with her first baby in a few weeks so we’ll be headed there to visit my husbands family. His mom is there for a few months too and she’ll be so happy to see him, the pandemic hit her hard mentally so seeing all the kids, being vax’d and a new baby are all great mental lifts for her!
As you know, I love our “girl talks” (reminds me of way back in the day in the dorm at college)❣️. And the quick pics of Chicago were delightful for me, I’ve pretty much been all over the world, yet never have visited Chicago).
Now I want to go to Wholefoods, lol! Enjoyed the driving montage 👍
We did get our vaccine and the second one was brutal. I haven’t had the flu or symptoms in 15 years! Glad that is over😕. In the DFW area most are still wearing the mask and I’m thankful. I went from working at the hospital to an Oncology clinic. So, I feel like it’s still Important to be mindful and considerate of people you are around. You just never know what people are going through. Love the visit to Chicago
I’ve had breakfast in hotels in Dubai. They just don’t allow self service but the hotel staff serves you off the buffet from behind a screen. When I was in Abu Dhabi they just let you choose whatever you want from the menu and served it to your table. And maintained sufficient distance. No issues. When I stay in a hotel I want breakfast! Edited to add: Have been vaccinated fully since February as the country rolled out a free vaccination prgram for all citizens and residents as soon as vaccines were approved.
I love living vicariously through you!!! I live just a few miles from a Whole Foods, I like to go to the deli take pics of the dishes to recreate.
The dining tents ⛺️ + sidewalk dining have been a staple in NYC also!
Hurrah for travel vlogs! Really enjoyed this, thanks Jen x
Glad you enjoyed!
My husband and I are fully vaccinated and my 17 year old just got their first dose! We have to travel to Denver in a couple of weeks to shop for a house and I am stressed out about being on an airplane, but at least being vaccinated takes a little of that stress off of me.
I traveled from NJ to Florida this past New Years. It was definitely an experience. Everyone had to wear a mask unless you were eating in the airport or on the plane. However you’re literally shoulder to shoulder on the plan and some areas of airport... 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Hey girl! We can travel vicariously with you. Loving your videos as always!
I think limiting breakfast at hotels is more about limiting the crowd. Too many people in a small area.
I agree I've been to a few of them with really robust take away meals or full on delivery of breakfast, but for a lot of hotels they don't have the staff to support that and service breakfast.
Girl I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels the same way about baths. Even if it’s squeaky clean, I always say it’s a tub of foot jam I just can’t do it lol 😂
I stay at home with my kids, homeschool, and my husband is a pilot so he's gone about 60% of a month. All that to say is the other day I told him I could use a few nights in a hotel by myself. 🤣 To bring all the pampering stuff is an excellent idea!
I love that you go on a work trip but still go grocery shopping I've done that many times.
Getting tired from the car - it's not just sitting in the car, it's the amount of concentration and focus! I recently realized that too after taking a 4 hour drive (from not driving at all).. So. Much. Focus. LOL
Chicago is so much fun. A few years ago my girlfriends & I took the train from Milwaukee for a long weekend. Had a blast shopping and eating.
We do the train every year ( except for covid) to Chicago from Mke for the lighting of Michigan Ave so much fun
My grandmother suggested we plan to do this with my auntie... right before Covid hit 😔 Everybody's safe and healthy thank goodness, but I've been dreaming of it for over a year. We're all sewers so we were going to go to the garment district and go wild, plus Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum 💞 Hopefully we'll all be vaccinated and healthy by my birthday in September 🤞
The restaurant tents/igloos are pretty standard in Michigan. They don’t take our temps but we do have to give our number for contact tracing. Also since you asked, I’m fully vaccinated, Baybeee!
Hi Jen, I’m fully vaccinated and just got home to Southern California from visiting family in Virginia. Flew into Charlotte then to Greensboro. Flights there and back completely full. No social distancing on planes or in airports. Too many people traveling again for that. I was surprised. I had to travel, as my dad passed away, otherwise I would avoid it on planes anyways. Conner is so cute!!! Your pizza looked soooo good! 🍕
Glad you arrived home safe!!! Yes me & my husband have both been vaccinated with the Pfizer brand. No complications.
