We love Chicago and try to visit at least once a year for their Art-Expo. We usually stay at the W Hotel, but this time chose The Ambassador, which was formerly The Public. It looks exactly the same although their Pump Room restaurant recently closed.
One of my favorite boutiques Ikram is a must-stop by and I always discover an interesting piece or two in the rigorously edited racks of clothing. Marcin, my favorite salesman makes shopping a fun, stress-free adventure and he's been known to nudge me into outfits I wouldn't normally consider.
Our first evening was dedicated to dining at the neighborhood Gastro-Tavern & Dining Room The Duck Inn with Wendi Norris, whose namesake gallery is based in San Francisco. We enjoyed what was essentially a feast for kings and queens with their sensational signature dish of whole rotisserie duck, that I can't adequately describe except to say it has to be seen to be believed.
The following day we spent almost entirely at Art-Expo. We look forward to seeing what our favorite artists are up to and also discovering new and unknown talents. Galleries of particular interest to us are Monique Meloche, Kavi Gupta and Rhona Hoffman, all are Chicago based and represent artists we collect.
We had breakfast, lunch or dinner on consecutive days at the Thompson Hotel's Nico Osteria restaurant situated in the heart of Chicago's Gold Coast. One of the dishes they're particularly known for is the lobster pasta which happens to be my favorite dish and is one of the very few occasions when I'm definitely off my no-pasta diet.