French Market Exploration

French Market Exploration

This weekend, I had the privilege of going to the Chicago French Market with my friends! I had heard of this, and often times wanted to visit, but just now got the chance. (Funny, seeing as I should be overloaded and busy with homework and not pushing off my responsibilities, oops.) It’s a lovely array of shops, located a two different train rides away from the Lake Shore campus.

To get there, take the red line heading towards 95th/Dan Ryan all the way to State/Lake. From there, switch lines (you’ll need to get your U Pass out again) to go to the Pink Line, heading to Cermack. You’ll ride that until you get to the Clinton stop, walk down the stairs, and then the French Market is right there.

While you’re there, I would highly suggest getting food. (Obviously). Go hungry, as there are many options. While I was there, I purchased 10 macaroons and a croissant from Vanille, a lovely pastry shop. ($22) While this seems pricey, it’s worth it if you enjoy macaroons. They are amazing.
Next, I went to a taco stand (odd, I know, being in a french market) and bought a bottle of Jarritos pineapple soda, a side of Spanish rice, a chicken taco, and a quesadilla (that came with guacamole) for lunch. ($12) I had leftovers of the quesadilla, guacamole, and rice, so I took them home as leftovers.
For dessert (as if I really needed it), I went and got black dog gelato. I’d heard of this before, but never got the chance to try it. It isĀ amazing. A cone came with one flavor in it, and it cost me $3.50 exactly. My friend got a small cup, which allows for two flavors, and cost her about $4.50.

The French Market is definitely one of Chicago’s treasures, and is a good place for an outing. My suggestion is you plan on spending some money there if you want to purchase goodies, as my entire trip cost me around $40. (This was in large part due to the macaroons, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try them from the French Market. I won’t buy them every time I go, but they are a nice treat. One of them is about $2, so I could have easily spent under $40.) You may also want to block out about an hour and a half of travel time, as you will probably have to wait for trains. However, my friends and I took an uber back, and it ended up costing abut $28, taking about 25-30 minutes. (The price was also heightened because it occurred during a surge, where the price was 1.6 times higher than it normally would have been.)

While this was an expensive outing for me, it does not have to be. Go with a few friends and split the uber cost or take the el both ways, and avoid dropping $20 on delicious french cookies and it will not be as expensive as a trip as it was for me.

Comments are closed.