Three Perfect Days Chicago

8/11/2019 Three Perfect Days Chicago

1/11

JUNE 2011 HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM6

CHICAGOTHREE PERFECT DAYS

Nicknamed The City of Big Shoulders, Chicago sets the bar pre y high.But with its strollable neighborhoods, sunny lakefront parks and thriving food scene,

Americas third-largest city more than carries the loadBY LAYLA SCHLACK PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB STEFKO


2/11

HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM JUNE 2011 97

DAY ONE

Mining theGold Coast

DAY THREE

A day amongthe arts

DAY TWO

Deep-dishing atLou Malnatis

THAT TODDLIN TOWN Left to rightthe Elysian Hotel lobby the carousel

at the Lincoln Park Zoo


3/11


CHICAGOS A TOWN OF MANY MONIKERS Windy City, City ofBig Shoulders, Second City and, as poet Carl Sandburg wrote, hog butcher for theworld. While each speaks to the citys history as an industrial powerhouse led byfast-talking politicos, none of these nicknames does justice to Chi-towns cleanness,greenness or top-notch culinary scene. Exploring the patchwork of neighborhoodsand expansive outdoor spaces will give you a sense of the citys past, present andfuture. Its an understatedand quintessentially Americanmegalopolis, whereMidwestern hospitality meets big-city worldliness. Spend a few days wanderingaround and you wont just want to stay longeryoull probably want to move here.

THREE PERFECT DAYSC H I C A G O

CHI VS. CHI Left to rightLeopold theChicago River afully decked outChicago hot dogat Portillo s


4/11

HEMISPHERES MAGAZINE.COM JUNE 2011 99

DAY 1 | This is not a trip on which to count calories, startingwith breakfast at local favorite Original Pancake House ( 1) . Theenormous, uffy, oven-baked omelets and the loaded bakedapple pancake are house specialtiesyoure on your own to an-swer the age-old question of sweet or savory. Fortied, you setout to explore the Gold Coast ( 2) . Once home to the citys steelmagnates and retail tycoons (along with Abraham Lincolns son),this has been a posh neighborhood since soon a er the GreatChicago Fire of 1871. Feel the lake breeze and dri into posh bou-tiques such as Shrine haberdasher and the Euro-inspired Sarca,as well as more well-known brands such as Marc Jacobs.

Journeying south, you eventually hit the Magnicent Mile,Chicagos shopping mecca, marked by the Water Tower ( 3) . Oneof the only structures to survive the re, this building looks like afairytale castle, and to fashionistas it kind of is. Familiar clothingoutlets like J. Jill and Lacoste line the shiny interior alongsidethe shimmering storefronts of several jewelers.

Take a quick diversion off of Michigan Avenue for lunch atPortillo s Hot Dogs ( 4 ) . The Chicago-style dogswith picklerelish, hero peppers, chopped tomato, onions, mustard and apickle spear on a poppyseed bunare delicious. An equally goodchoice, though, is the heartier Italian beef sandwich with hotand sweet peppers, served au jus. The thinly sliced roast beef androasted sweet peppers melt into the now-soggy bread, with thehot peppers and giardiniera (Chi-townssignature mix of pickled veggies) adding just the right amount of kick.

WANT MORE? Downloadour iPad app.


5/11

JUNE 2011 HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM0 0

You roll yourself out of the restaurant grateful thatyour next activity involves si ing and amble south-east to the Chicago River for the Chicago ArchitectureFoundations boat tour ( 5). Cruising down the waterway,youll get a whos who of great architectsMies van derRohe, Daniel Burnham and Charles B. Atwood, to namea fewwho masterminded career-dening structuresto make their mark on the city. The volunteer guides,mostly practicing or retired architects, also spin thefascinating tale of how the city fathers rebuilt verydeliberately a er the Second Industrial Revolutionera re, creating parks and beachfront all around thebustling downtown.

Ninety minutes later, you step off the boat with agreat appreciation for the citys past. Ready to learnabout its present, you make a quick stop at the Chi-cago Cultural Center ( 6 ) . Regulars come here for theexpertly roasted Intelligentsia coffee and WiFi, butstick around for the rotating art exhibits, mostly thework of local artists.