I’m a nurse so I’ve been fully vaccinated since mid January. No one else close to me was vaccinated though so it was like I wasn’t either, if that makes sense. Now that my partner is vaccinated we’ve finally started venturing out in the world and it feels great! We live in Seattle and people are VERY Covid compliant.
That bagel looked amazing! I haven’t been to Chicago in years. It’s fun to shop for clothing, food, etc. because their variety and amount of sale items are amazing.
Love this! I live about 30 minutes outside of downtown Chicago. Yes, the streets are closed down so restaurants can expand and seat people far apart! Chicago stores and restaurants suffered tremendously when everything got shut down. The fancy Michelin star restaurants really weren't equipped for providind a takeout style experience, so they pivoted and created full family style takeout meals with fancy sauces and paired cocktails/wines with a set menu. The microbreweries had tons of kegs going bad so they ended up selling full kegs lol. One of the big fancy seafood restaurants had like hundreds of lbs of fresh shellfish it had to figure out how to give away, so they made crab boil bags for takeout!
I've driven cross-country 3 times (leaving for my 4th and hopefully last drive in a couple hours) in the past year to spend extended amounts of time in my hometown with my parents while I was working from home/unemployed and I've stayed at all Marriott (mainly Fairfield) hotels. I'm not much of a breakfast eater, so the lack of breakfast options at the hotels haven't been too bad for me, I know they're just trying to limit the crowds. I have noticed some of the Marriotts have the setup like you mentioned with baskets of things and some have pre-packaged boxes with a yogurt, piece of fruit, and a muffin, but some have just gotten rid of breakfast completely. I mainly stop in smaller areas and stay away from the densely populated cities, I get takeout and eat in my car or in a park if the weather is nice. Looking forward to getting my vaccine as soon as I get back home!
Whole food... “Whole Check”....!!! Hilarious and sooo true!!👌🤣🤣🤣
Here in jamaica there is temp check and mandatory hand sanitation before you go into any store/restaurant.
I'm a Whole Foods junkie too. I live in central IL, so whenever we go up north I always have to stop there and at Trader Joe's. Looks like you had a nice trip. Chicago is always a fun time!
My husband and I are both fully vaccinated and 2 weeks post 2nd vaccine so full immunity right now. We will eat dinner out for the first time in over a year this Friday!!!
I usually stop at the Naperville Whole Foods when I visit my parents who live in the middle of nowhere Illinois. The Willowbrook Whole Foods looks amazing.
My office is 1 block from the Schaumburg WF. We would walk there for lunch. I miss the office socialization working at home FT.
@@laurastr1 I miss the Whole Foods' hot & salad bar. I'm slowly getting back I had their sushi and bake goods last weekend. Yes, I miss my co-workers and work lunches as well.
I live a few min from Willowbrook WF and it is super nice! The Naperville one on 59 is really good too though.
I really enjoy all your topics. I cant choose a fave but love the travel ones.❤
I would love to see more travel vlogs! I would love to go in a Whole Foods!
We LOVE Quartino! The polenta fries are a fav too. Fun fact: a quartino is a quarter liter of wine, a little more than a glass. They sell wine by the quartinos at the restaurant.
Some great Chicago coffee places to try: Big Shoulders, Dark Matter, Dollop. Glad you enjoyed Chicago during your work trip! I’ll be fully vaxxed by Memorial Day and am looking forward to seeing family again!
I love your reaction to the Whole Foods . I loveee their hot/cold prepared food section. Their delivery is unreal , sometimes in less than 1 hr.
I live in South Florida in the Fort Lauderdale area. We’ve only done takeout, but I’ve never heard of temp checks in restaurants. My husband and I are fully vaccinated and my 2 teenagers are getting their second shot later this week. I preordered your cookbook and can’t wait to get it Tuesday.
Loved this video. U r awesome. A lot of useful info about traveling. We haven’t been in a restaurant for almost a year.
