Chicago

I’m heading home from Chicago after a wonderful communications conference put on by Ragan. Great things happened. Terrific speakers engaged me in conversations on exciting trends in my field and I’ll be returning to work with new ideas for employing new tools in new ways to improve communications in my organization. Not only have I been inspired by the hours (and hours and hours) I spent attending conference sessions and then reviewing each day’s material, but also by everything there is to do and see in Chicago – a city that I have visited many times, but always, somehow, in the dead of Winter.

If you happen to be headed for Chicago anytime soon, this is for you.

I stayed at the Hotel Monaco, part of the Kimpton chain, which proved an unexpected pleasure. I loved it so much I asked them whether they need a communicator; I mean, who’s even heard of them? Mine was a charming room with lots of fluffy pillows, gorgeous linens, and a goldfish in a bowl to keep me company. And women, take note – l’Occitaine products for the bath! Fabulous staff, especially concierge Ryan Lettier, who bent over backwards and sideways to ensure that I enjoyed my stay.

There is great food in the Windy City that goes way beyond deep-dish pizza. Find artisanal cheeses and charcuterie, house-made tapenades, fabulous sandwiches on to-die-for bread, and an intriguing selection of wine at Pastoral on Lake Street. The outdoor Green City Market on the edge of Lincoln Park is another fab spot to grab organic greens and sprouty stuff, yummy and healthy baked quiches, croissants, crepes, flatbread pizzas, and small farm cheeses from goats, sheep and cows. After you graze your way through that, work it all off by spending an hour at the wonderful Chicago History Museum just around the corner.

Like eggs? I do, and Chicago boasts some terrific breakfast spots. For the best eggs benny in the Mid-west you’ve got to get to Yokes on Michigan across from the splendid Millennium Park (handily located to provide a delightful setting for the walk you’re going to need after brekkie!). If you’re off exploring the charms of Wicker Park, check out Caffe de Luca where the locals hang out in part, I’m convinced, because of the exquisite spinach and goat cheese quiche: 2 quivering inches of creamy, velvety, eggy yumminess.

If you’re rushing to catch one of the many architectural tours (do take the First Lady Boat Cruise – no school groups, knowledgeable guides, need I say more?) – then make a run for Hannah’s Bretzels – all organic, all green, all healthiness – where you’ll find a wonderful fluffy organic egg, bacon and cheddar on a wholegrain “bretzel” that you can eat while racing down Michigan Ave to make the boat.

Then there’s dinner, which can be sublime in Chicago. I discovered a handful of hip little restos where the emphasis is on local, sustainable, organic, and fresh. Eve, Sepia , and Avec all fall into this category where the creatively imagined menus have been painstakingly chosen and dishes faultlessly executed and delivered by staff who know of what they speak. Hard to get into all of them so plan ahead.

Finally, rent a bike at Bike Chicago. The lakefront trail offers miles of scenic and relatively flat riding. Not only will you work off some of that hollandaise sauce you had for breakfast, but you’ll feel justified going out and doing it all over again.

Oh, and to help with all your planning follow @explorechicago – really nice folks who can answer all of your Chicago questions. And if you have any other recommendations for Chicago, share ‘em here.