Furniture/decor/art
Home to the massive Merchandise Mart, this district is showrooms and galleries galore, though many close on Mondays. Sneak into the Mart under the wing of a design pro (see Adv. Shopping), or... Start off at the mega Golden Triangle at 330 N Clark (nr W Kinzie) / 312 755 1266 / goldentriangle.biz / for Asian antiques and customisable faux-tiques. Exit left and whip up past W Kinzie to #406 Mecox / 312 836 0571 / mecox.com / for two storeys of lavish home decor (plus chandeliers). If your tum’s growling, continue up a block for Frontera Grill at 445 N Clark / 312 661 1434, and its mobbed cantina XOCO next door at #449 / from 8am Tue-sat / where Chef Bayless is elevating Mexican street food to a whole new level. Or, exit right from Mecox and right into W Kinzie for Oscar Isberian Rugs at #120 (see Adv. Shop.) featuring impossibly intricate weaving, and OTT rococo Thomas Jolly Antiques at #124 / 312 595 0018 / thomasjollyantiques.com / with C.18th chairs and gold-tinged bric-à-brac. Continue down W Kinzie a block, then under the El tracks and you’ll be confronted with the gigantic Merchandise Mart and The Chopping Block cookery school (see Very Useful). Keep going along W Kinzie and cross to glammy Haute Living at #222 / 312 329 9000 / haute-living.com / for envy-inducing designer wares for your loft, from names like USM, Mater and Phase Design. Alright. Time for a calorie recharge. Exit right from Haute, turn right at N Franklin and join the queue at rammed hole-in-the-wall Doughnut Vault at 401 N Franklin (see Coffee & Cake). Prefer savoury? Exit left from Haute, retrace and left into N Wells, crossing either for a beer and cheeseburger at #431 Bull & Bear / 312 527 5973 / bullbearbar.com / or a gorgeously gooey deep-dish pie at the iconic #439 Lou Malnati’s / 312 828 9800 / loumalnatis.com. Once you’ve emerged from your food coma, waddle up to Rita Bucheit at #449 / 312 527 4080 / ritabucheit.com / for a hoard of musée qualité Empire, Biedermeier and Vienna furny. Fancy a quick spin round the art block? Push up N Wells a couple minutes, zig left into W Erie, and zag right into N Franklin, past W Huron and final left into W Superior for Catherine Edelman at #300 / 312 266 2350 / edelmangallery.com / packed with contempo photos. Andrew Bae is in the same building for works by emerging Asian artists, then Russell Bowman is at #311 (see Art for both). Retrace along W Superior and you’ll hit a gallery trifecta: Gruen Galleries at #226 / 312 337 6262 / gruengalleries.com / mixes US and Euro modern-day stars, Zygman Voss at #222 (see Art) shows fine art spanning the C.17th-20th, and Ann Nathan at #212 / 312 664 6622 / annnathangallery.com / has contemporary paintings and sculpture. Back on N Wells, go left and cross for Roy Boyd at #739 (see Art); fanciful lifestyle loft Elements at #741 (see Standout Stores); and cross back for Karyn’s Cooked at #738 / 312 587 1050 / karynraw.com / veggie-tastic comfort fare, or Cleise Brazilian Day Spa at #732 (see Spa). Finish here, or if you’re a vogue diva, power strut up N Wells and left at W Chicago for stashes of Dries Van Noten and other Euro labels at #212 Blake / 312 202 0047. You black belt retailista! Take your gigantic tipple at The Terrace at Trump or The Peninsula Bar (see Bars). Taxi!