My husband and I are fully vaccinated. Waiting a little more before going in a restaurant.
Definitely getting vaccinated - in the summer when it’s my turn. Here in Denmark we have to wait for our age group to come up, unless we are at risk. It’s fine but it’s a long wait. Thanks for taking me to Chicago - it was nice to get out for a bit 🥳
Love Whole Foods. They always get my delivery order perfect. I just got a delivery the other day, and it was perfect as always. Expensive, but perfect.
Fully vaccinated. Can't wait to travel again. This is not how I pictured retirement. LOL. Really enjoy your videos. Love going along on your trip. Hope you take us again on your next trip. Like you, I love groceries. Just discovered a new store where I live here in Florida, Sprouts. Had no idea we had one in my area of Florida. Really nice. Wegman's in Northeast is my absolute favorite store of all.
Related so hard to you FaceTiming Connor to help him microwave something except for me, it’s my boyfriend 🤣
Hi Jen. I'm from Chicago and I absolutely loved this video. I know you were here for work but hope you enjoyed your time as well. The Chicagoland area is so diverse and thats what I love about it. So happy you visited! Btw, I love your videos and how real and friendly you are.
I’m behind on all my subscriptions so I didn’t realize the book was ready. I went and pre-ordered on Amazon. Congratulations!!
My husband and I are fully vaccinated. Our 17 year old gets her second shot tomorrow. We left the decision up to her. We are huge travelers and we're ready to get back at it. Fun vlog. I've never been to Chicago.
I love your shopping videos. You are a wonderful person that i don't know personally but it feel like i know you. I love it when we travel with you LOL!!
I got the J&J vaccine just before they stopped it. My husband has his first of two shots. We are flying and moving 3,000 miles in June, I'm glad we're vaccinated!
Hi Jen, I live in Chicago. Glad you enjoyed your trip. The streets were closed down to help the restaurants expand their outdoor dining. Some of the suburban downtowns did the same.
I strive for your success, thank you for being inspirational
Love whole foods creme brulee( when you can find it), and their fresh tuna salad...even charlie would say"wtf, this is the bomb"😋😋
We did little bit of road trip travel last summer and the only hotel that had hot breakfast was in a small coaling mining town deep in the mountains of VA. Instead of self serve they had a server plate whatever you asked for. Then you had to take the food back to your room and eat. All the hotels we stayed in were not busy so I don't know why more hotels could've done something similar.
Hi Jenn. I’m in New Jersey and I just got my 2nd vaccine a week ago so I’m fully vaccinated. My daughter(31) is also fully vaccinated. She’s considered a healthcare worker because she works with disabled adults. My son (27) is also fully vaccinated. He’s type 1 diabetic so it was really important to get him vaccinated. Here in New Jersey most people are compliant with wearing masks and most places take your temperature before you enter. Even some nail salons. Definitely restaurants and doctors offices their taking your temperature before you enter.
So glad you are able to start traveling jen! I would love to see traveling!💖💖💖
Jen in California Restaurants were like that. Patio dining, parking lot dining, where ever you can fit a table.... crazy! 🤷♀️
Same in Boston!
Same in New York City.
Fully vaccinated!! The restaurants are like that also here in New Jersey and of course NY. I have Whole Foods about 20 minutes from me. Liked the haul you did.
I just LOVE Chicago! Once we’re vaxxed husband and I are definitely making a trip out there.
I love the travel vlog! I haven't been to Chicago in years!
I have those ziplock bags that are reusable. I got them at Costco. I gave them as stocking stuffers last Christmas.
My whole family is fully vaccinated. Proud of that. I told Steve I want to go out for lunch for Mother’s Day but there are only take out and diners around here. Some of them have outdoor seating. I will most likely have to work that day and I’ll have to be there at 2 so we will go out the next day.
I’m going to Whole Foods today too. First Trader Joe’s and then Whole Foods. Yeah! I also live in the middle of nowhere but the store I work in does have mascarpone cheese, only one brand though. I think our store is pretty good, although I’ve heard ppl complain about it. They sell Rao’s frozen entrees in my store. They are much smaller than expected. I thought they were ok.
