Wing Fai & Wendy: Chicago 2011 - Day 1 - Chicago Premium Outlets and Woodfield Mall

It was spring break and we decided to go Chicago for a short getaway. There were several objectives that we wanted to achieve for this trip and one of them was to go to Chicago Premium Outlets to get some stuffs for our family back in Singapore. We decided to leave for Chicago on Saturday morning and return on Monday.

Before we leaving for Chicago, we decided to stop at Einstein Bros Bagels for breakfast. At Einstein Bros Bagels, we had hot Chai Tea and Egg Sandwiches (Turkey Sausage & Cheddar for Wendy and Ham & Swiss for me).

Website: http://www.einsteinbros.com

After our breakfast, we proceeded with our 3-hour drive to Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora. Before reaching the Outlets, we could not resist stopping by at the beautiful Hindu temple, Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple of Greater Chicago. The temple was just a 5-min drive from the Outlets. We took pictures of the temple but we did not go in.

Website: http://www.balaji.org

After our short temple visit, we finally reached Chicago Premium Outlets.

At Chicago Premium Outlets, we went to Coach Factory Outlet. It was quite crowded but we managed to go in without having to queue. We were quite lucky as after we left the store, there were actually people queuing up to go into the store. The store was having 30% discount, so I guessed that was the reason for the crowd.

After visiting Coach Factory Outlet, we visited other outlet stores before heading to our hotel - Courtyard by Marriot at Wooddale to check-in. The hotel room was cozy and it had a balcony which we could look out and see the courtyard. There was free parking and internet as well. We were happy that we managed to book it at $30/night through Priceline.

After that, we drove to Woodfield Mall, which is the largest shopping mall in Chicago area. At the mall, we went to Todai for dinner. It was Japanese buffet dinner with a lot of seafood. The food was good and we enjoyed our dinner.