Near North Side

The near north side includes the Gold Coast, Streeterville and River North neighborhoods. It’s definitely the wealthiest, ritziest area of the city. It’s also the most tourist-y. It’s pretty easy to understand why. The buildings are gorgeous. There’s the old apartment/condo buildings all along Lakeshore Drive. There’s the Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower and the old Playboy mansion. A walk around this area is definitely a must.

There are also plenty of good restaurants, including some chains that are not good but tourists love them (Rainforest Café, the only Chili’s I think I’ve seen in Chicago, etc). There are lots of steakhouses and other very nice, upscale restaurants, plus more casual options for families.

Navy Pier is the number 1 tourist attraction in Chicago. I can’t for the life of me figure out why. It’s a bunch of really crappy restaurants and junky shops, none of which really have anything to do with Chicago. They do have plans to do a bunch of stuff to it soon though, so maybe it’ll get more interesting.

The Magnificent Mile, along Michigan Avenue, is something that people always visit. There’s a ton of shopping. Basically it’s like a giant shopping mall where the chain stores are triple the size. There are also very expensive designer stores that are fun to go in even if you’ll never be able to afford even a pair of socks. It gets ridiculously busy over here, especially on the weekends, but there’s plenty to buy and do.

There’s an area filled with clubby bars at Rush and Division, also known as the Viagra Triangle. It’s called that because of the young girls that go there to pick up old rich dudes from the suburbs. A lot of tourists go the bars in this area. Most local people I know will avoid this place at all costs.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is just off the Mag Mile and always has great exhibits. There are a lot of art galleries in the area too, which are cool to visit. There are two movie theaters over there too that I go to often. One – AMC River North – shares the building with a really fancy bowling alley that’s pretty cool.

The near north side is a very beautiful area and is definitely a must for anyone visiting the city. This has caused some parts to become a little bit less appealing, but it’s by no means a reason to stay away. Visitors and locals alike will find plenty to keep them entertained.

This roughly 8-block stretch of Michigan Avenue from the Chicago River north to Oak Street, was dubbed the “Magnificent Mile” back in the 1940s by real estate developer Arthur Rubloff. It has lived up to its name ever since (which includes MY entire lifetime!). It began as, and still is a shopping mecca of mid-high end retail stores including such notables as Nordstrom’s, Tiffany & Company Jeweler’s, and Nieman Marcus (or “Needless Markup” as some call it). Interestingly, the further north on the Mag Mile you go, the more high-end the stores become. I call Oak Street – the northern border of the Mag Mile – the “Rodeo Drive of the Midwest”. The same is true of the numerous hotels in the area: from the mid-range Marriott to the very high-end and exclusive Peninsula Hotel (where movie celebs and dignitaries are known to book their accommodations).

Although the area has always been primary corporate/commercial, there is residential space to be found. Just behind the Wrigley Building is a residential high-rise that has been there as long as I can remember. In the early 70s it was rental apartments (and I aspired to live there someday!). Of course, it was converted to condominiums during the housing/conversion boom of the 80s. In recent years, more high-end condo high rise buildings have sprung up. I’d say at least 5 in the past 5 years alone, just behind the street wall of the Mag Mile. Again, the further north you go, the higher the price! At the northern end of the Mag Mile you’ll find some of the priciest real estate in the city: What would you think it’d cost for a small studio condo in one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers - the world famous John Hancock building? Prices start in $200 hundred thousands. And the Hancock building is over 40 years old! Imagine what it costs in one of the newer highrises would like the one anchored by Bloomingdale’s which is a youthful 20+ years old.

Since the Mag Mile is primarily a tourist area/business traveler area, fine dining restaurants abound. However, with the increase of travelers with children, more and more casual and family-style restaurants have popped up. But I think of them as “upscale casual” – you don’t need a reservation but it is highly recommended. Some, like the Grand Lux Café and Pizzeria Uno & Due, don’t even take reservations. Common practice is to call ahead to find out how long the wait time is.

Basically, the Mag Mile neighborhood is yet another of those in Chicago’s Downtown that has a lot packed into a small space. Most local residents don’t mind sharing it with the hoards of tourists and travelers. We know when to go out and about and when it’s less crowded.