I hadn't fully overcome my jetlag from the Asia trip when I boarded my UA flight to Chicago last Friday. But that exhaustion quickly disappeared as the summer breeze caressed my bare arms and kissed upon my cheeks. (My hair, thanks to good products, stay intact.) In the summer, Chicago adorns a colorful outfit that glitters in the soft sunshine. For a few warm months of the year, Chicagoans can spend as much time outdoor as humanly possible - and that's exactly what they do: lying on the grass, playing in the park, showering under the water fountain, or best, eating outdoor. Chicago has a great number of excellent restaurants that pleasantly surprise their patrons. Two of my most favorites include:
* Ralph Lauren's RL Bar & Grille
The vision and decor of Ralph Lauren compliment the classic all-American cuisine served by waiters wearing polo-embroidered shirts and stripe ties. The salon has several luxurious leather armchairs that you just want to sink into and spend an indefinite amount of time reading books, or admiring the beautiful photos artfully hanged on the wall.
* Le Colonial
This upscale French-Vietnamese restaurant captures the beauty, romance, and spirits of the French colony in the 1920s with floor-to-ceiling French windows, lush potted palm and banana trees, brick tiled ceiling, and nostalgic black-and-white photos of Saigon in the early century. The food is delicious and relatively authentic, which will take your mind out of both place and time.
But the most pleasant surprise of all has to be the new $300bn Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, which is interestingly connected to the Millenium Park by a long upward bridge. Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano, the Modern Wing with its light-color wood and white interior provides a refreshing home for the museum’s collection of 20th- and 21st-century art. A true must-see!
And just like that, I carry those beautiful memories back to work - longing for the next visit out to the midwest.... 
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