Check into the Elysian Hotel ( 7 ) , a posh, almostunmarked villa set back from the street to make youfeel as if youre escaping the city for a night. Take afew minutes to explore your massive room and soakin the view from the balcony. The roo ops below areplanted with grass to absorb rainwater and provideinsulation. The foliage ripples slightly, making for anurban landscape like none youve ever seen. But you

CHI-CHI This pagethe lobby of The James

Hotel below roastedcauliower at Girl &

the Goat opposite themenu at Moto



6/11

HEMISPHER ESMAGAZINE.COM JUNE 2011 10

LAKEFRONTLOUNGINGChicago lines its lakefront

with miles of urban beaches12th Street Beach On alittle island near the AdlerPlanetarium this uncrowdedbeach feels as if it s milesfrom the city.

North Avenue Beach (shownbelow) Just beyond Lincoln Parkthis spot offers amazing skylineviews and a beach house thatlooks like a boat. Locals love itso you may nd a bit of a crowd.

63rd Street Beach The bigdraw here is history: Awoman who once dared tobathe without a skirt on waslegendarily arrested on thisbeach and there s a lovely bathhouse built in 1919. Concerts andvolleyball courts are bonuses.

Osterman Beach A boardwalkand shallow wading area makethis a favorite destination forfamilies with small children.

Montrose Beach This vaststretch is where locals cometo hang out and party. You llnd people grilling and dogsfrolicking with ample spacefor everyone.

P H O T O G R A P H

O F N O R T H

A V E B E A C H

B Y

I S T O C K P H O T O

1

7

2

3

4

8

5

6

W . D ivi s io n S t.

W. Oak St.

W. Ohio St.

W. Grand Ave.

W. Kinzie St.

W. Wacker Dr.

W. Randolph St.

N. C

ol um b u s Dr .

N . L a k e S h o r e

D r .

N. Mi c h i g an

A v e.

N. S t a t e

S t .

N . R u s h S t .

N.L a

s al l e S t .

W. Chicago Ave.

Lake

Michigan

41

DAY ONE

(1) Original Pancake House 22 E. Bellevue Pl. Tel: 312-642-7917(2) Gold Coast East of Clark Street and north of Chicago Avenue

(3) Water Tower 806 N. Michigan Ave. Tel: 312-742-0808 (4 ) Portillo s 100 W. Ontario Tel: 312-587-8910

(5) Chicago Architectural Foundation boat tour Southeast corner ofthe Michigan Avenue Bridge at Wacker Drive Tel: 312-922-3432

(6) Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington St. Tel: 312-744-6630(7) Elysian Hotel 11 E. Walton Tel: 312-646-1300

(8) Frontera Grill 445 N. Clark St. Tel: 312-661-1434


7/11


your crispy trout. A er the meal, youstroll through the park, taking time tocheck out the Green City Market ( 3) , amassive farmers market with vendors

selling a host of locally grown or pro-duced goods, from carrots to cheese towheatgrass juice. Sipping a healthy brew,you wander past Lincoln Park Zoo, hometo 1,200 species and an antique carousel.Gradually youre drawn to the grand oldbuildings of Lincoln Park. You dri intoindependent book and music shops (re-member those?) and begin to see why thisneighborhood is so beloved by locals. Thesun lters through the trees and ontoyour face, and you to realize its well pastnoon and youre hungry again.

Part of the reason youre in Chicagois the storied deep-dish pizza. Unos andGinos East are the most famous, but lo-cals tell you that Lou Malnatis ( 4 ) , withits light, aky Bu ercrust topped withthick sauce and fresh mozzarella, is thebest. So you hop in a cab, brave the gre-garious crowds and ll up on rich pietopped with perfectly spiced sausage.

Now youre ready to explore an-

other trendy neighborhood, WickerPark ( 5) . Once a working-class burg, itsnow a haven for creative twentysome-things whomuch as youre about todofri er away a ernoons in vintageshops and boutiques ranging fromhigh-end (Alexis Bi ar jewelry) toaffordable (Akira clothing). You peekinto the Flat Iron Arts building at theintersection of Damen and North av-enues, lled with artist studios opento the public, then stop by the ac-tual park to cool off by the granite andcast-iron fountain, which was erectedin the 1890s and restored in 2002.

You head off to dinner at Girl & theGoat ( 6 ) . Helmed by Top Chef winnerStephanie Izard and nominated for aJames Beard award, Girl & the Goat isone of the ho est restaurants in town.The menu is divided into vegetable, shand meat sections, and the dishes are

GO DEEP The deep-dish Buttercrust pie at LouMalnati s pizzeria prepped and ready to bake

Laurel GrayCONCIERGE, THE RITZ CARLTON

I like to do a lot of vintageshopping and one of my favoriteplaces is LuLu s at the Belle Kay.It s great for accessories hatsshoes jewelry things like that.

