Walking hand in hand through our old neighborhood again, we were reminded of why we love Chicago so much. Especially in the summer. Okay, mainly in the summer. For those of you who haven’t been there, or those, like my friend Nerissa, who are headed this way soon, here’s a list of my favorite things to do and see in one of my favorite places in the world. This trip, we stayed at The Sutton Place, in the same building that houses one of our favorite lunch spots, The Whiskey. It’s right in the center of all the action on Rush and Bellevue, which is just what we wanted. We weren’t disappointed. The rooms are new and modern, and our corner room on the 21st floor had breathtaking views of the city (see above). From one wall of windows, we could see Lake Michigan, and from the other, Barneys and Hermes. Sigh. Usually, on trips like this, without the girls, we stay at the Sofitel, which is all white and glamorous. We love its hip little restaurant, Cafe des Architectes.
A stay in Chicago is never complete without a trip to our favorite restaurant, Le Colonial, which features French-Vietnamese cuisine in a warm, elegant setting. Other favorite restaurants include: Sushi Samba, Frontera Grill/Tobolobampo for high-end Mexican, Reza’s for yummy Middle Eastern food, Nacional 27 for Latin food and amazing ceviche, and Bin 36 for great wine. For very high end dining, try Charlie Trotters or Spiaggia. For great authentic jazz and blues, we like the Back Room or the famous Green Mill, a legendary haunt since Capone’s days. And we always recommend that friends check out a comedy club if they can. Second City is still the ultimate, but there are also several smaller venues in town.
For shopping, the easiest and chicest route is to start at Barneys on the corner of Oak Street and Rush, and take in the six floors of amazing shopping. Have lunch at Fred, the restaurant at the top, and then walk down Oak Street and check out the city’s finest boutiques. Prada and Hermes to Harry Winston share real estate with Juicy, BCBG, Calypso, and Kate Spade. Take Oak Street down to Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile, and turn right. There you will be in the epicenter of Chicago shopping. Check out the 900 N. Michigan Shops, which I always call the Bloomingdales’ Mall. Inside you’ll find an amazing assortment of stores, from Gucci on down. Across Michigan Avenue, you’ll find Water Tower Place, with the American Girl Store and Macy’s as its anchor stores. Inside you’ll find a bustling mezzanine eatery, but my favorite place to grab a quick bite is Wow Bao, which features Asian steamed buns with yummy fillings. They’re addictive. I also like King’s Cafe on the first floor for coffee and pastries. On the 5th floor, there is a great little Thai restaurant and a floor of kid-friendly shopping, including Preggers, Galt Toys, and Galt Baby.
Keep heading down Michigan and you’ll find all the shopping you could want, from Chanel and Louis Vuitton to all the usual names, including H&M, Banana, etc. It’s endless. You’ll also find a smallish Neiman Marcus, two Saks stores, a Nordstrom and a Nordstrom Rack, and one of the best Anthroplogies on the planet, which is actually just behind Michigan on Chicago Ave. The Anthropologie is massive, with multiple rooms opening onto each other, and it even sells shoes! Sigh!
For seriously high-end shopping, the best that Chicago has to offer, pop into Ikram at 873 N. Rush. Sadly, two of my favorite Chicago shopping spots, G’Bani and Ultimo, both closed their doors in recent years, but I’m sure this list will offer plenty of opportunities to part with your money! Enjoy!
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