Forget Madison Avenue and Rodeo Drive – Chicago has the best handy retail. You can easily walk the entire south-north stretch of Michigan Avenue, known as the Magnificent Mile (Mag Mile). From a five-floor Burberry store to Crate & Barrel and Victoria’s Secret, you have luxury brands for kids, adults and the home.
InterContinental Chicago, at the south end of Mag Mile, is in a historic 42-floor structure built by the Masonic-like Shriners in 1929, with an exterior that features many carved friezes and other sculptures. The original users included the Medinah Athletic Club; their legacy, an impressive indoor Art Deco swimming pool, 80 feet by five lanes in size, is one of the hotel’s standout features. Another highlight is Michael Jordan’s Steak House, a two-floor space with many 1920s-era carvings above and around you. Try the signature dessert, a 23-layer chocolate cake, themed for the basketball legend’s number.
The 794-room hotel, under general manager Raymond Vermolen, feels surprisingly personalised. I especially like the south-facing rooms, such as room 2302, which give you a nice view of the Chicago River. From May to October, take an architectural river tour for an introduction to equally stunning early 20th-century buildings such as the 1919 Wrigley Building, the 1923 London Guarantee & Accident Building, and the strategically domed 1926 Jeweler’s Building, which had a dedicated car elevator and indoor parking to protect the jewellers who worked there.
The Peninsula Chicago, near the north end of Mag Mile, has its main entrance on East Superior Street, next to the highly-recommended Euro café, Pierrot Gourmet, which is run by the 379-room hotel. The lobby is on the 20-floor building’s fifth floor, above floors of retail. Reach the fifth floor and you find a marble walkway leading to the concierge desk, a 10-foot high Art Deco allegorical rendering of Chicago by French artist Gérard Coltat. The best room views look east to Lake Michigan (try room 810). Treat yourself by booking the 3,000-square-foot Peninsula Suite, which comes with a terrace big enough to entertain 50 close friends, and there is a hot tub, too. General manager Maria Razumich-Zec has added many female-orientated touches to the service here, such as fresh fruit in the outstanding 20th-floor gym, which is open from 5am. There is an Olympic-sized indoor pool with outside terrace, and the seven-room ESPA is booked solid from 8am every Saturday and Sunday. Many locals also use the hotel for afternoon tea in the Lobby Lounge.
Park Hyatt Chicago, one block north of the Peninsula, is located behind the iconic Water Tower, a 138-foot wedding-cake sculpture built to hold firefighting standpipes. Stay at this 198-room hotel (under the care of general manager Walter Brindell) if you appreciate an art- and book-filled lobby with all day non-alcoholic drinks, and a 24-hour gym with an adjacent pool. All rooms feature upholstered window seats, ideal for people-watching or for taking a short nap. Of the rooms, favourites are those that look out over the Water Tower, such as room 1106. NoMi all-day restaurant is cantilevered out from the 67-floor building’s seventh floor, and it’s where you can enjoy healthy offerings from nutritionist Patricia Teixeira – try her breakfast Care Smoothie with aloe vera, soy milk, peach and berries.
