“…CHICAGO IS!”

an architectural, foodie + design kind of town – LOVED IT!  could move there, if it had an ocean!

wright20 auction house

once in a while we get really really lucky….this was one of those times!  wright was on our top 5 picks for the weekend – what we didn’t realize is that wright is solely an auction house (they do sell on-line at wrightnow.com).  so we hunted it down thinking we would browse the galleries – instead, we met carol – who let ‘buzzed us in”+ gave us a personal tour of the site.  in the back gallery were the pieces auctioned just last evening in the DESIGN MASTERWORKS auction.  we saw each piece up close + personal – a thrill!

in the front rooms wright had set up an amazing collection of gene summers pieces they were handling for the summers family – lounge chairs, candlesticks + a glorious floor lamp – our favorites.

after this great success + treat we hoped that our other ‘shopping targets’ would not fall short – they did not!  3 of the best we found (with a small purchase along the way)

shopping

local + international designers – edgy – jewelry from a consortium of artisans from fiji (you don’t run into that often) – beautiful textiles – all around cool….robin richman

i can not do this shop justice with words…or photos (since they do not allow photos).  ikram goldman has put together a ‘treasure trove’ of high end clothing + jewelry…the style is wearable glamour – this is the woman who dressed michelle obama for many of her years in the white house.  the store itself is also a pleasure – open + airy, engaging sales staff + a magnificent collection of clothing  + jewelry (LOVED the orange fire opal ring – among many other ‘loves’)

maria pinto – we didn’t get into the shop as it was closed – but window shopping was great fun – creative + wearable fashion – each detail seemed ‘just right’

walking

tiffany, louis sullivan, public art – what a city

love the font –  union station

just a “little ol’ marc chagall” hanging out

undoubtedly this is the finest home a target store has ever had!  the stunning louis sullivan designed building @ state + madison

next stop….the chicago cultural center (once the library) with it’s stunning tiffany dome + tile work – amazing – i would have loved to ‘check out some classics’ here!  (a brief criticism – we also stopped at macy’s – once marshall fields, to check out their tiffany ceiling and once beautiful columns – macy’s has most unfortunately hung low end merchandising + seasonal ‘crap’ from the ceiling and allowed the columns to be covered with ‘stuff’ – truly shameful)…

“Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to
mankind, which are delivered down from generation to
generation as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn”
— Joseph Addison

just across the street – millenial park – concert venue + lots of ‘public art’ (due to a demonstration parts of the park were closed off – so our stroll was a brief one)

along the way – individual buildings at street level….and the ever present W!

lattes

our 1st day we stopped in at one of our favorites – la colombe, day 2 provided an introduction to sawada (hiroshi sawada is japan’s top award winning barista and his place – and lattes – are super cool).  day 3 we re-energized at bowtruss.  truly great coffee bars abound in chicago!

on the water

the chicago architecture foundation’s architectural tour on the chicago river

first lady cruises – simply the best!

art deco, beaux arts, mid-20th century modern, post modern, gothic, contemporary….chicago has it all – a beautiful skyline – beautiful buildings – wonderful history

 

chicago is even the main ‘character’ in one of my favorite reads : Devil in the White City….check it out! – Mr. Ferris, Mr. Olmstead, the Eiffel Tower, a murder mystery….and Chicago!

coming soon…dining in chicago – each night was a fete of fabulous