The weekend, succinctly

Such a festive weekend! It's like the entire city got together and planned all their holiday events to converge this first weekend of December as if to celebrate and revel in the first snowstorm of the season. Nothing massive, leaving only several inches on the ground the morning after and continuing on lightly throughout the day.

There were snowman sightings, both abonimable and miniature...

And it provided for the perfect opportunity for FurFur to debut her new holiday collar in public!

All around town there were Ugly Christmas Sweater parties, Bucktownukah at a beer garden, Santa pub crawls... so much to do, so little time, The Fella and I picked just a handful, beginning with a friend's birthday at Bin 36 in River North. My cheese flight included burrata! I was excited to have it again even though #27 on my 30 for 30 list was checked off back in November in NYC. Final consensus: Eataly's imported version was richer, more buttery, more complete than Bin's, and oh, I don't mind the stringy texture of burrata when spread on a crostini as opposed to eating it straight up.

The Renegade Winter Arts + Craft Fair was also going on in my own backyard, in the historic Pulaski Field House. More than 150 local indie artisans showcasing their DIY handmade goods!

{ Pulaski Field House }

A trip to see the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights on this wintry weekend... more pix coming soon!

And a looksie around the One of a Kind Designer Show at the Merchandise Mart...

I think The Fella was trying to distract me from the "Fashion District" (*major swoon*) by steering me towards the "Gourmet Center". It worked because we spent most of our time at the show nibbling on samples of everything from Danish pancakes and truffles with sea salt to baked cheeses and five cheese garlic spreads. Forget about the over 600 artists and designers from all over North America!

The weekend concluded with a warm meal of roasted mussels in a spicy tomato-fennel broth and sweet potato fries for me, and a signature burger for The Fella at Bull & Bear, where we lingered for a little while before heading home sweet home.

*Not pictured: The non-glamourous parts, such as walking to the grocery store in a snowstorm so as to avoid moving the car and losing spot on the street, shoveling out the car in the bitter cold, and slipping on black ice.