I ve gotten some good stuff thereover the years.

Jeane e TremblayPRINTS AND DRAWINGS

DEPARTMENT, ART INSTITUTEOF CHICAGO MUSEUM

My summer evening guilty pleasureis Margie s Candies in Bucktown. Itopened in 1921 and exudes history

(and kitsch!). My all-time favorite isthe coconut ice cream sundae.

Grant AchatzCHEF, ALINEA, AVIARY AND NEXT

One of my favorite places inChicago is a Japanese

restaurant called Katsu. It hasbeen open for 23 years yet veryfew people know about it. Thesushi is some of the best I have

had outside of Japan.

THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM THOSE IN THE KNOWILLUSTRATIONS BY PETER JAMES FIELD

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

dont have too much time to take it allinyouve got to eat.

Tonights dinner is at Rick Baylessmuch-lauded Frontera Grill ( 8 ) . You cant

go wrong with anything on the menu atthis upscale Mexican cantina. The foodis fresh, avorful and perfectly accentedby a spicy cocktail called the MicheladaModernalike a Bloody Mary but madewith beer. Feeling adventurous, you trythe goat taquitos, which arrive sprinkledin queso fresco and turn to butter inyour mouth. Linger over dinner, takingin the clubby digs before you retire tothe cloudlike king bed at the Elysian.

DAY 2 | Those green roofs you saw areonly a fraction of Chicagos copious greenspace. Today you explore deeper, startingwith brunch at North Pond ( 1) , a JamesBeardwinning eatery inside LincolnPark ( 2 ) . This place has been using local,organic food on its seasonally inspiredmenu since before such conceits werehip. Watch a parade of big, shaggy dogswalk around the pond as you dig into



8/11

HEMISPHERES MAGAZINE.COM JUNE 2011 10

SECOND TO NONEWhat do John Candy Tina Fey and Mike Myers havein common? Aside from being hilarious brunettesthey re all alumni of Chicago s Second City improvtheater along with countless other heavies fromJoan Rivers to 30 Rock s Jack McBrayer. Opened in1959 Second City forged a new genre somewherebetween standup comedy and theater. Experience itfor yourself at one of the nightly shows. Appearingthis month are South Side of Heaven a hilarious lookat Chicago s South Side and Fair & Unbalanced arevue of some of the theater s greatest hits. You llprobably see some future Saturday Night Live starshere which is why the theater continues to be sucha draw and also why you should book early.


9/11

JUNE 2011 HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM0 4


10/11

meant to be shared family-style. You munch onthe simple roast cauliower with pickled peppers,marveling that something so straightforward canbe so delicious.

Not ready to end the night just yet, you make astop at Leopold (7) , a Belgian-style bar, where yourelax in the lounge sipping the perfectly refresh-ing Lost in Flanders cocktail of Leopold Brothers(no relation) boutique gin, elderflower liqueur,housemade lemon bi ers and basil syrup. Watchingpeople of all ages and walks of life mingle, you feelperfectly at home, but have to call it a night beforeyour next action-packed day.

DAY 3 | Between the boat tour and all yourwandering, you feel as though youve go en an up-close-and-personal view of much of the city. Timefor the macro version: the Skydeck ( 1) at the Willis(ne Sears) Tower. You wander through an exhibitand watch a short lm about the citys architecturaland mercantile history, then head up to the 103rdoor. Feeling brave, you step into the (heavily rein-forced) plexiglass boxes and look straight down. LakeMichigan seems to extend forever to the east, andChicagoland almost as far to the west. You snap acouple of pictures and head back down to street level.

In the summer, Chicagoans spend a lot of timeoutdoors, taking advantage of all the park space,so you make like a local and head to Grant Park ( 2) .Check out the waterworks at iconic BuckinghamFountain, and then wander north, admiring the

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

W . G ra nd A ve .

W. Randolph St.

N . L a k e

S h o r e D r .

K e n n e d y E x

p w

y .

N

. S h effi

el d A v e.

N . L i n c o l n A v e .

N . M i c h i a n A v e .

N. A

s h l an d A v e. N

. C l y b o u r n A v e .

N . C

l a r k S t .

N.ClarkSt.

W. North Ave.W . M i l w a u k e e A v e .

W . D ivis io n St .

W. Chicago Ave.

N . O g d e n

A v e .

