Late Summer: What To Do And What’s New

September marks the near end of Chicago’s Summer season of festivals and outdoor activities, but that doesn’t mean you can squeeze in a few outdoor evenings, and warm up in some new neighborhood spots if the weather turns.

What’s new in the Bucktown / Wicker Park / Logan Square Neighborhood:

Furious Spoon Logan Square: The famed Chicago Ramen spot that has made such a wave in Wicker Park has just opened up a new location in Logan Square. What this means for guests of Ray’s B&B is that there is not 1, but TWO spots within a 20 minute walk to stuff your face with delicious noodly goodness. Even better? They are offering an all-you can eat deal September 5-8th, and 12th-15th (11am-6pm). For $25 you can challenge yourself and friends to financially responsible gluttony.  More info can be found via this Chicagoist article.

The Stopalong: Many people come to Chicago hankering for deep dish pizza. If you stay with us, chances are you’ve witnessed a heated debate or two among Ray and staff as to which is better, deep dish or NY style thin crust.  The fact is, the person writing this blog abhors deep dish pizza, and therefore is very excited to welcome a new spot to the neighborhood that is right in line with her culinary beliefs. The Stopalong opened last week, and is now one of the closest spots to both the B&B and the 606 trail.  So grab some pizza and then walk it off while you argue with your significant other about what the proper way to cut a pie is.

What’s going on in Chicago at large:

German American Fest: Even though this seems to be the preferred festival for college freshman to sneak into and chorg beers, it’s still a really  great weekend festival, and one of the late season’s best. Easily accessible from Ray’s by public transit (damen or western bus, or steps off of the Western Brown line El stop) means that you can save your money for a boot, or just fill up your commemorative plastic stein one more time. The festival runs Friday September 9th – Sunday the 11th, with a parade at Noon on Saturday. Check it out, wear some lederhosen, and ditch the healthy summer diet for beers and pretzels, we’re all going to be in parkas soon anyway.

Windy City Wine Fest: If you’re looking for something fun to do downtown that doesnt’ involve taking a selfie at the bean, then this may be for you.  Windy City Wine Festival is exactly what it sounds like – it’s a festival dedicated to the best liquid on earth (water’s OK too I suppose). It’s a huge ordeal, and takes place this Friday and Saturday (September 9th and 10th). Tickets range from $25-$50 and can be found here.

There you have it, go out and enjoy the last bits of Summer however you like. And then come back to Bucktown and stay with us, we’ll feed you a nice big breakfast to help sop up some of that wine.