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Side Quests With Maria

@maria.bashmakov

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I’ll do anything but be bored 🪩
Finding the best food, events & adventures 🤭
📍Chicago (and occasionally elsewhere) 🗺️
💌: [email protected]

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Chicago just got one of the biggest pizzas in the Midwest 😋🍕

Meet “The Sheet Show” from Paulie Gee’s Logan Square, a giant 5-foot grandma-style pizza that feeds 25–30 people.

📍 Paulie Gee’s Logan Square
💵 $500
📅 Available starting August 3 (3 days’ notice required)

Would you split this with a group or try to tackle it yourself? 👀 by @maria.bashmakov

Another 31 days, another May complete at @do312. Here’s a little glimpse at some of the work and media things I’ve been up to. Omitted all the other things I’ve been doing, or this would be even longer.😅

June is staying action-packed too. More incoming!🦦 by @maria.bashmakov

After two long years, Babe’s Sports Bar in Logan Square is officially open, and Chicago welcomed the spot today with open arms. 🫶

The new spot is a space for babes, by babes and will showcase women’s sports. Stop by to support Chicago’s local professional women’s teams. 🏀⚽️🏉🏈🛼

Follow for more Chicago content. by @maria.bashmakov

First time in Greece 😍💘

What a treat to see this beauty after all the rain.

Save and follow for more. 😄

#athens #travel #parthenon by @maria.bashmakov

Have you checked out Chicago’s newest riverfront restaurant yet? 👀

Carlyle Club just opened at 316 N. Clark, serving up steak, sushi, handmade pasta, and lobster pie with views of the Chicago River. There’s also a patio on the Riverwalk, a gorgeous marble bar, and happy hour from 3-6 PM. 🍣🍸

But my favorite part’s at the end. ;) Definitely add this one to your Chicago dining list!

Save and follow for more

#chicagofoodie #chicagorestaurants #newinchicago #hosted by @maria.bashmakov

Hot chicken meets New York-style pizza! 🍕🐔🔥

Paulie Gee’s Wicker Park and Hattie B’s Hot Chicken are celebrating Hattie B’s new Chicago location by dropping an exclusive 20-inch pizza collab.

The pie features Hattie B’s barbecue-inspired HattieQ sauce, garlic, mozzarella, hot chicken tender bites, double-smoked bacon, Southern greens, sweet corn, and black-eyed pea succotash. It’s finished with green onions, extra HattieQ sauce, and a hot-brushed crust.

🍕 $5 per slice or $37 for the whole pie
📍 Exclusively at Paulie Gee’s Wicker Park through October 31st
❤️ A portion of sales benefits No Kid Hungry!

I’m already craving another slice. Who’s trying this one?

Save and follow for more.

#chicagofood #chicagofoodie #chicagoeats #hosted by @maria.bashmakov

And yes, this is actually in the city. 🍻

Oktoberfest Nation is the city’s BIGGEST Oktoberfest celebration with six weeks of Bavarian food, drinks and live music.

Now open through October 26th in Fulton Market.

Save and follow for more Chicago fun.

#oktoberfestchicago #chicagoevents #fallinchicago by @maria.bashmakov

Brunch at Off the Wall Craft Beer & Wine to fuel our shelling sessions! 😋🐚

Perfectly located inside South Shore Market, it was a fun stop for bites and drinks between beach adventures.

Food we nibbled on:
- Ahi Tartar Nachos
- Chicken & Waffle Sandwich
- Breakfast Chimichanga

Drinks sipped:
- Mango Lemonade Tropical Ice Seltzer
- Killah Dragon
- Guava Lava
- Pineapple Sour Session Mead

Save this for your next Oahu trip & follow for more travel recs.

#honolulurestaurants #honolulufood #oahufood #hosted by @maria.bashmakov

Genuinely feel like we just went to a turtle rave in Hawaii. 🪩🐢

Add this to your bucket list! We had such an incredible time with Nocturnal Adventures Hawaii. LED paddleboards, sea turtles swimming below us and Waikiki fireworks lighting up the sky for a perfect combo.

All skill levels are welcome on this 90-minute adventure! It runs every Friday, giving you time to explore the water, paddleboard, and catch the fireworks from a whole new perspective.✨

Save this for your next Oahu trip & follow for more travel recs. 🌺

#bucketlist #thingstodoinhawaii #thingstodoinoahu #hosted by @maria.bashmakov

This place deserves so much more attention. 😋

Earl’s BBQ is a Jefferson Park gem serving up amazing platters with fresh smoked meats every day.

We stopped by for the first time and worked our way through the menu (absolutely bomb).

Some of our favorites:
- Pulled pork tacos
- Nashville fried chicken sandwich
- Smoked platter with brisket

Save and follow for more Chicago gems. 🤤

#chicagofood #chicagobbq #hosted by @maria.bashmakov

Go soon and thank us later.

The Alley Cat is a gorgeous new space in Chicago, and is 100% date night approved. And with $12 draft cocktails???

Save and follow for more Chicago date night recs.

#chicago #chicagodatenight #hosted by @maria.bashmakov

This show brought me SO much joy. I had the best time watching Flotsam River Circus float on the Chicago River tonight!

This traveling circus is making its way through Chicago for their Illinois Waterway Tour, with FREE floating performances for the next three nights:
📍 Sept. 19 - Ping Tom Park
📍 Sept. 20 - Ping Tom Park
📍 Sept. 21 - Riverwalk Theater
⏰ 6 PM each night

The show is about an hour long and features a mix of circus acts, all performed alongside a LIVE band. And did I mention it’s free?! 🎶🤹

Definitely save this for your weekend plans if you’re looking for something fun and different to do in Chicago!

Follow for more Chicago things to do.

#thingstodoinchicago #chicagoplans #freeinchicago by @maria.bashmakov