I would like to share with you all a little story about the one time I visited Torta Frontera at the Chicago airport. Here’s the story behind the margarita!

I was chilling out on a flight from Phoenix to Chicago for a very minimal layover before landing into Michigan for the beautiful wedding I would be photographing. Well, I just happened to sit next to a fellow photographer! We talked about our journey, the types of bodies and lenses we wanted (or already had), and spoke about the places we’ve traveled to. He, of course, had me beat by a long run for the places he’s traveled! He happened to be a photojournalist, along with spending time in Australia as an adventure photographer. I have to admit how cool it was to happen to sit near someone with the same types of life experience!

I wish I could say we got into depth about our awesome adventures, but our flight was at 5:00 in the morning, and I don’t think either of us made it past the take off before drifting off to sleep. We did get to enjoy a little longer conversation upon heading to our next destinations, and he mentioned something about Tortas Frontera! He pointed out this awesome Mexican food joint with a bar and said that if I happened to have a decent layover in Chicago, I should stop by and grab a margarita with a torta to go. I took it to memory, but doubted I would end up having a layover back in Chicago any time soon.

Well, fast forward to my flight into Michigan, and a beautiful wedding day, and I was back on the plane to Phoenix. I forgot to take into consideration that I would be gaining time on my way back, so I happened to have a nice dinner layover in Chicago! I went over to the directory and found where this tortas place was on the map, and discovered that it just so happened to be two gates down from my next flight! I just thought about how perfect it worked out.

It should be known, the margaritas were fabulous! I ended up being the weirdo sitting at a bar taking photos of my drink, like the typical “#photographer” but you know what?? Not only do I now get to share this experience with you all because of that, but I was also able to strike up a conversation with another lady sitting next to me! We chatted about what we were doing here, how much she loves this spot any time she flies of out Chicago, and the fact that you get to-go cups for your next flight. How cool is that?!

I ended up getting one of the tortas to go, along with my little drink, and I have to say… it was pretty fabulous! I loved the feel of the area, along with the packaging of everything.

I am so glad I happened to remember what this guy said, because it made for a very relaxing layover!