I enjoyed the travel vlog! It’s interesting to see other cities especially during these times. Thanks Jen!! Continued blessings to you.
I loved this vlog. I haven’t traveled solo in a while and Chicago is definitely on my list of places to go. The rose Veuve is the first one I’ve ever tried and it’s soo soo good. I’ve had the yellow label but not the demi sac. I recently learned that Trader Joe’s carries Veuve at a great price; something like $10 less than every place else.
Thank you for the video so happy to see a happy face. I love to cook but I miss going out to eat. Had been about 1 1/2 years now. Well for me anyway... I love the video from Connor. So sweet. My son did that to me a couple days ago. I love it because he wants to be an adult but still needs his mom...every now and then.
I love the travel videos… So I’m looking forward to seeing more. Also I am 57 years old… I will be 58 May 6… I plan on getting my vaccine next week. Also… Thanks for sharing the medication organizer… I am legally blind and when I travel and have to take my medication’s with me it will be very helpful. I take different pills several times a day. This was a great view video
Girl, I totally agree about the whole “no food” situation. It’s like they just do whatever makes it seem like they’re “complying with covid standards”, but really, it’s completely irrelevant.
This was one of my favorite videos so far. I loved it 😍 ❤
What a fun mini trip. We live in the Chicago burbs. Our son graduated from Loyola Chicago, currently lives in Lincoln Park and is moving to River North. Our favorite restaurant,,Bavette's is there. Our daughter went to grad school at DePaul, lived in Lincoln Park and recently moved to Dallas, TX for her career. We love our trips to the city. We have Whole Foods very close to us. Our favorite one is in Naperville. So fun to see this vlog. You were so calm driving in the city. I'm still terrified, but traffic isn't what it normally is right now. Thanks for sharing your adventures!
Thanks Jen. Yes! I’m excited for more travel videos. The closest thing to travel I did was go to meetings on the other side of campus! Watching your travel/work vlogs allows me to see what I’ve been missing! Yes, I am fully vaccinated. We Americans are blessed with great health care and access to the medicines we need. I will be ordering your book on May 1st. Alas, I’ve already spent my mad money for this month. Cheers!
My husband and I are fully vaccinated but I’m pregnant and we have a 2 kids at home so we are still playing it pretty safe. We go shopping but still haven’t made it to a restaurant
I donate blood every 5 weeks (or whatever the minimum waiting time is) and they check for antibodies every time, since I got Covid late last fall it;s been positive every time. I'm going to wait to get vaccinated until it comes up negative. I'm totally fine with vaccines, but this one was done so fast and with some of the reactions (though rare) makes me hesitant. I figure it gives more time for vaccine reactions to get sorted out, but I'm still decently naturally protected from getting sick last fall.
I loved this vlog. Highlights: you giving instructions on how to heat up a hot pocket via video all and the random Whole Foods just bauce it was possible.
It reminds me from my own work trip life (still quite far away fro us here in Europe)
One of my bucket list items is to go to Costco and Wallmart one day :D I've visited New York four times for work and those have been so internsive that there has not been a chance to do literally Anything. BUT the one thing I made sure to do everytime was to go to Whole Foods. I bought my very first kombucha from there and last time I saw Lärabars and felt like a real suburban mom getting thibgs to her kids lunches (lol, the pov of a suburbam mom when you are infact child free millennial from Finland).
I get it Jen, I love a good grocery store ESPECIALLY Whole Foods!!
I like getting my produce and meat at Whole Foods. My teenage son and I volunteer on Sunday's at a food pantry stocking the shelves and refrigerators. Sunday is Whole Foods pick up day. We see some interesting things come in that's for sure. Thanks for sharing your haul. I will have to check out some of those items next time.
If you are ever in Texas you have to visit Central Market by H‑E‑B. Amazing! One of the stores in Austin has a cheese section with around 600 varieties. Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston
Totally enjoyed this video!!
