Magnificent Mile

We’ve always been fans of Nordstrom, but now we have another big reason to stop by their Mag Mile outpost: From May 12th through June 25th, goop is setting up a shop-in-shop inside. We’ve assembled a wellness-centric edit of best-selling clean beauty products, workout gear, dinner-simplifying cooking tools, and so much more—including essentials from our own family of house lines: goop by Juice Beauty skincare, closet basics from goop Label, goop Wellness vitamin and supplement regimens, plus goop Fragrance edition 02—shiso, which is crafted from gorgeous, natural ingredients (without any of the typical toxins). You can find goop-in@Nordstrom (furnished by 1stdibs) in seven other cities—including LA, Seattle, Toronto, and Dallas, to name a few—plus a full expression online, through June 25.

Housed in a Josef Paul Kleihues-designed building in the heart of the city, MCA Chicago is one of the best contemporary art museums in the world. In years past, they've organized everything from the first David Bowie retrospective, to the US debut of Colombian sculptor Doris Salcedo, as well as a major survey of American painter Kerry James Marshall (which they co-organized with the Met and LA's MOCA). We also love MCA for its manageable size—you can easily traverse the major galleries in a couple hours.

Just like the NYC outpost, and the dozen or so locations all over Italy (as well as recent offshoots in Japan, Dubai, and Istanbul)—Eataly Chicago is a foodie wonderland. The sprawling space is packed with imported sauces, beers, sweets, and so much more. There’s even a selection of housewares and books. Stalls offering house-made breads, pastas, and cheeses are scattered throughout—we recommend doing a lap to get the lay of the land first before committing to any one spot. For more formal dining there are several restaurants that are pretty efficient about taking walk-ins. No big surprise, but they have great gelato.

Maybe it’s because it’s so damned cold in Chicago in the winter that the Moncler store here is one of the best in terms of selection. The Italian brand is famous for making winter outerwear, even big puffy jackets, look good.

In just a few years, owners Lance and Jim have made a name for themselves for their impeccable taste, and for bringing otherwise-unknown designers and brands to their shop on North Michigan. Their tastes run the gamut from post-pop ceramics by Seletti, to tongue-in-cheek stationery, to Building Block tassel bags, Rachel Comey trousers, and Markus Lupfer sweatshirts: In their words, “it’s a general store that’s anything but general.” In the beauty department, find everything from Binchotan charcoal masks, to the full range of goop clean skincare.

Ikram is an incredibly special store with everything handpicked by Ikram Goldman, the owner who is known for, among other things, having styled Michelle Obama. The sprawling space itself is pretty impressive, with a dedicated home goods shop, gallery, and cafe on the second floor. Same goes for the one-of-a-kind clothing, accessories and spectacular jewelry on offer from such lauded names as Lanvin, Manolo Blahnik, and Tom Binns. Also, come here to shop new designers you've probably never heard of before and fun collaborations.

RL Restaurant (yes that’s RL for Ralph Lauren), has the old-fashioned feel of an English club, with dark paint on the walls, leather seats, and art arranged salon-style on the walls. It’s a prime spot for ladies who lunch. Stop by for their chopped salads, club sandwiches, and tomato soup.

Simply put, this downtown hotel's proximity to some of the city's best sites can't be beat: Millennium Park, The Museum of Contemporary Art, and Michigan Avenue are all just steps away. It offers all the comforts and amenities you'd need (bike rentals, a great gym), in addition to a sleek, modern design that makes it nothing short of a city oasis.

We don’t say this much—or ever—but: The Peninsula is maybe our favorite urban hotel in the entire country. It was recently renovated, which, in this case, means new custom artwork in the guest rooms (including silk floral wall prints), tablet technology for controlling everything (lights, curtains, room service) by touchpad, and a new cocktail lounge, Z Bar, perched high above Michigan Avenue, where drinks are made tableside on a roving cart. Sipping an Old Fashioned here while soaking in the rooftop views before heading to your room and falling asleep on Pretesi linens in one of the Peninsula’s supremely comfortable beds…this is the perfect Chicago evening.

Only a few years old, this 300+ room hotel takes up the first 13 floors of the Mies van der Rohe-designed IBM building (it’s actually the architect’s final work) but feels more like a boutique operation rather than a corporate-y behemoth. That said, it’s well equipped to host both business and leisure-minded travelers: spacious rooms, a choice of on-site restaurants, and a killer spa. It also offers all the thoughtful extras one might expect from a Langham, including afternoon tea service and a mini fleet of the signature pink taxis.