Last weekend was rare, as I was home in Chicago and had nothing planned. I made it into a relaxing Chicago weekend. I started my weekend with a movie at the beautiful Pickwick Theatre in nearby Park Ridge.

First opened in 1928 and put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, the Pickwick Theatre added three new screens in 1990. This was the perfect relaxing start to my weekend. Saturday I got up early to avoid the heat and had a 10-mile run along Lake Shore Drive. I have run all over this great country, and nothing beats this scenery. I spent the rest of Saturday wandering the shops on the north side.

Bookworks is one of my favorite book stores. Offering new, used, rare, first editions and more, I always find interesting things to read here. I feel good just walking into Dave’s Records. Housing 40,000 pieces of vinyl, Dave’s boasts that it doesn’t have CDs. I picked up a of couple imports to add to my modest record collection. Logan Hardware has records in the front and video games in the back. It’s like a trip to my teenage years, and, fortunately, I am not the oldest person checking out both parts. I could live in this store.

Of course, I also stopped for a cold fountain Coke at Chipmunks. This has been one of my favorite Coke spots for years. On Sunday, I met some friends at Murphy’s Bleachers to watch the Cubs game. For almost 80 years, Murphy’s has been a Wrigley institution. Whether you choose the outdoor garden, rooftop or indoor seating, you are ensconced in pure Chicago, without the stereotypical tourist stuff. As a bonus, their soups are ridiculously good.

It was a much-needed, totally refreshing weekend. Sometimes the best travel is right around your home city.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor