July 2010
By Penny Pollack & Graham Meyer
Aldino’s (626 S. Racine Ave.) served its last meal Saturday, as Steve Dolinsky reported. The owner of Aldino’s, Scott Harris, says the place will reopen in a quick turnaround as The CooKoo Room... Read more
By Dennis Rodkin
Ninety years after it opened as one Chicago’s most lavish apartment hotels, the Sheridan Plaza, at Sheridan Road and Wilson Avenue, is getting back its Jazz Age luster... Read more
By Catey Sullivan
A River Runs Past It
We all know it’s cooler by the lake, but that doesn’t mean you should overlook the charms of river towns. Take Dubuque—no, really: Dubuque—for example. Check into the 171-year-old Hotel Julien ($109–$229), and the history is palpable. The golden era of riverboat gamblers, steamboat captains, and showboats may be gone, but their architecture remains. After the place burned to the ground in 1913, the Julien rebuilt with grand Romanesque elegance... Read more
We all know it’s cooler by the lake, but that doesn’t mean you should overlook the charms of river towns. Take Dubuque—no, really: Dubuque—for example. Check into the 171-year-old Hotel Julien ($109–$229), and the history is palpable. The golden era of riverboat gamblers, steamboat captains, and showboats may be gone, but their architecture remains. After the place burned to the ground in 1913, the Julien rebuilt with grand Romanesque elegance... Read more
By Bridget Maiellaro
Inspiration for everyone
When Heather Anderson set out to launch Muse (106 N. Marion St., Oak Park; 708-948-7052, museoakpark.com), she sought to create a contemporary “lifestyle store” for all budgets... Read more
When Heather Anderson set out to launch Muse (106 N. Marion St., Oak Park; 708-948-7052, museoakpark.com), she sought to create a contemporary “lifestyle store” for all budgets... Read more
Wednesday is the busy night at Epic Sky, a new open-air lounge on the roof of the River North restaurant Epic (our dining department’s pick for most striking décor of 2010)—which means you have a full day to round up a crew and claim your spot tomorrow at the 28-foot bar. Our photographer stopped by last week and found a lively happy-hour-and-beyond crowd... Read more
By Gina Bazer
Next month, Cosentino, a well-known distributor of quartz surfacing and natural stone, will start making the Silestone Integrity Sink, shown above, available to dealers. What’s so cool about this sink? It’s made from one continuous piece of Silestone... Read more
By Dennis Rodkin
List Price: $1.5 million
Sale Price: $1.05 million
The Property: Nestled into the trees at the edge of a ravine in east Lake Forest, this tile-roofed teahouse is a remnant of Walden, the 80-acre lakefront estate of Cyrus H. McCormick II. Built in the 1920s, it was converted to a house in the 1950s... Read more
Sale Price: $1.05 million
The Property: Nestled into the trees at the edge of a ravine in east Lake Forest, this tile-roofed teahouse is a remnant of Walden, the 80-acre lakefront estate of Cyrus H. McCormick II. Built in the 1920s, it was converted to a house in the 1950s... Read more
Babydreams (448 Central Ave., Highland Park; 847-432-4704, 1858 N. Damen Ave., Chicago; 773-486-9445, babydreams.info)
Gifts and baby clothes, toys, and accessories, as well as crib bedding. They also create custom gift baskets for special events.
Be By Baby (1654 W. Roscoe St.; 773-404-2229, bebybaby.com)
Carries everything parents need to prep for baby, from maternity and breastfeeding bras, and cloth diapers to some furniture. Read more
By Barri Leiner Grant
Nine months. One baby-to-be. Way too many to-dos! Tuck this hip and helpful countdown into your maternity jeans—it’s sure to take the guesswork out of finding the most stylish items for you and your tiny trendsetter Read more