With everyone under contract, I've had the pleasure of being able to spend the past couple of days on my own time. A lunch date with a client in the Loop prompted me to walk around the neighborhood and get a little fresh air.

Walking past the Art Institute of Chicago on Michigan Avenue, I stumbled upon a spot I had never noticed before--their South Garden. Now, I've been a member of the Art Institute for years, but today was the day I found this hidden gem. 

I walked inside the urban oasis and immediately felt a little more at ease. I sat down on an open bench in the shade and put my phone away while I tried to take in everything that was around me. In the garden, a woman was playing with her child while you could tell others were taking their lunch breaks or doing exactly what I was doing--just trying to find a little escape. The sounds of the fountain, the leaves dancing in the breeze--it was all just perfect in that moment.

Living in such a quick-paced city, it can be hard to find the time or the place for a little escape, but I'm so lucky to have finally found this intimate little getaway. And if you're in the Loop needing a little breather, now you can too. I'm sure it's even more gorgeous in the fall once the leaves change. A warm coffee with a cool fall breeze--count me in. 

Located just south of the Art Institute of Chicago (111 South Michigan Avenue) in the Loop.