New Years Eve in Chicago

Originally, my NYE plan was to stay in this year. I’m really not a fan of the holiday and waking up clear-headed and hangover-free on the first day of 2016 sounded like a brilliant idea. But when I got the invite to Chicago’s first-ever New Years Eve celebration, I couldn’t turn it down! And it was worth the champagne headache on January 1st. 😉

The inaugural celebration, Chi-Town Rising, was put on by Hyatt Gold Passport and hosted in and all around the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Chicago. A 70 ft start (Chicago’s flag symbol) rose up the West Tower of the Hyatt Regency at midnight, and the star reaching the top cued a pretty spectacular firework show. Since we were underneath the star, it was hard to get a good photo, but this photo and this photo are the best that I’ve seen so far!

Admittedly, I put just about zero effort into what I was going to wear for NYE this year. With last minute plans, hosting a little party beforehand, and holiday travel, I decided to pull from my own closet rather than shopping for something new. I decided on this dress that I got last holiday season. Since majority of the event was outside (and it was about 20 degrees!), I layered a cashmere turtleneck over the top! And my leopard coat, too.

You can find this original outfit post here!

Since majority of my friends were going to a different NYE event, I hosted the girls over at my place earlier in the evening before I headed to the hotel with Hallie and her sister. Once we got to our rooms, the music went on and the Veuve Clicquot was popped before we headed down to explore all of the different areas of the event! A little booze blanket action, you know?

I’m excited to see how Chi-Town Rising grows in the coming years! Growing up in Illinois, we always watched the ball drop in Time Square in New York (an hour ahead). It’s fun to see a new tradition starting in the Midwest!

How did you celebrate the New Year? I’m bummed I forgot to set my DVR to record Chi-Town Rising and the ball dropping in Times Square before I left for the evening. Did you catch any of the broadcasts on TV?

Hope you had a wonderful (and safe!) evening ringing in the New Year. Here’s to a happy and healthy year ahead!

A big Thank You to Hyatt for inviting me to the event and partnering on this post!