Thanks for sharing your trip! I’m excited to go to Chicago in August for a conference!
And I’m jealous of anyone that can get Thrive or Grove or Imperfect shipped! ☺️ In Alaska, we can get Amazon and it usually takes 7-10 days. But AK does attempt to make it up to us with wild blueberries and all the salmon we care to eat. During the sockeye run, because we’re Alaska residents, we can and do go to the Kenai River and literally put nets in the water (from shore or a boat) and pull red salmon out. Your limit is 35 for head of house and 25 each additional family member. We have 4 kids, so that’s definitely enough to fill the freezer, provided we can hit the run right. Have a good week!
I wouldn't know what to do if I had to travel alone to a large city. I'd be petrified. I'd be lost and petrified. Ok, I'd be lost, petrified and a bawling mess.
Aww!
SAME!
I wanna go somewhere for a week alone just to see how my husband handles the kids. They'd pretty much be on their own.
Ive traveled so much for work, truly it can be daunting but honestly SO freeing!! You would be ok, I totally recommend if you ever have the chance to do it, try it!
By the way, loved the travel blog! Still restrictions on traveling over here, I am waiting for the vaccine. So this was me living vicariously through you 😂😂
We have the same set up in Scotland.. outside and inside dining will be allowed from tomorrow when restrictions are lifted. No alcohol inside only beer gardens can serve alcohol.. booking in advanced for alot of places and masks. Street have lots of tented areas for outside dining. This was our second lockdown.. all kids have just gone back to schools last week. I have had my first Jag. Really liked this vlog. Have a good week. X
Definitely more travel videos! Of course though I love all your videos 😀
Wow Jen I didn’t know Chicago was so beautiful ❤️❤️🤗🤗👍🏻👍🏻beautiful scenery
Welcome to Chicago! The tents were set up and streets blocked so our restaurants could continue to serve during the pandemic when outside dining only was allowed and they kept them up mostly likely until the mask mandate has ended. I'm a Veuve girl too!!!!!! You were at one of my favorite Whole Foods in Willowbrook!!!!! It's like a celebrity was here!!!!
I understand how you feel about stores. Whenever I would see you guys shopping at Aldi I would try to plan a trip to go. But finally last year here in Phoenix we got our first two Aldi’s.
Enjoyed the video! 💝I'm fully vaccinated! You were in a nice part of the city, Beautiful scenery!🏙️ That pizza 🍕 looks Yummy!😋 Thanks for taking us along for your work trip!🚗
Love the travel vlogs....I'm not much of a traveler so I feel fancy whenever you take me along ♡♡♡
Really enjoyed your travel vlog! Fun to see the city of Chicago and all of the yummy food.
YAY!! A work travel vlog. 😁
Very much enjoyed this travel vlog and definitely yes to more when you're able! I get to live vicariously through you lol. 🖤
Loved the travel blog! I too travel for work but am still working from home due to COVID. Hopefully back soon. Travel tips are always appreciated.
Loved this video.....I don't do much traveling but enjoyed your trip....I am also happy to know that other people just like to go to different grocery store ....every trip I take I plan specialty grocery store stops
I am from California but have been to Chicago several times and I know that Dan Ryan Expressway anywhere
Love your travel vlogs!!
Loved the travel vlog... we live in central Illinois and am about 4 hours from Chicago. Loved all the video. Makes me want to do a weekend trip! Thank You Jen for all you do. 🙂
Wow thats crazy that Whole Foods is so far! I can't imagine driving 3 hours. I live in California, just outside of LA, close to Pasadena and there's Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Aldi, basically any market within 10 minutes
I love travel vlogs! I have never traveled alone. I’m missing out. We just got our second doses so we are excited to get back out there. First on the list, hotel away from the kiddos, now that us and grandma are all vaccinated!
I love love love Chicago!!!!! I do the same thing , I always get water and snacks for my room when I travel.
I live in the SW suburbs of Chicago. I guess this is late, be careful walking around downtown. It's not safe. Glad you're ok.
Thanks for taking us to Chicago! I would love to see more travel vlogs!