41

94

90

DAY TWO

(1) North Pond 2610 N. Cannon Dr. Tel: 773-477-5845(2) Lincoln Park N. Larrabee Street and W. Webster Avenue(3) Green City Market 1750 N. Clark St. Tel: 773-880-1266

(4 ) Lou Malnati s 439 N. Wells St. Tel: 312-828-9800(5) Wicker Park South of North Milwaukee Avenue (6 ) Girl & the

Goat 809 W. Randolph St. 312-492-6262 (7) Leopold1450 W. Chicago Ave. Tel: 312-348-1028

BEAR ESSENTIALS Left a close encounter at

the Lincoln Park Zoothis page the stately

Lincoln Park neighborhood

HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM JUNE 2011 10



11/11


Ferris wheel at Navy Pier. Youll hitMillennium Park (3) , where youll takethe requisite photo at Anish Kapoors

Cloud Gate, known to locals as simplythe Bean. Which reminds you: Yourehungry. You duck into Aria (4 ) in theFairmont hotel. The Asian restaurantlooks out onto Millennium Park,so you can watch the world go by asyou nibble on delicious tuna tartareand short ribs.

Time for a little culture at the ArtInstitute of Chicago Museum ( 5) . You payrespect to its best-known pieces, such asGeorges Seurats Sunday on La GrandeJatte , Monets Water Lilies and GrantWoods American Gothic , and then youhead to the new, Renzo PianodesignedModern Wing. This section opened in2009 and made the Art Institute thesecond-largest art museum in the U.S.It seems as though everywhere youlook is a Picasso, a Matisse or anotherbigwigs work.

Like great food and great archi-tecture, Chicago has an abundanceof great art, and youd be remiss ifyou didnt check out the up-and-comersin Fulton Market (6 ) . This working meatmarket is also chock-full of lofts andwarehouses housing art and designstudios, galleries and boutiques wherethe artists themselves greet you withcharacteristic Midwestern friendliness.

Dinners an equally artyendeavor at Moto ( 7 ) , whereyou splurge on HomaruCantu and Ben Roches20-course tastingmenu, which startswith an edible menu(printed on wafer-thin brioche withcashew bu er andreduced blueberrysyrup). Cantu andRoche, stars ofDiscovery Chan-nels Future Food,serve unexpectedflavor-texturecombinations, likepured corn breadand parsley powder,and visual puns, like

1 2

3

5

4

8

67

W. Ohio St.

W. Grand Ave.

W. Kinzie St.

W. Wacker Dr.

W. Randolph St.

W. Congress Pkwy.

N. C

ol um b u s Dr .

S . C ol um b u s Dr .

N . L a k e

S h o r e D r .

N. Mi c h i g an

A v e.

N. S t a t e

S t .

S . Mi c h i g an

A v e.

S . S t a t e S t .

N . H a l s t e d S t .

S . H a l s t e d S t .

N . R u s h

S t .

N.L a s al l e

S t .

W. Chicago Ave.

41

PARK LIFE North Pondin Lincoln Park

DAY THREE

(1) Skydeck Willis Tower 233 S.Wacker Dr. Tel: 312-875-0066

(2) Grant Park S. MichiganAvenue at W. Congress

Parkway (3) Millennium ParkNorth Michigan Avenue at East

Randolph Street (4 ) Aria 200 N.Columbus Dr. Tel: 312-252-1359(5) The Art Institute of Chicago

111 S. Michigan Ave. Tel: 312-443-3638 (6 ) Fulton Market

Fulton Street at N. DesplainesStreet

(7) Moto 945 W. Fulton MarketTel: 312-491-0058 (8 ) The James 55 E. Ontario Tel: 312-337-1000

a Cuban sandwich made to look like acigar. Presentation incorporates dry iceand re turning the two-plus-hour mealinto a magic show.

Its been a full three days, so whenyour cab deposits you at The James (8 ) ,youre ready to fall into bed. Original art-work like the suitcase installation in thelobby are in keeping with the day youvehad. Although modern and masculine-

feeling, your king loft suite has cozytouches like dark wood furniture andshag carpeting that make you feel rightat home. You keep your eyes open justlong enough to watch a movie in themini projection room and fall asleepdreaming of a city on a lake.

Senior editor LAYLA SCHLACK has taken totopping all of her foods with a pickle spear.


P H O T O G R A P H

C O U R T E S Y

O F N O R T H

P O N D

Three Perfect Days Chicago

Documents

Transcript of Three Perfect Days Chicago